Bye-oniq

Goodbye Hyundai Ioniq PHEV

Like you, I am a thrusting redblooded petrolhead, unburnt fuel coursing through bloodstream, thrum of V8 lodged deep in ear canal. Like you, I should not care for the Ioniq, perhaps the least petrolheadish, least red-blooded car on sale.

But I really care for the Ioniq. After half a year with one, I confess: it’s brilliant. And not even with the caveat ‘for a hybrid’. It’s a properly coherent piece of engineering that makes no attempt at being a thrusting, petrolheadish sports thing.

In a world where family wagons feel it necessary to bill themselves as ‘sports utility vehicles’, the Ioniq remains unashamedly relaxed. The integration of electric and petrol is seamless, progress always serene. I know it’s not a new trick, but I’m still a total sucker for the sensation of wafting along on electric power.

Frustrations? Niche concern maybe, but it’s not the best for carrying bikes. There are no officially sanctioned roof bars, and the split rear screen makes it a pain to fit a bike rack. With the aid of many, many rachet straps, I managed to strap a Saris Bones to the back, but it was a fiddly job.

Then there’s the bigger issue of whether, in a world where EV range is rising by the month, where conventionally engined cars are becoming ever more efficient, a plug-in hybrid makes economic or ecological sense.

For many, maybe not. But for my dullyet-specific requirements – a daily 60-mile commute and the odd 350-mile slog to Cornwall – it fitted the bill perfectly. If the Ioniq works for you, it’ll really work for you.