HYUNDAI IONIQ 6
It ought to be unsurprising that Hyundai’s second flagship EV, the Ioniq 6, surprises with its looks. Thanks in part to the firm’s design director, Sangyup Lee, who received last year’s Design Hero award, Hyundai’s styling has in recent years become among the most innovative. The Korean manufacturer has built up a range of good-looking mainstream cars, but it has been pushing the design envelope with its EVS. The Ioniq 6’s streamliner looks won’t please everyone, but no one could accuse it of being bland.
First came the Ioniq 5, which suggested that an SUV didn’t actually need to look like an SUV and introduced a new brand of retro-futurism that has clearly struck a chord with buyers. But while most of Hyundai’s range (and most other manufacturers’ lineups) becomes ever more Suv-heavy, the firm has decided to embrace the traditional saloon once more – although it has done so with less than traditional means.
In some ways the Ioniq 6 is quite old-fashioned, being a fourdoor saloon with a bootlid that is laser-focused on streamlined aerodynamics. At the same time, the car is a cutting-edge EV offering 800V architecture, ultra-fast charging, a large battery, good mechanical efficiency and, as a result, a class-leading range. The Ioniq 6, then, is not just a design exercise. With a low drag coefficient of just 0.21, it breaks the EV industry’s vicious cycle of larger size, bigger batteries and increasing weight. Instead, this car begins a considerably more virtuous one of increasing range through better efficiency, and it manages to do so with flair.
Tesla would argue its Model 3 has been doing much the same thing since 2017 (or 2019 here in the UK) and that the dual-motor Long Range model’s range exceeds that of the UK Ioniq 6 by 36 miles. We wouldn’t necessarily disagree, and it’s why we gave the Tesla Model 3 this award last year.
However, the Hyundai does it with so much more verve, from the exterior styling to the interior, which is unmistakably modern while retaining the warmth, intricate design and traditional ergonomics the Tesla lacks. The Ioniq 6’s more traditional feel extends to the way it drives, with the kind of calm steering, mostly pliant ride and easily configurable powertrain you would expect from a volume car maker.
We would love to see Hyundai offer the aerodynamic 18in wheels that are available in other countries alongside the standard 20in items – to see how much better the ride can be and because they increase the range to 382 miles. When you have created a car that makes a point of its aerodynamic efficiency, why not lean into it fully?
An extroverted streamlined saloon may not be the most obvious choice of company car, but at a time when car parks are heavy on identikit crossovers, the Ioniq 6 is quite a statement. It’s also plainly an impressive electric car with good efficiency, a long range, generous rear seat space and enjoyable driving manners.