First Drive of the all-new 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6
The Tesla Model 3 has pretty much had the compact electric car market all to itself. But now, a new player is joining the game. The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 is an all electric sedan that follows in the footsteps of its bigger brother; the Ioniq 5. OpenRoad Auto Group was recently invited to the launch event of the Hyundai Ioniq 6 in Vancouver. We got a first look of the new car and got to test drive it for a short while to find out how it stacks up against other electric sedans in this increasingly competitive market.
Design
The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 looks like a retro-futuristic concept car from the 1970’s but this was done with aerodynamics in mind. This teardrop shape is very aerodynamic, so much so that the drag coefficient of the Ioniq 6 is just 0.22. That’s better than the Tesla Model 3 or the Toyota Prius. This is achieved through active aero flaps in the bumper, a bumper air curtain, aero wheels, the elliptical wing-inspired spoiler, fully covered underfloor, and the slight boat-tail shape of the car. All of these design cues help the car cut a clean line through the air which helps it get almost 600 km on a single charge.
Range
The 2023 Ioniq 6 is available in a rear-wheel-drive configuration or an all-wheel-drive configuration. The RWD Preferred trim with the 18″ wheels has an official driving range of up to 581 km. You can opt for the AWD version of this trim with the same 18″ wheels but the driving range will drop to 509 km. If you go for the to spec Ultimate trim with the 20″ wheels, our demo vehicle, the range further drops to 435 km.
We drove the Hyundai Ioniq 6 for approximately 150 km on city streets, highways, twisty forest roads, and even up (and down) a mountain. When we returned to the starting point, the car still had approximately 230 km of driving range left from starting at 435 km. Pretty impressive considering we were not trying to conserve energy.
Power
Both the RWD and the AWD variants of the Ioniq 6 are powered by a 77.4 kWh battery pack. The RWD version has an electric motor that produces 225 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. The AWD version adds an electric motor to power the front wheels as well and the total out put is 320 hp and 446 lb-ft of torque. With the AWD system, the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 can accelerate from a stop to 100 km/h in just over 5 seconds.
Like many other EVs, the Ioniq 6 has regenerative braking to slow the car down and recoup some energy. It has different levels from no regen braking to a maximum mode called i-pedal. This allows the driver to control the acceleration and braking with just the accelerator pedal. There’s also an auto-regen braking mode. This uses various sensors on the car to adjust the amount of regenerative braking to provide.
Charging
The 2023 Ioniq 6 has an 800-Volt battery architecture. What this means is that it can be recharged from a very fast 350 kW DC charger in as little as 18 minutes from 10% to 80%. From a more common 50kW DC level 3 charger, it can be recharged in approximately one hour and ten minutes from the same 10% to 80% state of charge. From a level 2 charger, the Ioniq 6 can be recharged from 10% to 100% in about 7.5 hours.
Interior
The interior of the Hyundai Ioniq 6 takes a lot of its inspiration from the bigger Ioniq 5. It has the same dual screen dashboard layout and similar climate controls. It’s the center console that is a little bit different but still very functional with 2 cupholders, a USB port, the power locks switch and window switches. There’s also a large space underneath the console for a small bag or purse.
Due to the lower roofline, headroom is a bit less than in the more boxy Ioniq 5. But tall adults still have just enough head space in the front seats. Leg space is excellent in these front seats. It’s the same story in the back seats. Headroom is at a bit of a premium but leg room is more than plentiful. The trunk can accommodate 317 L of space and there’s a 14 L storage space under the hood for something like the charging cable.
Features
The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 can be equipped with a lot of convenience and safety features. It has satellite navigation, environmentally friendly leather upholstery, heated & ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a large power sunroof, surround view cameras, wireless phone charging, automatic climate control, Apple CarPlay & Android Auto connectivity and many more features.
The Ioniq 6 also come equipped with a lot of advanced safety & driver aids such as automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning with lane keep, blind spot sensors with blind zone view, rear cross traffic alert, and Highway Drive Assist version 2. This updated highway drive assist features helps keep the car centered in your lane on select highways and it uses the radar cruise control to maintain and adapt to surrounding vehicles. This system is also clever enough to help you change lanes by gently turning the wheel when the indicators are turned on and there’s a safe zone next to the vehicle.
Pricing & Availability
The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 has a starting price of $54,999 for the Preferred RWD trim. This model is eligible for government rebates here in BC. The Preferred AWD trim costs $57,999 and the Ultimate AWD costs $63,999. These AWD variants are unfortunately not eligible for government rebates here in BC but they are eligible for federal government rebates.
The Ioniq 6 will arrive at dealerships, such as OpenRoad Hyundai Richmond, in April of 2023.
OpenRoad Hyundai Richmond
www.OpenRoadHyundaiRichmond.com
13251 Smallwood Pl, Richmond, BC V6V 1W8
Video Overview
