You may have been reading recently about storm clouds gathering over EV sales. If you look at things as dealers do – quarter to quarter – the last couple have seen a bit of a slowdown. But widen that focus out and year over year, EV sales are meeting expectations. Slowing is not the same as stopping.
One reason is a growing number of truly great cars that are battery electrics – and that absolutely includes the Hyundai IONIQ 6.
While some automakers are dipping their toes cautiously into EVs, Hyundai, its luxury brand Genesis and its corporate cousin Kia have taken one basic platform and delivered four very distinctive electric vehicles – the IONIQ 6 sedan, the IONIQ 5 SUV (On The Road, May 2022), the Kia EV6 SUV (On The Road, August 2022) and the Genesis GV60 (On The Road, November 2022).
Beyond that, each vehicle is available with a choice of power, range and number of wheels driven. The IONIQ 6 SE, for example, can be had as a 168kW (225 hp) rear-wheel drive with up to 361 miles of electric range or as a dual-motor 239kW (320 hp) all-wheel drive with up to 316 miles of electric range.
The two higher trim levels, SEL and Limited, offer the same power and drive combinations, but because of equipment and weight, those range estimates drop to 270 and 305.
Still, those are in the solid range per charge figures and have strong power outputs. Our tester was the Limited Long Range AWD, 270 miles per charge and zero-to-60 times of 4.3 seconds.
Even driven enthusiastically in Sport mode, the IONIQ 6 Limited Long Range AWD squeezed 3.8 miles out of each kWh. Driven more gently, high 4s and even a 5.0 are attainable.
The IONIQ 6, IONIQ 5, EV6 and GV60 all have 800-volt charging. On a properly operating DC fast charger (350kW peak output), all of these vehicles can recharge from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes.
Key words: Properly operating.
Mike Hagerty/Special to the Town Crier
I’ve made a habit of chronicling the charging experience in real-world terms in all my EV reviews. And while the IONIQ 6 can charge from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes, it took me 17 minutes and 33 seconds to charge from 57% to 79% (it stopped one percent shy of where the car is programmed to stop charging) on an Electrify America Hyper-FAST (their brand name) 350kW charger that peaked at 73kW.
At that particular station, only two of the three 350kw chargers were working. One has been out of commission for at least two weeks now.
Again, the EVs on sale in North America – more and more of them – are more than ready. The infrastructure is getting worse instead of better.
With a low center of gravity, the IONIQ 6 handles very nicely and rides very smoothly, but even with Sport mode engaged, the steering response isn’t quite quick enough or has enough feel to qualify as a true sports sedan. It’s fine on most roads, but it’s not meant to go canyon-carving at 9/10ths. Expect that to change in 2025 when Hyundai may unleash the IONIQ 6 N.
Downsides? A very small trunk. 11.2 cubic feet. Your luggage-less rear seat passengers will ride in comfort, though, with 39.2 inches of legroom. Headroom’s another matter, at 36.9 inches – blame the sloping roofline, which looks great on the outside but will cause problems for taller folks in the back seat.
IONIQ 6 prices start at $43,600, including the destination for the RWD SE. The AWD Limited is the top of the line, and the conversation starts at $54,800 (including destination).
That’s a significant leap, but as is Hyundai’s way, that money buys a ton of standard equipment. And, Hyundai being Hyundai, the only extra-cost option on our tester was carpeted floor mats ($210), which took the bottom line of the window sticker to $55,010.
So – quick, excellent range, fast charging and oozing style. If you can live with the small trunk, the IONIQ 6 should be at the very top of your EV sedan shopping list.
Mike Hagerty, past vice president of membership for Western Automotive Journalists (waj.org), has been writing about cars since 1997. Read more of his reviews at (MikeHagertyCars.com) and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter (twitter.com/mikehagertycars).
