2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Limited
Price: $56,100 (as price sheet listed)
Pros-- Sleek. Economical. Fast. Roomy. Smooth ride. Sharp.handling. All-wheel drive. Degenerative braking.
Cons—Rear headroom for extra-tall occupants. So-so cargo capacity.
Bottom Line—Family car that is fun to drive.
If an automaker wants to join the electric car parade, it best come up with something that really stands out. Hyundai has done just that with its 2023 Ioniq 6 sedan.
While quite distinctive, the new five-passenger Ioniq 6 styling has a touch of the Porsche 911, along with the (remember them?) Oldsmobile Aurora and Infiniti J30.
The Ioniq 6’s swoopy shape, fast acceleration, sharp handling, roomy interior and excellent ride combine to likely draw new customers to Hyundai showrooms.
The heated and ventilated front seats are very supportive. And the rear seating area has almost limo-style room, although the sloping rear roof may cause those taller than six feet to want more head room. Also, the center of the back seat is too stiff for long drives. A long 116-inch wheelbase and 191-inch overall length contribute to roominess of this approximately 4,650-pound car. It’s 191.1-inch long.
The cargo area has a rather high opening and so-so cargo capacity, but rear seatbacks flip forward to enlarge that area.
The Ioniq 6 comes in three models with either a large or smaller battery. Prices approximately go from $45,000 to $60,000. They come with rear or all-wheel drive.
I tested the top-line Limited model with all-wheel drive and 20-inch wheels. Standard are 18-inchers. The larger battery generates an impressive 320 horsepower and neck-snapping 440 lb/ft of torque. Acceleration is a breeze from any speed.
Hyundai gives this model a 0-60 mp.h. time of 5.1 seconds, but it feels more like maybe 4.1 seconds of swift, silent power.
Driving range with the 320-horsepower AWD Limited is estimated at approximately 270 miles, but any range with an electric is a wild card, depending on a driver’s habits and such things as the weather. The window sticker for the Ioniq 6 Limited AWD with 20-inch wheels I drove lists fuel economy at 111 miles per gallon in the city and 94 on highways.
This car has an unusually quiet interior, thanks to lots of strategic soundproofing. It also an extremely low drag coefficient to help enable it to quickly slice through the wind.
Steering is quick and accurate, and cornering is impressively flat. This is not a sports sedan, but it often responds like one.
You can choose “Eco,” “Normal” or “Sport” driving modes with the use of a button. I chose “Normal” most of the time, but “Sport” mode tightens the steering and makes the Ioniq 6 more fun to drive, although the ride gets a little firmer. Some sharp bumps can be felt in “Normal” mode although occupants aren’t jolted. The normal ride is impressively smooth, thanks to such items as hydraulic suspension bushings and frequently active variable shocks.
There are various levels of degenerative braking, but I stuck most of the time with normal braking, controlled by an easily modulated pedal.
The interior has a minimalist theme, but its design and high-quality materials gave it a high-quality look. Facing the driver are two 12.3-inch screens, the main one for the instrument cluster. There also are a good number of handy small under-dashboard manual controls for such things as the climate system.
A wide sunroof brightens the interior, and there is a Bose premium audio system and plenty of driver-assistance features, including wireless device charging. Others include forward collision-assistance assist, blind-spot collision-avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist and a blind-spot monitor.
Hyundai’s new Ioniq 6 models promise to fit nicely into the ever-emerging electric car scene.They’re a bit offbeat, but that may make them more attractive to electric car buyers.