Hyundai Ioniq 6 review: King of the skies

AreaRead the video transcript here

But there is still room for improvement.

Agrees. But now watch out.

The aerodynamics are more likely to be right.

And aerodynamics is the perfect keyword. After all, that's what the car we're dealing with today is all about. It is one of the most streamlined models around. And: It's an electric car. And that's a good fit, because with electric cars, the better the aerodynamics, the longer and greater the range.

We take the Hyundai Ioniq 6 for a spin.

A new electric car usually means a new electric SUV. And even those who have been a riveter in physics suspect that this is not particularly clever. This is because SUVs are usually large, heavy and they tower high. Electric cars, on the other hand, should be as light, compact and crouched as possible. If only for reasons of energy efficiency.

Now you can do it, as is often the case in industry. They are building an even larger electric SUV with an even heavier and even larger battery. Or you can do it like Hyundai. You build a family car, full-fledged and make the design as smooth as possible, smooth and similar to a sedan.

Chief designer Sang Yup Lee calls this design Streamliner design and as a result, this car has a drag spy value of 0.21. That's pretty stellar for production cars. Only the Mercedes EQS is a bit more streamlined with a value of 0.20.

Let's take a look at a few details that make this car glide so smoothly and smoothly through the airstream. First of all, of course, there is this rounded crouched limousine-like overall shape, including retractable door handles when it starts. Then here we have this plastic lip that makes the wheel arch narrower and thus allows the airflow to slide along the side without turbulence.

Incidentally, these almost completely closed rims also contribute to this. And then we have the so-called winglets at the rear, i.e. the slightly downward bent ends of the spoiler, which shorten the distance and thus prevent unwanted vortices.

These air vortices are undesirable for aerodynamicists. This is because they inhibit propulsion and cost energy.

Overall, the car looks smaller from the outside than it actually is. The dimensions: the car is 4.85 m long, 1.88 m wide and 1.50 m high. And this design, when you look at it, you can immediately find it great. But you can also be quite irritated, find it kind of funny. In any case, the experts are enraptured. At the World Car Awards, for example, this car received the Design of the Year 2023 award.

So a lot of praise for the exterior. But let's take a look inside. And above all, we look at how the aerodynamics affect driving.

The first thing that strikes you when driving in the Ioniq 6 is the calmness with which the car travels. Sure, most electric cars drive more smoothly than combustion engines, but the Ioniq 6 drives more smoothly than most electric cars.

This is due to the aerodynamically favorable design already described. But it is also due to the top equipment package with which our test car is equipped. This equipment package costs €11,300 extra. So quite a lot. But it also contains acoustic glass all around. Smooth gliding is therefore the main discipline of this car. Most people are probably more interested in the fact that this streamlined shape provides a long range. In the case of the Ioniq 6, the WLTP range is 614 kilometers and the average consumption is 14.3 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers. And this is also quite achievable, as our daily display of 14.4 kilowatt hours shows here.

Normal for cars of this caliber is 20 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers. Hyundai offers the Ioniq 6 with two different batteries and with three different drives. We drive the large battery and the medium electric motor. This electric motor sits in the rear, drives the rear wheels, produces 168 kW or 229 hp, develops a maximum torque of 350 Newton meters and makes the car 185 km/h fast. So much for the technical data. We stop now to take a closer look at the interior.

Now let's take another look at the interior in peace and quiet! Smooth on the outside, sometimes like this, sometimes like that on the inside, you could say that about the Ioniq 6. For example, this door panel here, they are radically simple. On the other hand, a number of buttons are moved to the center console. It's pretty full. Namely, buttons, such as for the window regulators or for the door lock, which are usually found in the doors.

And this back and forth is quite typical of the Ioniq 6. On the one hand, this also applies to digitalization. Of course, here is a digital cockpit, 12.2 inches (approx. 31 cm) tall and just as large next to a touchscreen for operating most functions. However, with rather branched menus. And it's not that easy to find your way around.

At the same time, there are a whole series of special keys for other functions, for example down here again separately the climate control and then physical buttons. Quite classically here a volume control or here the paddles for the settings of the recuperation or here also the button to change the driving mode.

And, that's quite interesting. Here on the impact absorber of the steering wheel, there is not the usual brand logo to see, but four light pixels. They change color depending on which function you are triggering. For example, they change color when you set the driving modes, Sport or Eco or Normal mode. However, they also indicate the charge level of the battery when charging or they throw a red light when reversing as a warning for the driver and as a warning for special attention. So much for being in here. Now let's take a look under the flaps of the car.

A quick look under the front hood and here you can see a frunk, i.e. a front trunk. 45 liters fit in here. A glance into the rear shows: feudal space conditions. In particular, the knee room is really generous. The headroom isn't quite as good, but when you're as tall as me – 1.82 – you sit very decently in the back.

Still the view into the trunk. Three things stand out: the tailgate is relatively small, the cargo hatch too, of course, and the cargo volume as well. 401 liters fit in the trunk. It can be extended by folding down the rear seat backrests. Hyundai has not yet announced how large the capacity will be. But the rear seat backrests can also be unlocked from here in the back with this lever and with this lever.

This socket here is used to charge the lithium-ion battery, which has a capacity of almost 77.4 kilowatt hours. It can be charged with up to 11 kilowatts of alternating current and up to 240 kilowatts of direct current. That's quite a lot and on top of that, the Ioniq 6 works with 800 volt technology. This means that charging is accelerated even more. From 20 to 80% battery level, it only takes 20 minutes at a charging station under optimal conditions.

We don't have to load yet, we'll do another round.

The Ioniq 6 is a car that you immediately have an opinion about. Of course, this is due to the design. Some rave about it, others think it's terrible. But the aerodynamics don't care. This is outstanding in the car and it ensures that this sedan is particularly efficient and the electric drive makes quite a lot of sense here.

What we like about the car: the distinctive design, the long range and the fast charging option. Minuses are the nested operating menus, the small trunk and the expensive equipment options.

How much does it all cost here?

The Ioniq 6 is available from €43,900 and our test car with the large battery and top-of-the-range equipment costs €60,890. Speaking of large numbers that make you swallow first. Do you know what the current record for paper airplanes is?

No idea.

At more than 77 meters. I can take mine to the waste paper right away.

Probably.