Hyundai Ioniq 6 review - Electric motor, drive and performance
The Ioniq 6 is good to drive, but the BMW i4 is comfier and more fun on twisty roads
While the Hyundai Ioniq 6 has a sporty-looking silhouette, it’s clear that the car is more focused on comfort than sharp driving dynamics. A key rival for the Hyundai is the BMW i4, which is sportier and more fun to drive overall.
The Ioniq 6 has a surprisingly raised driving position, especially next to the i4, which is good and bad: it gives you a decent view out, but means you feel the Hyundai’s body rolling in corners more than in its key rival. It doesn’t feel unstable or unpleasant, but you won’t be as keen to push the car quite as hard as you might like in tight turns.
On motorways and faster roads, it’s smooth and quiet, but the large 20-inch alloy wheels that are fitted as standard on all models mean that the Ioniq 6 isn’t quite able to keep lumps and bumps on B-roads in check. It feels unsettled and bouncy on rough sections, and the low-speed ride is no more than reasonable. Still, the seats are really comfy and it’s extremely quiet inside, so it still has a nicely relaxed feel if you maintain a calmer driving style.
The steering is really light and the cameras and parking sensors mean the car is easy enough to manoeuvre around town, and there’s certainly enough performance to impress just about anyone.
0-62mph acceleration and top speed
The Ioniq 6 is offered with a choice of rear-wheel drive (RWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD). The former uses a single motor producing 225bhp to drive the rear wheels, while the latter has another motor at the front for a combined power output of 321bhp.
Unsurprisingly, the AWD version is the faster of the two, with 0-62mph taking just 5.1 seconds. That’s less time than many sports cars and hot hatchbacks take, although the new Model 3 Long Range (which also uses two electric motors for AWD) will do 0-62mph in an incredible 4.4 seconds. Regardless, the dual-motor Ioniq 6 feels very potent, plus there’s 605Nm of torque available as soon as you touch the accelerator.
The RWD model takes a little longer to get to 62mph – 7.4 seconds to be exact – but that’s still plenty quick enough for a family saloon car like this. Top speed for both versions stands at 115mph.
