The Hyundai Ioniq 6 makes a good case for going electric

I’m going to level with you, dear reader – electric cars aren’t going anywhere. But let me share something else – *Dad looking you in the eyes so you know I mean it* – the Hyundai IONIQ 6 really is a good car, and it’s something I’d consider for a daily driver.

To prove it to you, I’m going to change it up for this review. Let’s really live with it, from charging to accelerating, and see what it’s really like.

The 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Limited Overview

In their infinite wisdom, Hyundai saw fit to send me their most powerful IONIQ 6 in Limited trim, and that’s good, because the base model has a single motor with just 149 horsepower.

Instead, we have dual motors, all-wheel drive, and 320 electrocuted fillies. It’ll go 270 miles between charges, comes with everything (and I mean everything) that a modern Mercedes has, and offers styling that at least offers a unique take on what a sedan can be.

Based on the platform of Kia’s EV 6 (a car I very much liked), the IONIQ 6 is what I call an “almost” car – not quite baked, but I can see where they are going. To get the most out of it, you need to stop thinking of it, and indeed any electric car, as conventional. But if Raiden is going to live in my driveway, it won’t get any free passes.

Speaking of, you can definitely pass in this car…

Performance Score: 7. Fast and fun are two different things

I’m so tired of acting like every engine must be saved, and every ICE is precious.

Please.

I’d call BMW’s B48 just about the best four-cylinder engine you can currently buy, and I still dislike it. Sounds terrible. Weak. It’s not exciting to drive. Doesn’t rev quickly. It’s a freakin’ appliance.

Why would you choose it over this car, because if you want a sedan for $55k at the BMW store, you’re in one with a four-cylinder, or an electric i4.

Stop thinking it’s an ICE car

The first thing you notice when driving the IONIQ 6 is the shifter. Twist down for reverse, twist up for drive. I cannot emphasize enough how dumb this is, because I never once did it right. Should be the other way around. Can you imagine the look on Mrs. Machine’s face if I backed into the garage door by accident?

Next, turn off the active sound. You can choose from low, medium, or high, and for about five minutes it sounds like you’re in the Jetsons. Cool mom! After that, its just annoying. Without it, this Hyundai becomes more serene than a Maybach. Hyundai even added extra sound-deadening material to drive home the point.

It’s so nice!

Use the iPedal, Damnit

One of the greatest compliments you can give me while I’m behind the wheel is smoooooth.

“Wow Mike, you’re so smooth, you’re just like Carlos Sainz in a Ferrari!”

Using regenerative braking can make me…not so smooth. In fact, it’s more like the first time I drove my mom’s Nissan Maxima onto my neighbor’s lawn when I was 13. But I was determined to get it with the IONIQ 6.

You know what? It works. There are four settings, from off to WHOA (Hyundai calls it the i-Pedal), and I left it on WHOA all the time. Use the paddles behind the wheel to change on the fly. After five minutes, I got the hang of it. After a day, I got used to it. After a week, I had a hard time going back into a car without it.

One-pedal driving is better. About the only awkward thing is coming to a red light – you stay on the throttle a lot longer as oppose to coasting. But I hardly ever touched the brakes, so don’t ask me how they work.

The feature is there to help recharge the car, so use it.

Waiting for the weight

Something that no one has figured out is curb weight. The Hyundai IONIQ 6 with dual motors tips the scales at over 4,600 pounds. That’s more than a Jaguar F-PACE SVR.

No more “but the battery is heavy” crap – if we’re going to consider this a normal car, then it can’t weigh nearly double what it should.

More weight means heavier springs, and that means a rougher ride. The IONIQ 6 clomps over bumps, but the suspension also leans, squats, and dives far too much to call it a sports sedan. The car grips well, and the steering is hefty with good feel – it wants to be a sports sedan. Just not there yet.

But the IONIQ 6 is fast

Instant torque. No gear changes. No redline. All-wheel traction. Despite the IONIQ 6 having 60 less horsepower than an X3 M40i and weighing 300 pounds more, it’s just two tenths off the trip to sixty. You won’t notice.

Accelerating is more akin to the takeoff of an airliner than a car. Of course it’s smooth, the way it literally pushes you into the back of your seat. Bringing it back to that four cylinder argument, there’s no comparison – it’s much faster, more refined, with no terrible buzzy sounds. Put the car in Sport mode, and it honestly is fast enough to put a smile on your face.

I’m not suggesting that we kill off all the 911 GT3s and replace them with 911 Es. I am suggesting we kill all the four cylinder engines and replace them with this. You won’t really enjoy the IONIQ 6 on a back road – electric cars don’t give you that sensation. But for commuting to work? Dashing through idiots on cell phones in traffic?

Am I missing something joyful from a 228i experience?

Lifestyle Score: 3. Sit down. Or else.

I have to start with the front seats, which feel as if they were designed to be some sort of medieval torture device.

Could be the seating position, which pushes your foot against the firewall. Or the fact that the IONIQ 6 doesn’t have a floor mounted throttle pedal. No one should be making cars without them at this point.

But the seats themselves – not made for someone like me. They have a short lower cushion with almost no thigh support, and are so firm they gave me a back ache. If you’re smaller than 6’1, and you don’t have tree trunks for thighs, try them. Otherwise, I can’t imagine you’d be comfy.

The car does offer plenty of space in the front and back seat, and with no transmission tunnel running through the floor, it feels much more open and spacious. The trunk is on the smaller side – I couldn’t stand up a cereal box in it, but there’s enough room to live.

Fuel Economy: Translate for me

In over two years of reviewing cars, I’ve yet to see a single car charger added to any mall, store, or park near me. The ones that are available are usually packed, expensive to use, and might not even be fast-charge capable. That’s not the IONIQ 6’s fault, which averages 103 MPGe.

Instead, I took out an extension cord and left the Hyundai plugged in each night as it made sleepies at my house. We busted out the jammies, s’mores kit, and fluffy pillows for fights too. Leaving the car charging for 12 hours netted about a 25% range increase – fine for daily use, depending on the length of your commute.

Gimme Fuel, Gimme Fire

All told, this Hyundai gets about 270 miles of range, but that number really depends on a lot. The IONIQ 6 was more consistent on the dash than prior electric cars, but it can’t predict how much A/C you need, or the traffic you’ll sit in. It’s easy to look down and see 20 miles magically disappear in a hurry for no apparent reason.

How much does it add to my monthly electric bill? I’m not really sure – a week is too small a sample size. I do know that in New Jersey, over 50% of electricity is generated by burning natural gas. When you add the environmental cost of making an electric car into it, it’s hard to see how this is benefiting the planet in the long term.

Still, it is nice not to worry about paying for gas.

Features and Comfort: 7. Mr. Unlimited

Russell Wilson calls himself Mr. Unlimited (dubious claim), and he’d make a good spokesman for the Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited, which is our trim on this model. The gear this car has is much closer to Mr. Wilson’s self-given nickname.

Tech Talk

I hate listing off features like a brochure, so suffice it to say, this car has everything a modern Mercedes has, and then some if it’s a cheap Merc.

There’s a proximity key, surround view, remote parking assist, heated and ventilated seats…you get it. But how is it in actual use?

Pretty damn good.

The weather was capital H-O-T HOT while I had this Hyundai, and the A/C blew so cold I actually had to turn it up. FYI, I’m the dude that keeps the house like an igloo at night. Cooling seats work better here than in a BMW too.

It’s weird inside though, with what’s best described as Starship Enterprise decor if Star Trek were a B-movie. The steering wheel is inexplicably installed upside down (I want more room on top, not on the bottom). All the controls are in the screen, but Hyundai saw fit to give you a few buttons on the dash to help find your way. Real HVAC controls are nice too.

It’s not German fit and finish inside, and the sunroof oddly rattled over bumps, but for less than $55k, the IONIQ 6 feels well-built.

What are you?

This car looks so…90s? It’s bubble-shaped, and that single light bar in the back…

INFINITI J30! That’s what it is.

The IONIQ 6 is modernized of course. LED lighting, 20-inch wheels, and my forever-favorite pointless black trim bring the look up to date. But even the color, Ultimate Red, feels very 90’s maroon to me. Maybe the upcoming N version will be more aggressive-looking.

If you’re looking to make a statement because you drive down the road using lightning, I’m not sure this will do it.

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited sits in an odd space

This is the most mainstream electric car I’ve driven yet, and that can make it confusing.

This fully-loaded Limited model comes in at $54,975, but you can get an SE trim with a 12.3-inch dash and the same 320 horsepower dual motors for $42,450. The IONIQ 6 makes more sense below $50k, because you can grab an i4 for around the same price as this Limited. It’s not apples to apples, but it’s close enough.

It’s best to think of this car as a sort of sleeper. Looks harmless enough. Bro in WRX at the red light has no idea, and it’s fun to watch his big “O” face as I zip away from him with ease.

The Hyundai IONIQ 6 is way more car than you need, so it’s easy to mistake it for something it isn’t – a full-on sports sedan.

Just don’t mistake it for a typical economy car, either.

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