2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6: Are Hyundai Ioniq 6 Reliable? Hyundai scored a home run with the Ioniq 5, and it’s looking to replicate that success with the new Ioniq 6. This streamlined sedan is a stark contrast to the boxy cyberpunk aesthetic of the Ioniq 5, but both ride on the same modular electric platform and share powertrains, tech features and lots of futuristic design details. After getting some time behind the wheel of an Ioniq 6 prototype in South Korea last month, there’s a lot to look forward to.
While the heavy camouflage might make this Ioniq 6 look like a rougher test mule, the car is a nearly production-level validation prototype that’s just being used for final tweaks. The interior is completely uncovered, and build quality and fit and finish are pretty stellar.
This particular Ioniq 6 is a rear-wheel-drive model in the highest trim level, with a 77.4-kilowatt-hour battery pack and a single electric motor putting out about 225 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Hyundai labeled this test drive as an “energy efficiency experience,” likely to highlight the Ioniq 6’s super-low drag coefficient of 0.21, which should result in a range exceeding 350 miles, but the route amounted to about 30 minutes of driving on the nice country roads near Hyundai’s Namyang R&D center.
Despite its 20-inch wheels, the Ioniq 6’s ride quality is superb — even better than the Ioniq 5’s. The Ioniq 6 is great at soaking up big potholes and rough road surfaces, and the cabin is Mercedes S-Class-level quiet. It feels like there’s less body roll than in the Ioniq 5, too, and the steering rack is quick and direct, if a little numb.
The single-motor setup feels plenty quick off the line and at passing speeds, and Hyundai’s adjustable regenerative braking offers great one-pedal driving. Overall, the Ioniq 6 has all the inherent dynamic goodness of the Ioniq 5 but with a more planted, slightly sportier character.
Later, I’m able to try out a dual-motor Ioniq 6 on Hyundai’s test track, which has the same 320 hp and 446 lb.-ft. as the Ioniq 5. Hyundai quotes a 0-to-62-mph time of 5.1 seconds for the all-wheel-drive model, though it feels even quicker than that in reality.
Aside from the quicker acceleration, this more-powerful Ioniq 6 feels pretty much the same dynamically as the rear-drive model; there’s really no bad egg here. While nothing has been confirmed yet, it seems like a sure bet that an Ioniq 6 N will emerge within the next couple of years, using a 577-hp setup previewed by the RN22e concept car.
The Ioniq 6 shares much of its dashboard with the Ioniq 5, using a pair of 12.3-inch screens sitting atop some slim air vents and a digital climate control panel with only a few physical buttons. But instead of a large empty space below and a movable center console and armrest setup like on the 5, the 6 has a tall, fixed center console bridge that connects to the dash.
The console has a set of cup holders, ample storage space, a wireless charging pad and enough room for a large bag underneath. Frequently touched areas like the dashboard and center console have nicely padded surfaces, and even the cheaper plastics on lower sections of the cabin have interesting graining patterns and don’t feel flimsy.
Form And Function
The Ioniq 6’s low-drag shape is aided by active air flaps in the front bumper, which open only when the battery requires additional cooling (just like in the 5), while vents to either side of them direct fast-moving air to form a curtain over the exterior of the front wheels.
A short front overhang like the Ioniq 6’s isn’t ideal for optimal aero, so dark-colored, inch-wide plastic strips that extend from the lower corner of the front bumper almost one-third the way around the front wheel openings help keep the airflow attached to the car’s bodysides.
The wing at the base of the rear window manages airflow at the rear of the car, and the rear diffuser has been designed to cope with the faster and stronger airflow generated by the Ioniq 6’s flat underside.
The Ioniq 6 looks even more dramatic in traffic than it does in the design studio. That drooping tail takes a little getting used to, especially from the three-quarter front view, though from the rear it throws off whale-tail Porsche 911 vibes.
Hyundai’s sedan is arguably a better-resolved modern streamliner than Mercedes-Benz’s EQS, which boasts a world-leading Cd of 0.20, and the smaller EQE, which has a Cd of 0.22. It has a better dash-to-axle ratio and a lower cowl height than either of the big electric Benzes.
You notice it the moment you slide behind the wheel: You sit closer to the base of the windshield in the Ioniq 6, and forward visibility is noticeably better, making the car easier to place on the road and maneuver in parking structures.
At 191.1 inches, the Ioniq 6 is 3.6 inches shorter overall than the Mercedes-Benz EQE, with a 6.7-inch-shorter wheelbase. Yet it manages to feel less claustrophobic in the rear seat than the bigger car, accommodating 6-foot-tall adults with ease and offering better entry and egress. That dramatically falling beltline also means the rear side windows are bigger.
On The Road In The Ioniq 6
For our first drive of the Ioniq 6 on roads in and around Seoul, Hyundai put us in a fully loaded Ioniq 6 AWD Long Range model with the 320-hp, 446-lb-ft dual-motor powertrain, 77.4-kWh battery, and optional 20-inch wheels.
Hyundai says the dual-motor Ioniq 6’s extra power and torque, along with the bigger wheels, drops the WLTP-certified range about 16 percent compared with the single-motor model. That suggests the Ioniq 6 AWD Long Range will have an EPA range of just over 300 miles. For reference, the EPA-rated range of an Ioniq 5 with an identical powertrain is 256 miles.
The earlier EQS and EQE comparisons are apt, because on the road the Ioniq 6 feels very much like a mini-me Mercedes. It’s smooth and quiet, as you’d expect of an electric vehicle, but more impressively, it has that hewn-from-billet-steel feel that’s a hallmark of the best cars from Stuttgart.
The excellent body rigidity, combined with new hydro suspension bushings, new frequency-sensitive variable shocks, and increased axle stiffness, means impact harshness is very well controlled, even on 20-inch rims and low-profile 245/40 Pirelli P Zero tires.
Pleasantly, the suspension tune is taut, much more so than the Ioniq 5’s soft setup. That and the lower center of gravity means the Ioniq 6 hides its mass well when changing direction, with little body roll or corner entry understeer.
The steering could do with a touch more feel—not weight, there is a difference—especially because in terms of its overall alertness and agility, the Ioniq 6’s chassis has a touch of old-school BMW 3 Series in the way it handles a winding road. As with the steering, the brakes also feel slightly remote, though the hand-off between regenerative and mechanical braking is seamless.
2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Interior
Inside, Hyundai uses sustainable materials and unique processes to reduce the car’s environmental impact. The automaker derived some of the paints from vegetable oils, and the carpeting is partially made from recycled fishing nets. Hyundai upholsters the seats and other interior components with recycled fabric or eco-process leathers.
Hyundai emphasizes the car’s lounge-like interior and notes that the 64-color ambient interior lighting system shifts colors and intensity depending on the drive mode and situation. The dash features two large displays, with a fully digital gauge cluster and a prominent infotainment touchscreen. Hyundai also incorporated a unique state-of-charge gauge on the steering wheel, so the driver can quickly determine the car’s remaining range.
2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Specs
Hyundai offers two battery configurations in the Ioniq 6. The standard-range setup incorporates a 53-kWh battery, and the extended-range configuration uses a 77.4-kWh battery. Extended-range models are available with either rear- or all-wheel drive.
In its top configuration, the Ioniq 6 delivers 320 horsepower and 446 pound-feet of torque, good enough to propel it to 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standstill in a claimed 5.1 seconds. The WLTP standard typically yields much different range estimates than the EPA, but Hyundai says the Ioniq 6 returns up to 380 miles on a charge using WLTP.
Hyundai’s E-GMP platform underpins the Ioniq 6 and enables 400- and 800-volt charging technologies. Using a 350-kW charger, Hyundai says the car can charge from 10 to 80 percent in 18 minutes. Like its predecessor, the Ioniq 5, the sedan carries vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology as standard. The feature lets Ioniq 6 owners run power equipment, charge devices, and even charge another EV using the car’s battery.
2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Technology
The Ioniq 6 comes standard with a 12-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12-inch touchscreen. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, along with an updated Bluetooth function that supports pairing two devices at the same time. Hyundai-connected services offer app functionality, vehicle controls for climate and other functions, and charging information.
Hyundai has built an online “Digital Studio” preview experience to build excitement for the vehicle, where prospective buyers can “walk” through the interior in 3D and view details on various components. Not one to miss out on a fad, Hyundai’s also releasing an NFT collection for the car on July 14.
Over-the-air (OTA) updates have been a thing for a while now, but Hyundai says the Ioniq 6 is its first model to offer the function for updating vehicle controllers. That means the automaker can remotely update software for the car’s electric system, autonomous driving functions, and battery control components. The OTAs will also continue for functions like maps and infotainment software.
