CAR OF THE WEEK: Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 is a cacophonous beauty

BY BRIAN BYRNE

HYUNDAI’S Ioniq 6 is one of those cars that looks seriously better in the metal than in the photographs. When I first saw pictures of the car in advance of its launch, the Volkswagen Beetle-esque styling looked overblown, and even a little creepy. But when I took it for review recently, the ‘live’ shape, details, and whole design made both aesthetic and dynamic sense. 

Visually, the car is a real beauty. Front and rear detailing have elements worthy of the most high-tech imaginings of a concept supercar. And it wasn’t just me: I was approached several times with commentary on how well the Ioniq 6 looks. Earwigging on passers by, there seemed to be a much higher level of interest in the car than with many more esoteric motors I have driven.

Inside, there’s a lot of space. This is a big car, with a long wheelbase offering lots of leg-room for those in the back … though perhaps the very tall might feel a little headroom-restricted. The boot space is good, and with the rear seats down, there’s quite a stretch available for carrying longer items.

The dashboard and instrumentation are familiar to anyone who has been around the inside of the Ioniq 5 hatchback, with identical combined driving and infotainment screens set-up. One thing I did quickly adjust was to the dark setting rather than the very white luminescent tone that’s default for daylight. Information in white on black felt much clearer, with less glare. 

Having to manage climate controls without the benefit of knobs is, regular readers will be  aware, one of my consistent gripes. That’s the case here, compounded by a version of that secondary touch-strip now a feature of Hyundais and Kias which takes the place of buttons and knobs. I don’t like it, and most reviews I’ve ever read rail against the global imposition of what I find distracting and fiddly digital alternatives. 

Back to the Ioniq 6, the current World Car of the Year, it drives among the best large EVs I have so far evaluated. Indeed, in this EV age it is becoming very difficult for premium carmakers to differentiate from mass-market. We are approaching the stage where the only difference is the badge on the front, and people who pay the premium prices do so to make a statement. Differentials in engineering excellence through the complexity of the internal combustion engine is diminishing rapidly. So the Ioniq 6 experience is of the swish-along variety, smooth and silent progress. Eminently relaxing and satisfying.

Except for the bongs. The cacophony of warning sounds that in this case seems to have become an orchestra. Drive past a speed limit change sign, ‘Bong!’. On the motorway, drive past an off-ramp and the system picks up the 50km/h reduced limit there, Bong! Exceed the speed limit by as little as 1km/h, four bongs. It gets wearing very quickly, on passengers as well as the driver. You can switch them off through the screen menus, but they come back as default whenever you start the car. You may learn to do that before setting off because digging through said menus is dangerously distracting while on the move. But in so doing, you also switch off the visual excess speed warning required on new cars by EU regulation, which is also very useful for safety and as a protection from a speeding fine. 

I actually loved this car. It proved very economical on electricity consumption, and the actual range in everyday driving turned out to be higher than claimed. It was comfortable, quiet, and was imbued with a sense of high quality. But I would need it to be eventually, somehow, bong-free.