It’s with great shame that I must admit Jason Torchinsky won this weekend’s Autopian staff parking lot rumble we held to determine who would get to drive the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 first. Everyone put up a solid fight, but when Jason brought out two DeSoto headlamps strapped together with twine as a pair of nunchucks, I knew the rest of us were completely outclassed.
Now, we know you readers are excited about this avant-garde, 361-mile electric sedan because Google Analytics tells us you are. (Yes, this place is more sophisticated than it looks.) So tell us: what do you want to know about the Ioniq 6?
To recap, this is the first sedan on the Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP platform, which also underpins the Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60. All of those cars are excellent and are among some of the best EVs currently on the market, so we’re excited to see what it can do when it’s lower to the ground.
With a 77.4 kWh battery, power is rated at 225 hp for RWD models and 320 hp for dual-motor AWD models. The distance-king SE model is rated at 361 miles of range. That makes it one of the few EVs really able to stand against Tesla on that front right now. Check out our full trim breakdown here. (There’s also a forthcoming 53 kWh, SE RWD Standard Range model that’s cheaper and rated at a not-bad 240 miles of range, but with only 149 hp, you won’t be scaring any Model 3 owners at the stoplight.)
The Ioniq 6 starts at $45,500. Sadly, it is built in South Korea, so it does not qualify for U.S. tax incentives now. Bummer, but still not a bad deal.
Also, and this kind of goes without saying: it just looks dope as hell. Seriously, Hyundai’s design department is crushing it right now, and it’s great to see such a stylish EV that isn’t another crossover. I’m excited to have our resident design expert weigh in on this car.
If the early press pics are any indication, Jason will be driving the Ioniq 6 in some neon-soaked cyberpunk hellscape, something that’s a cross between a William Gibson and Blade Runner, where he’ll also be hired to figure out who’s selling tainted “neuro-crack” to “netjackers” or something.
Actually, it’s in Scottsdale, Arizona. Never been, but I’ve heard it’s nice.
Go ahead! Ask Jason what you want to know about the Ioniq 6. I’ll fax them over to him myself later this afternoon.
Can we see it in another color than Silicon Valley Silver, since there are other things in this world than mobile devices and everything doesn’t need to be modeled after them?
Why does it have stupid electric door handles?
Why not do the same thing but with mechanical door handles like on the Subaru XT?
These handles do at least auto present when you approach the car on all trim levels.
Having to push in one end of the handle then pull the other end is bad design and my EV6 base trim makes me do that.
Is the front end styling inspired by the 2nd gen Tiburon?
Good news everyone, Ioniq 6 will by default be delivered with regular side mirrors in my country.
Yeah, but you still get the weird molding and space where the screen was inside the car, only blanked off.
I want to know if it can be, or how hard it is to back into or out of a parking spot that requires getting through a 50ft drive with masonry walls on both sides averaging 84″ apart. You now, like what happens to people who live in cities.
This is very subjective but does it look better in metal than pictures? I mostly like it but the rear end is one funky asset.
not sure how your finances at home work, but if you are driving on the home electric bill and the increase is not identifiable, and she is dipping into her cash to pay her fuel fills, how much more of the electric bill are you covering now?
To me, it looks like the artist’s render for a new VW Beetle.
Which actually wouldn’t be that bad.
VW, do that.
It looks similar to my first car, 1984 Toyota Celica with the hatchback. The shape is mostly right.
Haha.It took me ages to see it but yep, there it is in the lead photo.
I count 20 openings in each wheel. Seems like they’d be a pain to clean?
My questions are probably unrealistic but let’s give it a go:
A) the Ioniq 6 looks like it should be a liftback, similar to the outgoing Kia Stinger. Was there any point the design process that was going to happen? Could we eventually get a liftback variation? Off of that, how usable is the trunk and does it expand well into the backseat?
B) How long until we’ll see the Ioniq 6N?
C) Is Hyundai planning any extra incentives to compete with the IRA tax incentives? Lower APR, tons of free charging, are home installs of level 2 chargers complementary?
Cars on dealerships lots now, thin on the ground but they are out in the wild.
You get two years of EA charging included.
In CA my local dealers are giving the $7,500 off on leases, but then they turn around and mark them up $8-10k
Nice car going to be spoiled by the dealerships.
How well does it function as a GT car? Is it comfortable enough, and is the infotainment usable enough, that I can set it to cruise at 70mph for 3 straight hours and zone out? I just can’t imagine anyone is buying a $50k Hyundai sedan as a short-trip, around-town vehicle.
How does it look in person, compared to pictures?
Does it have a HUD?
Can we order the sleek camera side mirrors and retrofit them on US models?
I know that last one will be up to the aftermarket lol
I think, size-wise, this is most analogous to a Hyundai Sonata. Can you sneak a Sonata test drive while you’re testing the IONIQ 6 to do a direct comparison between the two?
(Also can you bring it up to upstate New York so I can make a video about it for the dealer I work for? No? Alright, worth asking.)
Saw one in the wild last week. Still excited to be excited about a new car again.
Take it through some good curves. 0-60 numbers make sales, but we want to know how it handles real life. Likely has low rolling resistance tires, so I don’t expect it to be spectacular. Just want to know if it’s livable.
“Also, and this kind of goes without saying: it just looks dope as hell.”
Are we looking at the same car? This is, without doubt, one of the most hideous new vehicles I’ve seen in a while. Before even reading the article, I was going to ask you to find out why it’s so ugly. Am I the only one?
NO, I’m with you. I want to like it, with its radical sleekness, but I find the tail ugly and the front kind of half-baked.
Thank you! I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. That ass is HORRENDOUS. And the profile shot almost makes it looks like you can’t tell which way is the front. I’m sure it’s for aerodynamics, but great googly-moogly that’s bad.
It seems to be a theme with Hyundai/Kia vehicles these days: they come out, and immediately get absolute rants and raves about the design…which ranges from confusing and busy to downright atrocious.
It’s almost like they’ve been instructed to praise the design, so people won’t think they’re absolutely hideous?
That, or we can like different things!
Certainly anyone who uses “Dope as hell” as an adjective definitely likes different things it would seem.
Now I think Hyundai does have some really good designs lately, but this aint it.
I imagine your driveway with a MB EQS and a BMW XM in it.
I have learned to love the looks of model 3.
It has to do with the kWh/km.
Same goes for this and the original Ioniq.
Remember that this will also favor wagon designs over SUV/croosovers.
Will it do a burnout? How far? Both wheels on the RWD version? All wheels on the AWD version?
How does this compare to the VW EV and the others? It is good contender?
Also:
Real world range.
Time to charge?
This car reminds me a lot of the old Tatras from the 1930s.
I’m curious at what its energy consumption is at various flat ground cruising speeds. Say, 35 mph, 40 mph, 45 mph, 50 mph, 55 mph, so on and so forth up to 100 mph. I’d love to see at least some of those measurements obtained. If only one of them, then 70 mph would be the most relevant because it can be compared to InsideEVs published 70 mph efficiency figures for all of the various EV models on the market.
I suspect the base Ioniq 6 will be slightly more efficient than a base Model 3.
I was just about to post that we need Toecutter to get in here and ask about efficiency.
If they get 75mph consumption, they could compare it to Caranddriver’s testing. Bjorn Nyland and Kris Rifa also have consumption tests at 90kph and 120kph that could be good points of comparison.
Size wise it it closer to a Elantra or Sonata? I was disappointed when I saw the ioniq 5 and Kia ev6 in person. I know some people say all you need is a shoebox on wheels but I need a car that can handle a trip to Sams club with both kids and wife without having to Tetris the shit out of the trunk or hatch.
Is this the one with Kevin Bacon in the commercial?
Yes, and I’m wondering if in order to drive one you have to wear a fanny pack like Mr. Bacon. If so, then I’ll pass.
does (can) it canoe? seriously. would one be able to safely throw a couple kayaks or one canoe up top and still be able to open the trunk? are there tow points in the front and rear?
1). How easy is it to interact with and use every day? While Hyundai hasn’t gone full Tesla inspired tech dystopia interior they do use a lot of screens and touch stuff.
2). How engaging is it to drive?
3). What’s the actual, real world range like?
4). How are the interior materials? As someone who owns a Hyundai and has driven several, in my experience this is where most of the cost-cutting is. They do a good job of dressing it all up so it looks good in pictures, but when you actually get into it and feel everything it’s readily apparent that you’re in a cheaper vehicle than the competition.
Does it still have the “sounds of nature” in the audio system including the serial killer trudging through the snow?
God i can’t stand doug bobsessing about this in a good way. That’s the most unuseful stuff ever, and it’s old news now, and yet, he can’t not mention it.
I mean Doug’s entire schtick is obsessing over minor, often useless details though. Going over the “quirks and features” is a huge part of all of his videos. He’s there primarily to entertain, not necessarily help you make an informed decision about what to buy. There are plenty of other car review YouTubers for that.
This.
Sure thanks, i know that, he just doesn’t have to do it on every kia and Hyundai car since 4 ir 5 years it exist.
How is space in the rear row? Will parents with child-thrones hate this car? And most importantly, an estimate on how the interior will hold up to large dogs without scratching everything to uselessness.
Also curious about the backseat – particularly the headroom for adults since it has that downward sloping design line.
As a 6’4″ person, I want to know if my little people, who are rapidly growing, can also fit. Please try the tall person sitting behind a tall person trick.
While I prefer the 6 to the 5, I have sat in the 5 and because of the hatch design, can easily sit behind myself and have knee and headroom, a rarity in many cars.
I’d love to know about trunk usability, road noise, and the difference in handling between RWD and AWD versions.
Disappointing that they won’t be eligible for the tax credit. I was hoping they would build them here for it.
Hyundai and Kia were blindsided by the IRA…the umm other one that is inflation related. Maybe the question is how long until their US plants are ready to crank out Ioniq 5s, 6s, and Ns?
Apparently in 2 – 3 years.
If you’re extremely quick, grab one in CA, you’ll get the tax credit on the lease.
It will be tough as there is VERY few cars on the ground, and the tax credit goes away at the end of the month I believe.