Thumbs up for the Hyundai Ioniq 6
After a long day of driving the Hyundai Ioniq 6, I drop by the brand's E-Pit fast charging station to experience the "refuelling". I find myself staring at the car, trying to figure out if such a car will fit my needs and wants. On one hand, as a father of three, space is crucial. On the other, I'm a car guy, which is a rather nice way to say I'm a selfish person and I want to have a car that drives well.
I found quite a handful of nice things about the Ioniq 6, but I think it really boils down to these five features that's good enough for me to overlook any small quibbles about the electric sedan.
1. I love being at the helm
Yes, of course looks matters, but it doesn't make it to this list because looks is all up to personal palette. I like the retro vibes it exudes, even if it can get a tad messy as the back. But I really do like the drive more.
If the quiet eerie sound of an electric vehicle (EV) isn't up your alley, you can adjust the volume of the in-car note to suit your preference. This allows a "spaceship-like" sound to fill the cabin - something you can entertain the kids with every time you accelerate.
More relevantly here, the Ioniq 6 does a good job when moving on the tarmac. It's no ballet dancer here, of course, but controlled body movements due to its low centre of gravity, quick acceleration from the dual motors (good for 320bhp) and a clear view out up front at the helm mean you can enjoy the car like it's a hot hatch.
2. And there's space too!
But, and that's one big but, hot hatches won't have as much space as the Ioniq 6. With a wheelbase of almost 3m, rear passengers who are 1.75m can fit in there. Of course, for a pint-sized driver like myself, such a generous amount of space makes me feel like I'm in the Lexus LS or the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and because I'm only about 1.6m tall, the slopping roofline poses no problems for me.
Hence, if you're constantly ferrying a passenger who's about 1.8m tall, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 may not be the suitable choice of weapon for you. For me, the car remains to be an excellent choice, considering the next tallest person - who's the missus - sits beside me, which means the child seat is the next big thing at the back.
Given how much space and comfort I have at the back - enough for me to slouch and snooze - I'm pretty sure the three rascals will have no problems making a helluva scene behind.
3. Tech that's on par with premium makes
At the helm, you also won't be having any problems enjoying the digital side mirrors. Like the Audi e-tron, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 comes with digital mirrors that are clear, crisp and cordial to use whether it's bright or dark, wet or dry. It may take some time to get used to, but it's never to the point of putting you and your passengers' lives at risk every time you decide to do a lane change.
It's quite a feat for the South Korean carmaker, I must say, especially when its cars of the past were almost never on par with its peers in its segment. Today, from the regular-sized Hyundai Avante and the extra-large Hyundai Palisade to the Hyundai N and the Ioniq range, it'll easily take on cars that are a notch or two above its segment.
And if you really sit down, have a glass of scotch and think about this carefully, Hyundai actually has a better understanding of what the consumer wants compared to it peers. For instance, the internal combustion engine cars are better specced and better priced, while the EVs come with standard tech that won't lose out to those in its class. After all, how many of the EVs in this segment have digital mirrors?
4. Crucial daily features!
Speaking of being better specced, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 comes with ventilated seats and auto hold function as standard. Truth be told, that's to be expected by now, considering how the rest of the cars in its lineup come with these features.
It may mean nothing to a lot of people and some may even go to the extent of complaining how shallow this writer is to be mentioning these features, but in my defence, these are features that are extremely useful to utilise on a daily basis, especially in Singapore
With 84% humidity and 36 degrees Celsius weather, ventilated seats are useless? With the constant traffic lights and sardined-packed traffic, you'd prefer to have your foot on the brake pedal all the time rather than to have the auto hold function? Don't lie, I don’t believe you…
5. Range, range, range
What I would believe, rather, is your genuine concern of the Hyundai Ioniq 6's range as an EV owner. With the 77.4kWh battery pack, the car is good for 519km. Take 20% off that figure for a real-world figure and you still have about 415km of range on a single charge. Considering you travel about 50km a day, this range will easily last you for eight days.
To put that into perspective, drying this car will take you about 18 minutes to juice up to 80% via a 350kW fast charge. A 50kW DC charger will take just over an hour while a regular 11kW AC home charge will take about seven hours.
Here, think of charging as pumping petrol. There's no avoiding this. EVs are the future and it's better to embrace than to avoid it. Charging your EV will become a part of your life and adapting to it quickly is key. When more charging stations are made available around HDBs by 2026, things will get easier, more so when the infrastructure stabilises in 2030. Change your perspective - EVs aren't just for your children, they're also for your children's children.
After a long day of driving the Hyundai Ioniq 6, I drop by the brand's E-Pit fast charging station to experience the "refuelling". I find myself staring at the car, trying to figure out if such a car will fit my needs and wants. On one hand, as a father of three, space is crucial. On the other, I'm a car guy, which is a rather nice way to say I'm a selfish person and I want to have a car that drives well.
I found quite a handful of nice things about the Ioniq 6, but I think it really boils down to these five features that's good enough for me to overlook any small quibbles about the electric sedan.
1. I love being at the helm
Yes, of course looks matters, but it doesn't make it to this list because looks is all up to personal palette. I like the retro vibes it exudes, even if it can get a tad messy as the back. But I really do like the drive more.
If the quiet eerie sound of an electric vehicle (EV) isn't up your alley, you can adjust the volume of the in-car note to suit your preference. This allows a "spaceship-like" sound to fill the cabin - something you can entertain the kids with every time you accelerate.
More relevantly here, the Ioniq 6 does a good job when moving on the tarmac. It's no ballet dancer here, of course, but controlled body movements due to its low centre of gravity, quick acceleration from the dual motors (good for 320bhp) and a clear view out up front at the helm mean you can enjoy the car like it's a hot hatch.
2. And there's space too!
But, and that's one big but, hot hatches won't have as much space as the Ioniq 6. With a wheelbase of almost 3m, rear passengers who are 1.75m can fit in there. Of course, for a pint-sized driver like myself, such a generous amount of space makes me feel like I'm in the Lexus LS or the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and because I'm only about 1.6m tall, the slopping roofline poses no problems for me.
Hence, if you're constantly ferrying a passenger who's about 1.8m tall, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 may not be the suitable choice of weapon for you. For me, the car remains to be an excellent choice, considering the next tallest person - who's the missus - sits beside me, which means the child seat is the next big thing at the back.
Given how much space and comfort I have at the back - enough for me to slouch and snooze - I'm pretty sure the three rascals will have no problems making a helluva scene behind.
3. Tech that's on par with premium makes
At the helm, you also won't be having any problems enjoying the digital side mirrors. Like the Audi e-tron, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 comes with digital mirrors that are clear, crisp and cordial to use whether it's bright or dark, wet or dry. It may take some time to get used to, but it's never to the point of putting you and your passengers' lives at risk every time you decide to do a lane change.
It's quite a feat for the South Korean carmaker, I must say, especially when its cars of the past were almost never on par with its peers in its segment. Today, from the regular-sized Hyundai Avante and the extra-large Hyundai Palisade to the Hyundai N and the Ioniq range, it'll easily take on cars that are a notch or two above its segment.
And if you really sit down, have a glass of scotch and think about this carefully, Hyundai actually has a better understanding of what the consumer wants compared to it peers. For instance, the internal combustion engine cars are better specced and better priced, while the EVs come with standard tech that won't lose out to those in its class. After all, how many of the EVs in this segment have digital mirrors?
4. Crucial daily features!
Speaking of being better specced, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 comes with ventilated seats and auto hold function as standard. Truth be told, that's to be expected by now, considering how the rest of the cars in its lineup come with these features.
It may mean nothing to a lot of people and some may even go to the extent of complaining how shallow this writer is to be mentioning these features, but in my defence, these are features that are extremely useful to utilise on a daily basis, especially in Singapore
With 84% humidity and 36 degrees Celsius weather, ventilated seats are useless? With the constant traffic lights and sardined-packed traffic, you'd prefer to have your foot on the brake pedal all the time rather than to have the auto hold function? Don't lie, I don’t believe you…
5. Range, range, range
What I would believe, rather, is your genuine concern of the Hyundai Ioniq 6's range as an EV owner. With the 77.4kWh battery pack, the car is good for 519km. Take 20% off that figure for a real-world figure and you still have about 415km of range on a single charge. Considering you travel about 50km a day, this range will easily last you for eight days.
To put that into perspective, drying this car will take you about 18 minutes to juice up to 80% via a 350kW fast charge. A 50kW DC charger will take just over an hour while a regular 11kW AC home charge will take about seven hours.
Here, think of charging as pumping petrol. There's no avoiding this. EVs are the future and it's better to embrace than to avoid it. Charging your EV will become a part of your life and adapting to it quickly is key. When more charging stations are made available around HDBs by 2026, things will get easier, more so when the infrastructure stabilises in 2030. Change your perspective - EVs aren't just for your children, they're also for your children's children.