Sunday Drive: Hyundai Ioniq

Monday, 13 April 2020

Check out the new features of the 2020 Hyundai Ioniq.

**HYUNDAI IONIQ PHEV AND ELECTRIC

Base price:** $53,990 (PHEV) and $65,990 (EV).

Powertrain and economy: 1.6-litre petrol, 77kW/147Nm with plug-in hybrid system, electric 100kW/295Nm; six-speed dual-clutch transmission (PHEV) or single-speed direct drive, FWD, combined economy 3.9 L/100km (PHEV), CO2 26g/km (source: WLTP).

The Ioniq is hardly dynamically exciting in any form, but the facelift does make a tangible difference.

Vital statistics: 4470mm long, 1460mm high, 1820mm wide, 2700mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 341/350 litres, 16-inch alloy wheels.

We like: Improved EV performance, tablet infotainment.

The EV's new 'grille' is far less polarising than the previous Hannibal Lecter-inspired one.

We don't like: Little dynamic verve, dull base model trim, split rear glass hurts rear visibility.

This road test was completed before the current coronavirus lockdown restrictions came into effect.

The biggest difference inside is that the EV ditches the PHEV's gear selector for buttons.

Never mind Tesla, it's Hyundai that deserves the spotlight for doing a great job advancing the EV cause.

The Ioniq featured today is a global ground-breaker; unique in being available as a hybrid, a PHEV and a full electric. It also has the Kona Electric and is demonstrating the Nexo hydrogen car. A fine effort, rewarded with strong sales.

Tweaks front an rear improve the Ioniq, but the split rear window is still an annoyance.

The catch is that you need be at work to try them; relatively few have found truly private ownership. And until prices drop more, or Government extends some leniency, it's hard to see how home shoppers will ever break their preference for import used over NZ-new.

**READ MORE:

The PHEV gets one of these, the EV doesn't. Makes sense, really.

* Road test review: Hyundai Ioniq PHEV

* First drive review: Hyundai Ioniq series II

* Why does NZ have a mental block about plug-in hybrids?

* Buying EVs: thinking and doing are two very different things**

Even though destined for the company carpark, the car benefits from a mid-life restyle that makes it appear less like fleet fodder than previously. It's only a modest top and tail rejig, yet it significantly improves it.

The 'plug-in' and 'electric' badges on the rump are a small but smart quick-glance reference addition for those still getting used to differentiating ohms from their ergs. More seasoned hands already know you can pick the variants apart by using the charger inputs as their tell-all. The Electric's port being is on the rear left flank, opposite to where the petrol filler is on the PHEV, which has a plug-in on the front left.

Greater clarity exists within: The PHEV has a gearstick whereas the Electric maintains push buttons for Drive, Reverse and Park. The change here is with new dashboard displays. The base unit here isn't half as glam as the flash tablet-style 10.25-inch item delivered to the Elite, but does the job.

Ioniq's seats are so-so and rear seat occupants might ask for better knee room, though overall the cabin offers reasonable interior space and good oddment storage. The boot area in the Electric is slightly larger than the PHEV's, but the two bags of cables take up a fair bit of room.

Fully electric or partial strength? Either way, it's great to get opportunity to draw down on locally-harvested electrons that are truly Green, thanks to our electricity network using renewable generation.

The PHEV's Kappa 1.6-litre GDI direct-injection petrol four-cylinder in back up to the 8.9kWh battery/44kW electric motor carries over unchanged, whereas the Electric updates significantly, with a bigger (38.3kWh) battery powering a more efficient motor increasing pep and range. A 7.2kW charging port for DC replenishment off a 50kW charger keeps it on trend.

If nothing matters more than spend and range, then it's advantage PHEV. The car's considerably cheaper and a full tank and a fully-charged battery will take it more than 900kms – basically, three times as far as the Electric manages.

Of course, drive the petrol-assisted plug-in on electric alone and the tables are turned; the battery is much smaller here, and will exhaust after 52km. According to the book. In reality, that claimed optimal is more suspect than the 311km (on WLTP, on NEDC it's a less believable 373km) cited for the Electric.

Also, it was surprising how quickly it abdicated to including the petrol side; you're aware of when this happens, because the transition can be a bit jolty and noisy. What's impressive is that it does remain miserly; an average of 4.4 litres per 100km from mixed urban and open road driving suggests there's talent for thrift even when you're not trying.

The Electric charges faster than it used to, but still asks for up to an hour to get back to 80 per cent. Knocking it up to full strength at home can take up to 17 hours if you're daft enough to use a three-point plug rather than buy into a wall unit. The PHEV achieves the same in five, which is probably just as well, because locating a public Type 2 charger for it is hard.

Driving-wise? Suffice to say, sports-style running isn't a forte. But they're comfortable in town, regardless that the ride strays quite far into firm territory at urban speeds, cruisy beyond city limits, where 100kmh clocks easily enough, and even though the eco-centric rubber is noisy on coarse chip, it offers reasonable grip. For the sake of battery fit, the Electric divests the PHEV's multi-link rear for a simple torsion beam, yet in back-to-back comparison it is the more balanced car.

It's a shame EVs and PHEVs don't get a fairer 'go' here; the tech is dead easy to come to grips with and has positives. But reality is that the road is just so tough for them.

Still, the future cannot be denied and the pace of change is racing. Hyundai's next electric will be out in 2022 and based on the Prophecy concept, which direct aims at the Tesla Model 3.