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In their words Hyundai say, please don't call the new Ioniq 6 a saloon, rather a Streamliner - now in our eyes those words remind us more of the Lucid Air.

However it does have some similarities. Firstly it's a car rather than an SUV  - and it will cost around £45,000.

The Ioniq 6 utilises the Korean manufacturers EV platform the E-GMP: now you may well have experienced this with the Kia EV6 and the Ioniq 5, that's right both these fantastic models are built on this.

In a word this latest Hyundai offers a rather sleek low slung saloon with a roomy cabin and with what we gather is impressive driving chracteristics, like many Korean models we expect it will need to be tuned for our characterful roads, however on first appearances it's rather impressive for let's say a sporty saloon.

This new EV has some rather impresssive figures that will surely impress - the vehicles efficiency offers a drag coefficient of 0.21 - in layman's terms, this makes the Ioniq 6 one of the most efficient cars out to date. As you'd expect, this seriously affects range in a positive way.

The 6's largest powertrain consists of a 77.4 kWh battery and utilises rearwheel drive, not surprising when you look at the other electric Kia and Hyundai models, as for its range; 380 miles WLTP, which is 65 miles more than it's sibling the Ioniq 5 - quite incredible considering it's the same powertrain. Equally, this is enough range to rival electric cars such as the Tesla Model 3 (and that's the long range one)

Like other cars from Hyundai and Kia, it will charge up to a rate of up to 350kW, giving you a staggering 10% to 80% in just under 20 minutes.

As you'd expect with the new Hyundai Ioniq 6 - when it comes to it -  details are what you'd call thin on the ground - we expect the new electric cars to start hitting Europe late end 2022.

Now, to the powertrains or rather battery options:- 

Battery size:

  • 77.4 kWh Long Range
  • 53.0 kWh Standard Range

Entry models will have a RWD drive option only and the long range will have RWD and 4WD.

Looking at the Ioniq 6, it's interesting that Hyundai have chosen the streamliner body shape as opposed to a hatchback style: for example, the BMW i4 that we saw recently at Goodwood Festival of speed.

The exterior has real character, and is certainly - as the name suggests - very streamlined. At first glance, you can see sculpted alloy wheels, a low-slung body with the camouflage looks somewhat like Mercedes-Benz, a CLS or one of the sporty C Class models.

It looks to have a spacious cabin, and if it's anything to go by (like the EV6) it will have shed loads of tech and safety, and offer an enjoyable drive. One thing that manufacturers seem to be going for; especially with the likes of VWG, and vehicles built on the MEB platform; is a lack of physical buttons in the cabin. However from what we've gleaned, the sysyem seems to be perfectly user-friendly, and responsive. It does however have separate climate control.

One interesting change is heading back to the layout of 80's premium cars, such as Lady Dorothy our Daimler Benz C124 or W124 Coupe - but get this - by mounting the electric windows in the centre as opposed to on the window.

The Ionic 6 is as you'd expect a prototype, pre-production, etc., meaning it's not quite up to par, so the materials are inferior and built purely to demonstrate the car, but with Korean cars, by the time this comes to market, it will be full of premium and plush materials, great finishes and will offer a rather compelling car.

It looks to be a perfect family vehicle, with lots of light and a spacious cabin with dashes of colour on the interior to lighten.

From reports it seems to drive very similar to its siblings EV6 and the Ioniq 5, not surprising as it so closely related.

It's likely an entry level Ioniq 6 will get a 168bhp motor, and 225bhp for a long-range rear wheel drive.

The E-GMP platform due to it being designed solely for EV's or Electric Vehicles - means that neither batteries or powertrain will take up any of the cabin space, if you're unfamiliar with this take a look at our Kiev EV6 review, this was one roomy vehicle.

The Ioniq is a fairly hefty motor weighing it around 2T and just over 4.8m long, just under 1.9m wide with a wheelbase of just under 3m however rather astonishly has an extremely good turning circle.

Of what we've read it's quick, it's smooth and it's responsive, and offers a decent level of regen braking, utilised with steering paddles.

Prices we expect are likely to be around £45,000.00 which is very similar to the Model 3 and don't forget it's a bigger car.

We expect to be seen the Hyundai 6 sooner rather than later.

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Northern Group of Motoring Writers NGMW

Northern Group Of Motoring Writers

Annabelle Quirk Vice Chairwoman
Ben D T Quirk Member