A Week With: 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE – The Detroit Bureau

The more time spent behind the wheel of an electric vehicle, the more you realize how familiar it seems. The only real difference — aside from the instant torque — is powering up or re-fueling, which traditionally has been done at a gas station. Now it is done at a charging station at home or in new installation near a highway.

Otherwise, carmakers are succeeding in making the transition from vehicles with internal combustion engines to EV relatively seamless and painless for consumers willing to make the historic transition.

Overview

One of the vehicles showing the way is the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6, which has scooped up its share of awards, as it has made the move into the South Korean automaker’s dealerships and showrooms this past spring. 

The Ioniq 6 is stylish and has all the connectivity and advanced safety features customers have come want and have every right to expect from a car selling for more the $44,000. It also has a long-range battery with enough juice to carry you from A to Z and all the points in between during a busy week.

It is also quiet, powerful, and roomy enough on the inside to carry passengers and packages.

Exterior

Hyundai has some clever stylists on its design staff and the exterior design of the Ioniq 6 rests neatly on the line between the SUV crossover and five-door hatchback sedan. It is not as tall as the typical crossover, but its curved roof line encloses an ample amount of usable passenger and cargo space, which giving the vehicle a more distinctive profile.

The overall design has been shortened but leaves space for storage in the “frunk,” a word that needs to be erased from the industry’s vocabulary. As an EV, the Ioniq 6 does not need a grille, but stylists have created a front fascia that emphasizes the vehicle’s low-slung design and accommodates the LED headlamps and 18-inch wheels.

Interior

Hyundai is very deft at placing multiple screens into the overall design of the cabin, including one with information from an instrument cluster under the steering wheel and the entertainment and navigation and entertainment screen in the center stack. 

The interior boasts a nice mix of bright work and soft-touch material. There is also leatherette seating trim and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with controls for entertainment, phone and cruise control. The controls are mixture of knobs, buttons and touchscreen, which seems to have been selected by a diverse committee to satisfy the preferences of drivers and passengers of different ages.

The visibility from the driver’s seat is excellent and the entertainment system, aided by the quiet nature of an electric vehicle’s cabin, has a very nice sound.

Powertrain

The Ioniq 6 I drove had a single electric motor capable of producing 168 kilowatts or 225 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, which was linked to a transmission with a single reduction gear. It is also equipped with a 77-kilowatt lithium-ion battery, which can travel up to 361 miles on a single charge. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gives the Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE a combined a rating equivalent to 140 mpg, including 153 mpg in the city and 127 mpg on the highway. Its also equipped for ultra-fast charging.

Safety and Technology

Safety is an issue with any vehicle and the Hyundai Ioniq 6 is equipped with multiple airbags for protection of driver and passengers. It’s also equipped with driver assistance features blind-spot, lane-departure, and rear cross-traffic alerts. 

It also comes with smart cruise control and Bluetooth connectivity as well as a 12.3-inch touchscreen in the center stack for entertainment and navigation and features such as satellite radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a full array of instrumentation to keep the driver abreast of the vehicle’s state of charge.

Driving Impressions

One of the strengths of Ioniq 6 is its on-the-road performance. The ride and handling is identical to that of a conventional vehicle with an internal combustion engine and so it will feel very familiar to any experienced driver. 

The big difference is that it is much quieter, and helps in reducing driving-related stress, which comes with road travel. The power and pickup are more than adequate. The Ioniq packs more than enough punch to pass other vehicles on the highway and its impressive EV torque pushes away from a standing start almost instantly. It adds up to a vehicle that is pleasant and fun to drive, with a whole lot more fuel economy than a Euro-style mini-car or subcompact.

2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE Specifications

Dimension	L: 191.1 inches/W: 74.1 inches/H: 58 inches/Wheelbase: 116.1 inches
Weight	4,222 pounds
Powertrain	Dual electric motors; 1-speed automatic
Fuel Economy	140 MPGe city/153 MPGe highway/127 MPGe combined
Performance Specs	225 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque
Price	Base price: $41,000; As tested: $46,825 including $1,115 destination charge
On-Sale Date	Available now

Wrap Up

Electric cars really do offer the advantages of a conventional vehicle with fewer of the disadvantages, such as noxious emissions. Carmakers the world over have spent billions of dollars trying to minimize. But at nearly, $47,000, the price for the Ioniq 6 I drove would have been equal to the cost of a swanky luxury car only a few years ago. 

However, the price tag is mitigated by tax credits if the vehicle is leased and one figure that jumps off the standard Moroney label is the $5,500 in annual fuel savings. It is a vehicle designed to overcome the trepidation of anyone making the transition with ample range to get through a week of ordinary driving a commuting. However, I would be reluctant to take it on a longer trip because of the inadequate public charging network across the United States.

2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE ­— Frequently Asked Questions

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