Road Test: 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Limited Long Range AWD

Premium EV Sedan from Mainstream Brand

A big thanks to Hyundai for not abandoning sedans in deference to SUVs, as the all-electric Ioniq 6 offers stunning style, roomy interior, supple ride, fast charging, a comprehensive safety suite and impressive driving range. Value wise, it is easily the best EV sedan on the market.

Hyundai gets electrification. The Tucson, Santa Fe, Elantra and Sonata come as hybrid and/or plug-in hybrids; the Nexo is powered by electricity via a hydrogen fuel cell; and the Kona, Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 are battery electric, with the Ioniq 6 an electric sedan that can be compared with electric sedans costing twice as much.

Silent Propulsion and Driving Range

The Ioniq 6 comes in rear-wheel drive (RWD) with either single or double electric motors or all-wheel drive (AWD) with two motors:

RWD Standard Range

• 111 kilowatt (kW) battery and 149 horsepower (hp) and 258 foot-pounds (ft.-lb.) of torque. The all-electric range (AER) is 240 miles.

RWD Long Range

• 168 kW battery with 225 hp and 258 ft.-lb. of torque. This battery gets either 361 AER with 18-inch tires, or 305 AER with 20-inch tires.

AWD

These driving range differences are significant and may be the deciding factor for which Ioniq 6 best suits your needs. The choice becomes: AWD if necessary for your driving style and where you live versus the 361-mile all-electric driving range in the RWD model.

The shift-by-wire transmission has driver-selectable drive modes of Eco, Normal, Sport, and the customizable My Mode. All affect the drive feel through accelerator and steering adjustments. The driving range is also affected by driving style and drive mode as well as the tire size.

Pleasure on the Road

Clean Fleet Report had the opportunity to drive 313 miles around Southern California in a 2024 Ioniq 6 AWD where we averaged an impressive 4.2 miles per kilowatt hour. To see how each affected efficiency and performance, we experimented with the drive modes where there are significant differences in acceleration and steering feel. The sharpest change being when going in and out of Eco, where everything has been programmed for super efficiency. Intuitively you would want to be in this mode when on the freeway, but Normal offered a more secure feel and the electricity use was not noticeably less than in Eco.

Performance is best when in Sport where the AWD returned 0-60 mph times of about 5.0 seconds, which is plenty fast for freeway merging and passing big rigs.

The Ioniq 6 AWD has a balanced and confident ride, with the 4,616-pound weight (1,057 pounds from the under floor battery) low and centered. The Pirelli P Zero 245/40 all-season tires, mounted on 20-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels, provided ample grip and a comfortable freeway ride. The all-wheel drive system automatically senses grip level and undetectably sends power front-to-rear and side-to-side. There was limited body roll and the ride was comfortable, confident; it was a pleasure to drive.

Wind and road noise were reduced partly due to acoustic laminated glass and sound-deadening insulation. The drag coefficient of 0.219 and the low 5.6-inch ground clearance are among the best in the car industry, especially for a midsize sedan. This impressive aerodynamic Cd number is reached by a design theory that incorporates external air flaps and an air curtain on the front lower fascia, a wheel gap reducer on the front fenders, a cover running the full length of the underside, and the rear spoiler with winglets. The Ioniq 6 is quiet and ready for a long range road trip.

The Ioniq 6 is a great handling driver’s car, with a composed ride and excellent body control.

The bottom line is the Ioniq 6 is very easy to drive, which means being relaxed when reaching your destination.

Charging and Regeneration

There are two battery sizes, each with a different charging speed, that utilize the 10.9 kW onboard charger. The 53.0 kWh battery on the RWD Standard Range can get up to an 80-percent charge in as little as 18 minutes using a 350kw DC fast charger. At a standard and more common 240V Level 2 charger, like the type installed in a home, will take 5.2 hours for up-to an 80-percent charge.

The RWD and AWD get a 77.4 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery that will go to 80-percent charge in 18 minutes and take seven hours with a Level 2 charger.

Original owners can take advantage of three years of complementary unlimited charging at Electrify America stations.

I charged 21-to-81% in 35 minutes on a 150 kW ChargePoint public charger.

It is important to note cold weather can affect the charging time and driving range. The Ioniq 6 comes standard with a battery heating system to pre-condition the battery to a temperature that will take a faster and higher charge.

Charging is also through powerful motor regeneration that, when coasting or braking, converts kinetic energy into electric energy and returns it to the battery. With i-Pedal, or one pedal driving, the regeneration can be set to three levels of force with steering wheel paddles. It made it possible to do most driving without relying on the brakes.

The Ioniq 6 also has Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) where power, a maximum of 1.9 kW, can flow out of the battery and charge e-bikes, camping and outdoor equipment or run your office while traveling. It also can be a home electricity source for two days during a power outage.

Streamliner Silhouette

Character, sharp looks, bold and unique are only a few of the thoughts that come to mind when describing the 2024 Ioniq 6. Hyundai calls this the Streamliner concept that comes to life with a side profile that is like nothing else on the road. The smooth body surfaces, with power flush door handles and a side character line, are unencumbered with chrome, but have tasteful black strips around the side windows, the pillars and across the door sill. The rear features twin spoilers, with the upper incorporating the parametric pixel high brake light, and then more of the pixels across the trunk light bar.

The Ioniq 6 comes in these exterior colors, with some of them carrying a premium price: Ultimate Red Metallic, Byte Blue, Digital Green Matte, Digital Green Pearl, Biophilic Blue Pearl, Transmission Blue Pearl, Nocturne Grey Matte, Nocturne Grey Metallic, Gravity Gold Matte, Curated Silver Metallic, Abyss Black Pearl and Serenity White Pearl, the color of our test car.

Spacious Interior

The interior is open, spacious and comfortable with the substantial center console allowing for underside storage. The padded dash is divided into two horizontal spaces. The lower handles the dual-zone climate control, with the upper for the 12.3-inch, high-definition horizontal color touchscreen and a 12.3-inch 3D digital instrument screen. The Bose infotainment system includes AM/FM/SiriusXM/HD radio with wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. A Bluetooth connection for up-to two devices, 12 volt outlets, USB power and data ports, wireless phone charging and a Wi-Fi hotspot complete the technology.

The interior comfort begins with either cloth or Hi-Tex artificial leather, heated and ventilated front seats, with memory and power adjustments, including side bolsters and massage. The cabin is quiet with the windshield having acoustic and laminated glass, the rear window is laminated and it has optional ($210) carpeted floor mats.

The rear seats have ample leg room for three adults with occupants getting adjustable head rests, a center folding armrest with cup holders, door cup holders, charge ports and ventilation vents. Trunk cargo storage is good and increases with the 60/40 rear seat folded. The small front trunk (frunk) adds enough space for a bag of groceries, or as we used it, to store the charge cord.

As to be expected on a premium car the Ioniq 6 has power everything. The leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel has controls for audio, telephone, the adaptive cruise control and controls for Stop-and-Go and Auto Hold. The radio can be controlled by the touchscreen, with volume and channel selection wheels on the center console. There was a very short learning curve for this outstanding entertainment system.

Other features are driver-selectable digital proximity key, remote trunk, rain-sensing windshield wipers, power tilt and telescopic steering wheel, heated and power side mirrors with turn signals, panoramic sunroof and wireless phone charging. Ambient lighting can be set to any of 64 colors using a dial, including 10 pre-set colors of Sunrise Red, Aurora Purple, Lightning Violet, Ocean Blue, Jade Green, Orchid Green, Freesia Yellow, Polar White, Moon White and Ice Blue.

Technology

The Ioniq 6 comes with an extensive list of standard safety features, beginning with front, side impact and side air curtain airbags. Hyundai’s SmartSense safety tech is robust with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including Highway Driving Assist 2 that allows for brief periods of hands-free driving.

The Hyundai Blue Link app provides access to vehicle systems, including remote start and remote charging, and the Digital Key provides extra convenience and safety.

Systems include a surround view camera, lane keeping assist, blind spot detection, forward collision avoidance and rear cross-traffic avoidance assist. Click the above links to learn about the Hyundai safety suite. Other features are hill start assist, auto hold, a surround and blind view monitor with parking sensors, a tire pressure monitoring system, and a tire repair kit in lieu of a spare tire.

Warranty

• New Vehicle – Five years/60,000 miles
• Powertrain – 10 years/100,000 miles
• Battery – 10 years/100,000 miles
• Anti-Perforation – Seven years/Unlimited miles
• Complementary Maintenance – Three years/36,000 miles
• Roadside Assistance – Five years/Unlimited miles

Pricing

The 2024 Ioniq 6 comes in six trims, with these base prices that include the $1,150 destination fee. These prices are before any tax incentives that would only come by leasing, not buying. So if leasing is palatable, take at least $7,500 off these prices for the federal tax credit, and possibly more from your state or local electric utility. (AER = All Electric Range.)

RWD

SE Standard Range   $38,650      240 AER

SE Long Range           $43,600      361 AER

SEL                             $46,400      305 AER

Limited                        $51,300      305 AER

AWD

SE                                $47,100      316 AER

SEL                             $49,900      270 AER

Limited                        $54,800      270 AER

The value Ioniq 6 is the SE Long Range RWD. At $43,600, it gets a whopping 361 all-electric miles and comes very nicely equipped.

Observations: 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6

Hyundai made a statement when it introduced the all-new Ioniq 6 electric sedan in March 2023. In an SUV and truck world, Hyundai bucked the trend with this eye-catching sedan offering performance, efficiency, fast charging, driving range and comfort for thousands less than other electric sedans. Make sure to take note of the outstanding warranty.

How does the Ioniq 6 base price compare against other electric sedans?

• Hyundai Ioniq 6                       $38,650
• Tesla 3                                    $40,630
• Polestar 2                               $49,900
• Lucid Air Pure                        $69,900
• Mercedes-Benz EQE 500        $74,900
• Porsche Taycan                        $101,395

The Ioniq 6 is a pleasure to drive and even more-so to look at with its head-turning design. And if you haven’t experienced it yet, there is something very satisfying about driving an electric car. The lack of sound as it moves down the road is wonderful, and the instant torque from a stop, or even when at highway speeds, is something to enjoy. Never stopping at a gasoline station is a plus, too.

The 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 may be the best EV you can buy, everything considered.

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Story and photos by John Faulkner.

Disclosure

Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of  vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.

Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and other efficient powertrains. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at [email protected].