New Ioniq 6 is one smooth ride

If you are a seasoned driver, you probably believe you know how to drive quite well. Guess what? You will be surprised when you get to drive the new Ioniq 6 because Hyundai Motor’s newly face-lifted electric vehicle is coming in hot with its better-than-human self-driving technologies.

The Korea Herald got to get behind the wheel of the upgraded Ioniq 6 in a test drive that covered about 76 kilometers of inner-city roads, highways and winding courses in Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday.

Let it be known that the new Ioniq 6 looks far more stylish, refined than the previous model. Put bluntly, the old Ioniq 6 resembled a frog. On the other hand, the new Ioniq 6 posed itself like a shark.

The new Ioniq 6 features more polished curves and sleeker proportions for a slick silhouette. The daytime running lights on the face of the vehicle grab attention with a slimmer design, giving a stronger presence.

Measuring 4,925 millimeters in length, 1,880 mm in width, 1,495 mm in height, with a 2,950-mm wheelbase, the new Ioniq 6 is only 70 mm longer than the previous version, but it is a noticeable difference, along with other design upgrades.

The side body of the new Ioniq 6 maintains the vehicle’s overall sleek flow as the dark garnish on the lower body extends to the doors, streamlining the car’s appearance. On the back, the previous model’s spoiler has been replaced by an extended ducktail spoiler to uphold its aerodynamics while maintaining the car’s smooth look.

The interior of the new Ioniq 6 has not changed much from the old model, but the center console is more organized. One concern about the previous interior was that the headroom was limited for drivers and first-row passengers.

Once the drive began, the smooth driving mode — a first for a Hyundai Motor vehicle — combined with the Ioniq 6’s navigation-based smart cruise control made it feel as if a veteran chauffeur had taken the wheel.

The smart cruise control in the smooth driving mode brought the new Ioniq 6 close to fully autonomous driving. By easily controlling the knob on the steering wheel, the ride did not require any input from the driver’s right foot as the car could speed up or slow down depending on the speed limit, the distance between itself and other vehicles and curves.

On winding roads, the driver took over control to test how the Ioniq 6 navigates sharp curves. With its fine-tuned suspension and upgraded shock absorbers, the speedy ride on winding courses felt stable and comfortable.

Boasting an impressive maximum driving range of up to 562 km per charge, which is the longest distance for EVs available in Korea, the new Ioniq 6 long-range model turns heads with its top-of-the-class fuel efficiency of 6.3 km per kilowatt-hour.

The level of regenerative braking changed frequently throughout the drive, and there were many instances of powerful acceleration, which consume a lot of electricity, thereby lowering the fuel efficiency of an EV. Despite this, the dashboard showed that the fuel efficiency of the test drive was measured at 6.7 km per kWh.

The price of the new Ioniq 6 begins at 48.56 million won ($35,000).