We’ve long been consistent with our feelings on electric vehicles here at BangShift. We can see and understand that they have a place in the lineup of any automaker just like any style of car or truck does. People need options, variety, and the right vehicles to do the right things for their lives when they are shopping. We’ve never once been into the idea of mandates, requirements, or the reshaping of laws and regulations to force upon the world the large-scale acceptance of EVs as the only way forward. Hyundai is a company that has personified the right approach to integrating EVs into their lineup.
The Ioniq 5 and 6 are different vehicles designed to do different things. The small hatchback five is a fine little car but it’s also not one that presents itself with a lot of elegance. It is a a spunky, interesting looking, short wheelbase, fun to operate hatchback that has some workaday feel and in Ioniq N trim is the most blindingly fast hatchback on the road today. That’s a car full of gadgets, tricks, and wing-dings that if not backed up with insane performance would be downright hard to swallow, but the Ioniq N is insane and is a performance EV like none other.
The Ioniq 6 is not that. The six is the classy older brother of the five, the shape is completely different, dramatic, refined, and eye-catching, the interior is wonderfully open, tech forward, surgically clean, functional, and a fine place to settle into, and performance? This twin motor 400+ horsepower unit gets down with some really fun plant you in your seat performance without going full Ioniq N levels of harshness and racer-esque feel.
In short, this Ioniq 6 is everything that we believe a EV sedan can and should be.
As the concept and execution of mass-market EVs continues to evolve, there are some trends that are dying off and some that are really establishing themselves as the standard. The days of wildly over the top, almost video game style immersive interiors are dying off. It seems like every automaker had the same idea in the early EV period which was to try and overly convince drivers and passengers they truly were in the car of the future! The Ioniq 6 represents the way forward in the interior department by being the opposite of that. Less is more is where it’s at here.
There are people who will look at this and say it is spartan and actually too streamlined for its own good but we could not disagree more. The lack of distractions, widgets, and pointless accoutrements is what makes this great and allows the driver to both better engage with the car and the environment around them, like their passengers. It seems like the early EVs were less confident in their powertrains, the chassis tuning, and refinement, so the move was to make people look anywhere but in those areas. The Ioniq 6 makes you pay attention to these foundational things and this is where you can really appreciate it.
People who wantonly bray that EVs are not fun to drive expose themselves as having never driven one. This Ioniq 6 equipped with the 20″ wheels, the dual motor setup and carrying an instant 446 lb-ft of torque with no drive by wire delay, automatic transmission to find a gear, torque converter to slip, or other mechanical system to manage stuff is snappy, fun, and highlights its low center of gravity with awesome handling.
The car does 0-60 in about 5 seconds answer and runs the quarter mile in the very, very low 13s. If you don’t think ripping around in an all wheel drive car that can run 13.1 at about 105 at the drag strip is entertaining, please tell us why? We get the fact it does not roar, we get the fact that it doesn’t rumble with a lumpy cam, but that’s not the point. The point is that this is a mid $50,000 car, has 270 miles of range, drives like a more expensive unit, and delivers on all the things a modern EV sedan should do.
With the kind of arch on an arch styling on the exterior, the range, the performance, and interior that truly is a joy to spend time in, this is the kind of car that, if it fits your needs should be among the first you shop. The delivery of refinement, tech, and decent range to go with the performance is the magic here. There’s no such thing as the perfect car because everyone needs cars for different things. If you commute 100 miles per day and do not have any option for home charging this isn’t your car, but if you do that and can add a charging station? If you are mostly a local driver who wants a sedan that also performs? This is a great option.
You cannot write off EVs because they are electric, giving them a change in roles that they properly fit can result in not only the right car for your life but one that you’ll be absolutely floored over how positive an experience it can deliver. The Ioniq 6 is a two thumbs up BangShift recommendation if it fits your lifestyle. Power, performance, and price in a beautiful package. What’s not to love?
