Hyundai is one of the car world’s more brazenly ambitious manufacturers – and it certainly wants everyone to know that its new Ioniq is a big deal. The latest addition to the Korean brand’s range is the world’s first model to be available with hybrid,
plug-in hybrid and pure EV drivetrains.
More than that, Hyundai is claiming that the Ioniq will deliver a driving experience with the kind of fun factor that thus far has been missing from eco-focused models.
Key to this in the Hybrid, claims Hyundai, is the use of a dual-clutch gearbox – as opposed to the continuously variable transmission in key rival the Toyota Prius – paired with a 104bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine and 43bhp electric motor.
Is the hype justified? We got behind the wheel of a Korean-spec model on the roads around the capital of Seoul to find out.
To our eyes at least, the Ioniq clearly has the edge in terms of styling over the Toyota, with its array of polarising, ungainly angles. Hyundai’s familiar hexagonal grille features at the front, while a swoopy, almost coupé-like roofline provides the slippery shape that helps it deliver, according to the firm, class-leading aerodynamic performance. You’d struggle to call it a groundbreaking piece of design, but it’s generally inoffensive.
This theme continues inside, where the Ioniq is conventionally styled and as solidly built as we have come to expect of recent Hyundais. However, there are some hard plastics in less obvious touchpoints, which help to create a slightly cheap feel.
There’s no compromise on gadgets, though, with a seven-inch TFT screen information cluster and an eight-inch touchscreen available with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. So far so good, then, but how does it fare on the road?
Press the blue-rimmed start button and it glides off in electric mode in near silence, although you are always aware of a slight hum from the electric motor. Up the pace and there’s no disguising the switch to petrol power, but the good news is the dual-clutch box delivers gearshifts acceptably smoothly, and there is none of the droning that has become a feature of the Prius’s driving experience over the years.
Is it fun? In Eco mode that’s overselling it, but move the DCT over to Sport and there is a tangible difference. Later gearshifts and the use of more engine power make the car feel genuinely quite engaging (considering it’s a hybrid), and the orangey glow that lights up the rev counter reflects the fact the driving experience has taken a turn for the better. The ride is decent enough, too, but occasional road noise and the engine’s tendency to strain at higher speed are areas Hyundai might look at before the car goes on sale in October.
Of course, for many people the key to this model will be its figures, and at this early stage, we can only go on the Korean stats for comparison. In terms of price, the Ioniq stretches from £13,260 to £16,144 in its home market; the Prius Mk3 in contrast ranges from £18,075 to £23,640. Clearly Britain will be more expensive, but Hyundai will undercut the Mk4 Toyota Prius.
Fuel economy on the Korean cycle equates to 63.3mpg; the Prius Mk3 is 59.3mpg. And in terms of CO2 emissions, the Ioniq is targeting 81g/km (vs the Prius’s 89g/km; the UK Prius Mk4 is 76g/km).
So there’s not much in it, then. That being the case, we expect the Ioniq’s coherent styling and decent drive to woo a fair swathe of buyers who previously might automatically have plumped for the Prius.
- Price: From £13,260 (Korea)
- Engine: 1.6-litre petrol plus electric motor
- Power: 104bhp (engine) plus 43bhp (electric motor)
- Transmission: Six-speed dual-clutch, front-wheel drive
- 0-60mph: 10.8 seconds
- Top speed: 115mph
- Economy: 63.3mpg (Korean cycle)
- CO2: 81g/km (target figure)
- On sale: October