The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6: A streamlined look equals serious range

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif.—The last few years have seen a steady stream of new electric vehicles being produced. But after the automaker releases yet another electric crossover, we’re forgiven for thinking that some of them are a little bit like the automaker. Consumers primarily want crossovers because they combine the practicality of a hatchback with a higher driving position. But sedans aren’t completely dead just yet: the 2023 Hyundai Ionic 6.

The Ioniq 6 is the latest in a series of new EVs that use Hyundai Motor Group’s new E-GMP architecture. Designed from the ground up, E-GMP allows Hyundai (and Kia and Genesis) to build midsize and large EVs with rear- or all-wheel-drive powertrains. E-GMP battery packs operate at 800 V and have several advantages. Higher voltage means lower current, resulting in thinner wires and less overall mass. It also allows very fast DC charging. When connected to a 350 kW fast charger, it can be charged from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes.

If you’ve read reviews about other E-GMP EVs like the Genesis GV60, Kia EV6 or Hyundai Ioniq 5, it’s not news.

After 6 comes 5, so it might be logical to expect the Ioniq 6 to be a bigger and more expensive EV than the Ioniq 5. But it’s not. 5 crossovers.

SangYup Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Hyundai Design Center, said: “Depending on the lifestyle of the owner, the vehicle is used differently, resulting in a different look. Like chess pieces on a board, each one has a different look and function, but is part of the same family. Dept. Keep your lifestyle in mind, not a one-size-fits-all approach.”

Size-wise, the Ioniq 6 is noticeably longer than the Ioniq 5 at 191.1 inches (4,854 mm), but slightly narrower at 74 inches (1,880 mm) and much shorter at just 58.9 inches (1,496 mm) tall. I’m here. However, the Ioniq 6 uses a wheelbase that is 2 inches shorter at 116.1 inches (2,949 mm). If you want to maximize your internal space, the Ioniq 5 is probably the Ioniq you want.

Instead, the Ioniq 6 is aimed at buyers looking for something a little more elegant and who value style at least as much as practicality. There’s no better shape than the 2020 prophecy concept. The trip to production has toned down some of the Prophecy’s wilder details, giving the silhouette some height thanks to the slab of real battery between axles. It has proven to be a very difficult car to drive. It’s definitely better to see it in person than on screen.

The detail may be modest, but it still contains a lot of interesting touches. Hyundai’s design team calls its lighting philosophy “parametric pixels.” This is featured both in the orange daylight running lights at the front and in the full width taillights at the rear. I especially love the panel integrated into the rear he spoiler that houses the third brake his light. But I am obsessed with all things multicolored, and whatever coating or polymer Hyundai uses here looks pretty rainbow-like in bright sunlight.

The shape remains aerodynamically efficient. The drag coefficient is just 0.21 compared to 0.29 for the Ioniq 5. Coupled with the small frontal area, this makes for an EV that slips through the air quite easily.