Not designed to everyone's liking, the Ioniq 6 is Hyundai's most aerodynamic production car. It flaunts a 0.21 drag coefficient, putting it between the 0.20 Tesla Model S and 0.22 Porsche Taycan.
As expected of the Ioniq 5's low-slung brother, the all-electric sedan also happens to be a safe car. It cleared the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's crashworthiness tests with flying colors, and the nonprofit organization was also impressed by the Ioniq 6 in terms of vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention during the daytime and nighttime.
A recipient of the highly coveted Top Safety Pick+ award, the zero-emission vehicle scored acceptable ratings for headlight performance and LATCH anchors ease of use. Regarding the headlights, the LED projector-type low beams offer inadequate visibility on gradual left curves. The high beams were deemed to offer inadequate visibility on the left side on straightaways and on sharp left curves.
The Ioniq 6 joins the Top Safety Pick+ club together with the Genesis Electrified GV70 and Lexus RZ 450e, two premium electric sport utility vehicles. In regard to safety, the only downside to the US-built Electrified GV70 is the front crash prevention system. It scored advanced rather than superior.
As for the RZ 450e, the IIHS found that its LED projector-style low beams and high beams could be better in terms of visibility on the left side of straightaways and curves. Priced at $59,650 (sans destination charge), the RZ 450e is twinned with the bZ4X from Toyota and Solterra from Subaru.
Both of them were recalled over loose wheel hub bolts, and all three siblings leave much to be desired as electric vehicles. The biggest problems of the bZ4X, AWD-only Solterra, and RZ 450e are driving range and pricing. Simply put, Toyota still has plenty to learn from the competition in the EV market.
Manufactured with pride in Alabama, the Electrified GV70 doesn't use a dedicated EV platform like the Ioniq 6 and Ioniq 5. It uses the Hyundai-Kia M3 platform for rear-biased applications. By using an architecture designed primarily for internal combustion vehicles, the Electrified GV70 scores poorly in terms of driving range as well. The EPA estimate is 236 miles (380 kilometers), whereas the RZ 450e musters only 220 miles (354 kilometers).
As mentioned earlier, the design of the Ioniq 6 may polarize opinion. What's undeniable about Hyundai's all-electric sedan is that you can expect way more driving range compared to the RZ 450e and Electrified GV70. The most you can expect on a full charge of the high-voltage battery is 361 miles (581 kilometers), which is better than the Tesla Model 3 (333 miles or 536 kilometers; the EPA has yet to publish the numbers for the Model 3 Highland).
You can get an Ioniq 6 for as little as $41,600 (excluding destination freight charge), yet the entry-level SE Standard Range is rated at 240 miles (386 kilometers). The rear-drive SE with the larger battery pack is the range champion, carrying a sticker price of $45,500 at press time.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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