2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 U.S.-Spec First Drive: Looks Totally Different, Feels Totally Familiar

It seems ioniq—er, sorry, ironic—to us that Hyundai's new 2023 Ioniq 6 electric sedan drives so much like the MotorTrend SUV of the Year-winning Ioniq 5 electric SUV. We know we shouldn't be surprised; both cars share Hyundai/Kia's E-GMP platform, a prime example of putting a different metal hat on a similar mechanical skateboard. Still, with the svelte Ioniq 6 playing an EV Stan Laurel to the Ioniq 5's Oliver Hardy, it's hard not to chuckle at the similarities.

Hyundai promised the 2023 Ioniq 6 electric sedan would deliver a "more driver-centric" experience than the 5, and we wondered if that meant it would share its character with its other E-GMP-mate, the Kia EV6, which has a decidedly tail-happy feel, particularly in GT form. Nope: Hyundai's interpretation of driver-centric is heavier steering (with no improvement in feel) and a more jiggly ride. Just goes to show, some old Hyundai habits die hard.

Not that we're disappointed, as the new Ioniq 6 maintains many of the 5's best attributes, including a luxury-car-quiet interior and the ability to float over bumps as if they are paved with down pillows. Unfortunately, our efforts to find the Ioniq 6's limit-of-grip behavior were thwarted by Mother Nature: Hyundai held the press preview in Phoenix, and even managed to find one of the few curvy roads in that ruler-straight state—but just as we got there, so did rain, followed closely by sliding mud. Just our luck.

Nothing could stop us from a thorough powertrain evaluation, which is the technical term we use if called upon to explain our foot-to-the-floor antics to the local constabulary. Like so much else, the powertrains in the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 mirror that of the 5; in the case of our Limited all-wheel-drive test vehicle, that meant two motors producing a combined 320 hp and 446 lb-ft of torque. Hyundai claims a 0-60-mph time of 5.1 seconds, the same as the Ioniq 5's time we discovered was a gross underestimation. We imagine the new Ioniq 6 will also outperform that estimate by a good half-second, but we'll still invoke the cliché "deceptively quick": With its smooth, silent rush of power, the Ioniq 6 doesn't feel like it's whisking you to highway speeds with sports-car swiftness.

Wait, did we say silent? Unlike the 5, the Ioniq 6 provides three choices of synthetic engine noise, as well as a "none of the above" option. Like the 5, the Ioniq 6 offers multiple levels of regenerative braking, including a one-pedal driving mode (in which lifting off the accelerator causes the car to decelerate to a stop) and an automatic mode. We really like max regen, but we also like the fact Hyundai gives drivers so many choices, rather than the simple "On" or "Off" found in other EVs.

Cruising through the rare Arizona rainfall gave us plenty of opportunity to contemplate the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6's cabin. Most of the hardware with which you engage—steering column, stalks, and screens—is shared with the Ioniq 5, though the lower roofline and altered seating position make it more difficult to adjust the steering wheel so it doesn't clip your view of the top of the digital dash.

The steering wheel itself is one notable difference: The four dots on the Ioniq 6's steering wheel (which replace the usual Hyundai logo; four dots in Morse code means "H") light up, flashing green or red as you select Eco or Sport modes and a neutral gray otherwise. It's a nifty surprise-and-delight touch, and we hope to see it spread to other Hyundai models.

Where the Ioniq 5 employs a beam dash and a flat floor, the Ioniq 6 has a full-length floating center console running between the seats. It's designed so nothing protrudes higher than its padded top edge, the idea being that people can set a laptop there and use it as a portable desk. (Not while driving, please.) The large open storage area beneath it is big enough for a bulky purse. Incongruity comes courtesy of the plain-vanilla window switches aft of the cupholders, which look like they are pulled from the generic anycar parts bin. Ditto for the small panel on the left of the dash that adjusts the side mirrors.

"But wait," you say. "Shouldn't window and mirror switches be on the doors?" Yes, we think so, too. Hyundai says relocating the switchgear allows the door panels to be thinner and more ornate, but we know it's a cost-saving measure, allowing use of the same door parts for left- and right-hand-drive versions. Still, Hyundai's argument isn't completely baseless—the doors do have multicolor light strips in the armrests that reflect quite charmingly as stripes in the upper panel's ribbed pattern. But the plastic of which they are made, which has eco-friendly paint and some other natural elements mixed in, is on the chintzy side. That's surprising, as the quality of other "green" cabin materials, including plant-based upholstery and carpets made from recycled fishnets, is quite a bit higher.

No doubt you (as did we) wonder what the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6's radical sloping roofline does for backseat room. The answer: Nothing good. The doors themselves are decently sized—your passengers' chances of a concussion are much lower than in many of Germany's so-called four-door coupes—but once inside, headroom is in short supply for anyone 5-foot-8 or taller. Hyundai says the back seat is designed like a couch, with the idea being you can turn sideways as you sit; that's really the only way to get comfortable back there, generous flat floor notwithstanding. Cargo room is equally tight. The trunk is long but low in height, and its 11.2-cubic-foot volume makes it smaller than the trunks of most subcompact sedans. Hyundai, of course, has a ready answer for this entire paragraph: If you need more space, get an Ioniq 5.

Ah, indeed there is a strong argument for choosing the 6 over the 5, and that's range. (Come on—you didn't think the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6's river-rock-smooth styling was merely about appearance, did you?) The Ioniq 6 is the most aerodynamic car Hyundai has ever made, with a coefficient of drag of just 0.219—provided you opt for the SE model with 18-inch wheels, that is. SEL and Limited trims get open-spoke 20s that drop the Cd to 0.246.

For most models, the gains are modest. The version we drove, an all-wheel-drive Ioniq 6 with the long-range (77.4-kWh) battery, has a range estimate of 270 miles over the comparable Ioniq 5's 266. The 225-hp rear-drive Ionic 6 is rated at 305 miles versus the Ionic 5's 303. But the standard-range SE model, which uses a smaller (58.0-kWh) battery and less powerful (149-hp) motor, has a 240-mile estimated range, a 20-mile advantage over the entry-level Ioniq 5. And the new Ioniq 6 is available in a unique long-range SE model, with the big battery, 225-hp motor, and those wind-cheating SE wheels. Its estimated range is a Tesla-busting 361 miles.

U.S. pricing for the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 starts at $42,715, rising to $46,615 for the long-range model, and $57,215 for the top-of-the-line AWD Limited—a bit more expensive than the Ioniq 5 on the low end and a bit less at the high end. We're used to automakers charging a premium for SUVs; the similarities in price between the two vehicles emphasize how well they complement each other.

Overall, we like the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6, but there's something just a wee bit incongruous about it. That lovely yet polarizing smooth styling reminds us of the Infiniti J30 of the 1990s, and that makes us feel like it ought to wear a Genesis badge—but the unadorned nose (think second-gen Mazda MX-6) is a bit too unadorned. And though the Ioniq 6 uses the same pixelated-light theme as the Ioniq 5, it doesn't commit to it in the same retro-cool way. The soft, silent ride and nifty door panels make it feel like a luxury car, but most of the interface is decidedly Hyundai. What we're getting at is that the Ioniq 5 has a clear theme, but the Ioniq 6 can't figure out what it wants to be.

Whatever its aspirations, we know what the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 is: a distinctive EV with polarizing styling, strong performance, useful range, and a comfortable ride. It's one that has much in common with one of our favorite electric vehicles, and we expect the Ioniq 6 will be just as successful as its SUV sibling—and deservedly so.