Featured Hyundai IONIQ - Prius competitor?

I'm sure there is an actual car beneath the shrouds.

I will say this, based solely on the artist depictions, I like the silhouette of the Ioniq better than most of the depictions of the G4 Prius (prior to seeing pictures of the actual car). While I like the silhouette, the real like / dislike opinion will be settled when we see the front and the rear, which are not shown thus far.

 

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here's the thing. the two most important goals for toyota are mpg's and interior space. if the ion beats them in both of those, it will be an amazing accomplishment. especially with a 10 year warranty. if the beat them in mg's, that will be huge. if they beat them in interior space, that will be interesting. but if they only beat them in exterior styling, they will still sell quite a few, but no game changer, or prius fighter.

 

From the concept, I doubt they will have more interior space.

My guess is with that transmission and engine it will beat the non-eco on the hwy mpg. My guess is toyota will top it on city mpg, especially the eco as hyundai won't pull out all stops for low rolling resistance, but it may weigh less. Both toyota will have one number to brag about.

 

"The jury is still out" for me, at least until I see both cars in person, but based on images I have seen thus far, I tend to agree with you.

It will be interesting to read a comparative analysis to the two car makers approach to engines and transmissions specifically, but interior space, ergonomics and performance as well. Isn't it interesting that both cars have new platforms (underpinnings)?

One last thought, here in the Mountain west, Hyundai is a very credible manufacturers. The brand is very well represented based on the many, many cars on the road.

 

same here. no idea of registered numbers, but i see a lot of hyundai and kia. hey, it's been a good 30 years or more, no?

 

A vehicle offering similar characteristics will compliment the other, drawing in a larger overall audience. In fact, growing the market cannot happen without some type competition. Sales plateau without a cross-competitor endorsement.

It's easy to understand how increasing the size of a battery and adding a plug will improve the efficiency of a hybrid. Seeing more and more of those choices on the road will make selling them easier. Rather than competing with each other, they'll really be promoting the category. We'll have PHEV offerings from Toyota, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, and even GM. Those augmented hybrids will be compared & contrasted. Battery capacity will become just another aspect of purchase decision. Since each operates as a hybrid when plug-supplied electricity is used up, they'll still have an advantage over traditional vehicles.

Adding a very small engine to an EV is another easy to understand design. Its purpose of serving as a backup power-supply when the battery is depleted is obvious. We'll have that EREV category, currently occupied by BMW alone, but Nissan plans to join in. The minimum cost, size, and weight differences from an EV keeps it competitive while also addressing charging concern.

Of course, there's Volt too. The term "boutique" is being used more and more to describe it... since the design stands alone and there are no plans for anything to like it from other automakers. GM isn't planning on widening appeal beyond special interest either. Sales will speak for themselves.

Remember, there's a race to profitability. When the tax-credits run out, these vehicles will need to face traditional vehicles head-on. That's tough competition when gas is so cheap. Right now, here in Minnesota, I saw $1.79 per gallon today. Some in a few states have posted about even lower prices. That's a very real problem when trying to promote cleaner and more efficient choices. Having shared goals with other automakers will help a lot.

 

i hope that isn't the center console, that's awful.

 

Where? Not online, it seems.

I did an advanced Google search for the three words "boutique Chevrolet Volt" for links indexed within the past year and came up with nothing after examining the first 50 hits.

I found pages that discussed the Volt but referred to Tesla or the BMW i3 as being "boutique". I found nothing referring to the Volt itself as being boutique.

 

i stayed in a boutique hotel in new york city, it was very nice, and reasonably priced.

 

How was the NVH?

If am referring, of course, to the coin-op "magic fingers" in the bed. If it was reasonably priced you must have been there during the Halcyon days of the 1970's?

 

oh, the memories! only 25 cents a play.

 

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the gen IV prius console is much much better than that. i'm talking layout, not color or materials. that big honking shifter is a huge waste of real estate. that's what bothered me most about the flying bridge.

 

The sonata's battery/motor provide 39 hp with I.6kwh lithium, The gen III prius 36 hp with 1.3 kwh nimh, I would think this had the power to fully use that 35 hp motor, which means system hp would be around 140 hp versus 134 hp gen III prius. Gen IV prius is 121hp, but I think they are counting differently and it is not much less powerful than the gen III.[/quote]

There is no clutch in the toyota hsd system. There could be a button to electronically coast but it doesn't exist. Regen with foot off the gas is what people want most of the time. Advantage for those clutched transmissions, but its a tiny one. The hsd should have advantages at low speeds and at speeds where coventional transmissions shit, Conventional dual cltuches should be better at feel when speeds are near constant and more efficient at higher speeds as long as gear ratio picked is correct.

 

Hmmm. I tend to agree with you disco (re the console) from what I have seen, however, I am not thrilled by the "Darth Vader" look in the G4.
Personally, I liked the "flying bridge" but it doesn't matter now since it has been traded.

I agree the "shifter" on the Hyundai looks too big, and a "waste" of space. but I think I would really dislike the placement of it on the G4. I thought the shifter on the G3 was perfect. That is where I rested my hand most of the time. I frequently pulled it down into brake, and it was very handy and just fit my hand, arm length, and required no effort. Again, it doesn't matter, because I'm not in the market for another Prius, but I suspect the "shifter" would be must less convent and comfortable.

 

I agree on the flying bridge. The large conventional shifter is what people are use to, and won't trigger a "it's weird" response. It also saves costs sharing the part with other conventional cars, as Toyota did in the Prius c.

Plus, Hyundai's hybrid system uses a conventional transmission; it might even get used on a ICE model. Using a familiar shifter for a familiar transmission doesn't make the new driver relearn what to do with their hand. Remember, the car still has the manual mode of the dual clutch transmission available to the driver.

The gen2 placement was the best; on the dash next to the steering wheel. So your hand didn't have to travel far off the wheel, where it is supposed to be.

 

that's the best thing about the Prius V. It doesn't have that wacky flybridge.
I'm hoping the best for the genII pip - that it too will no longer have that thing there wasting perfectly good real estate.
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