Prime vs. Hyundai Ioniq

I was hoping for the plug in hybrid first but sadly it's the last on their list

 

The BEV is suppose to be around the same time as the hybrid. I think the Fueleconomy.gov info went up for the Electric because it is less work to certify.
The PHEV was always later.

My thinking was that they didn't want the hybrid introduction to be impacted by diverting parts to the PHEV. It was a year between the Prius and Prime.

 

For those individuals that are interested in the Ioniq in this thread know that I drove some off a ship a few days ago in a port in California. I believe the ones I drove were the Ioniq hybrid, I did not see any of the all electric ones.
When driving them mixed among the other Hyundai cars the Ioniq didn't particularly stand out but did look better then the other smaller Hyundais. The interior was nice but didn't seem like nothing special and the car seemed small but had room for the occupants.
I do not see how this car can be compared to the Prime. I have a Prime and it is much bigger, roomier and has a very unique styling inside and out.
The Ioniq to me felt and looked like the other compact Hyundai cars I drove off that day. I was a bit disappointed since I was looking into the Ioniq when I was at the OC auto show late last year.

 

they've arrived unannounced?

 

Uh, they've been announced since Dec 8, 2015: Hyundai IONIQ - Prius competitor? | PriusChat

Bob Wilson

 

Unique styling can be a con for some buyers, but the Ioniq PHEV is the real Prime competitor, and that won't arrive for another 6 months at least.
The big factor for many buyers is going to be price. I'm guessing window stickers aren't on the cars off the ship, and installed at the port. Will you get a chance to see the sticker?

 

Generally speaking .... I like Hyundai's design philosophy. I find (across the board) most of the models are "handsome" .... certainly not "out-standing" or "stand-out-ish." "Handsome" is a complement (not normally descriptive of an automobile) but the lines flow sensibly from front to rear; the design successfully connecting the front with the rear, and I especially like the profile .... significantly more that the Prius (since the high point was moved forward).

Since I have only seen pictures of the Ioniq, I tend to think Hyundai could have been a bit more "stand-out-ish." I for one, do not particularly like the name "IONIQ" ..... It is not becoming stenciled across the rear. If I were to purchase one, I suspect I would attempt to de-badge it.

On the Hyundai EV version, I think the "H" emblem in the front is way too large ... out of proportion, but with no need for a radiator, the front becomes a problem. In Europe the problem is solved with the enormous license plate across the front, but in the US, I suspect the front will not be it's strong-point. I do not particularly like the front end of the Tesla either, especially pictures I have seen of the "3"

 

i suppose there's a design for everyone out there. but if you like a particular cars other features, you don't get much choice. i can't imagine buying a prius, ioniq or what have you for the looks, and being satisfied to live with everything else.

 

Curious. On fueleconomy.gov, the Ioniq is listed as larger in size class, passenger volume and cargo volume.

 

Thank you Lee Jay, but its going to come down to actually sitting in, driving, experiencing and comparing several vehicles. I'm convinced that there are many ways to measure a vehicle, evaluate it performance and fuel efficiency. Metric conversions, Imperial gallons, various methodologies for measuring are all very confusing. I'm being absurd, but a 2 x 5 space is the same square footage as a 1 x 10. It will all come down to how my bod fits ... regardless of the stats.

 

well said.

 

Well this reminds me of a couple of headaches:

• Honda Civic hybrid - tried to get in and banged my head hard enough to hurt.
• Honda Insight II - banged my head hard enough for little stars ... but for the pain, amused by the cartoon analogy. I had to sit in the car a little longer to 'settle up' and then noticed how it felt 'coffin close.'

I came to the conclusion that these Hondas are sized for smaller, less bulky bodies than mine.

Bob Wilson

 

You are clearly a taller person than I am. I owned a first edition Honda Civic Hybrid (now that I think about it...I have a bad habit of buying first year cars, first rev of the Civic Hybrid, first round of the Ridgeline, first model year Camry Hybrid...There is something seriously wrong with my head ). I found it tight sitting in it when I was a larger person than I am today but at least tolerable for 5 years, would have kept it longer but the hybrid system went crazy and the dealerships couldn't find any issue and insisted it was working fine. So I traded it in saying everything was fine to the same dealership that last looked at it for full bluebook.

The Insight however I can certainly agree with you on. In fact when I bought the Civic I tried a Prius, and that was my impression of the 2003 Prius, that it felt tiny and the steering wheel felt like it belonged on a Go Cart rather than a car. I couldn't get past that and refused to buy. My wife actually liked the Prius then and if she had insisted it would have been purchased as it was her car I was trading and replacing.

 

I doubt whether it is smaller than the Prime. I do not know the Prime from my own experience, but compared to the 2013 PiP I had for 4 years there is more space inside in the Ioniq EV I have since mid January. For example, behind the front seats there is 10 cm more length. Therefore I can easily take my big 29 inch wheel mountainbike in it, without adjusting it (I am 180 cm). Also in the driver seat I feel more space around me than I felt in the PiP. As the PiP is not considered really smaller than the Prime, I don't think the Ioniq is smaller than the Prime. Considering the load floor of the Ioniq EV, from pictures I think it is lower that that of the Prime.

 

I don't know if you can access www.fueleconomy.gov but it is our 'go to' web site to compare vehicles:

	metric	2017 Ioniq	2013 PiP	2017 Prime	2003 Prius
1	passenger ft{3}	96	94	91	89
2	luggage ft{3}	27	22	20	12
3	classification	large cars	midsize cars	midsize cars	compact
4	EV range	n/a	11 mi	25 mi	n/a
5	gas MPG	55	50	54	48 (*)

Yes, the Ioniq is larger than either of the Toyota plug-ins. All of them are larger than our 2003 Prius which I was getting 52 MPG year round by efficient driving. But the Ioniq and 2003 Prius also have to burn gas including the warm-up penalty on every trip.

Running the gas engine is especially painful on each cold-start when the engine is least efficient and the car has to accelerate, largest load. For example, the first 3-5 miles in our Gen-1 and Gen-3 Prius were typically below 40 MPG especially in bad weather. Perhaps you might record the warm-up penalty on your next cold-start. Just setup a camera to record a trip meter on the first drive of the day and report the fuel consumed for each kilometer. Share the raw data and we'll be happy to do the math.

In contrast, both the PiP (or my understanding) and Prime are able to EV to speed and then let the gas engine warm-up occur unloaded while going down the road. Skipping the short range, cold-start, gas problem is where the Toyota plug-in do so well.

Bob Wilson

 

For those interested in the Ioniq Hybrid and EV, I just opened a thread within the Other Cars section: Hyundai Hybrids and EVs.

 

I purchased my first Prius, a 2016 Eco, three months ago. One of the HUGE selling points was its track record of top notch dependability. If the Ioniq can rack up a minimum of three years of much better than average reliability, then I would consider purchasing. Until that time it's just a game of wait and see.

 

I agree, gabacho. I woke up one morning and realized my 2010 Prius has 95,000 trouble free miles on it-- no leaky fluids, no brake repairs, no nothing. Just incredible reliability. That's why I test drove a Prime recently and will likely purchase one in the near future. I expect it will startup first time, every time, and get me from A to B comfortably and reliably. I think it will be a good choice despite the limited storage and missing Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The Ioniq, in my mind, will need to prove itself-- That said, the Hyundai vehicles have turned out to be incredibly reliable. Toyota really needs to look out-- their neighbors in Korea make a great product.

 

2018 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid First Drive | Review | Car and Driver

The Ioniq is no Prime and no Volt.

More of a PIP or Ford Energi such a waste, I'm spoiled by pure EV modes with no ICE interruption in my silent ride