The Official Hyundai Ioniq Review Thread

thanks felt!

 

This is very interesting! I also saw the EPA numbers here and they look VERY good :

Hyundai IONIQ - Prius competitor? | Page 54 | PriusChat

If these numbers pan out, and it looks like they are, I really have to hand it to Hyundai. They just might have a winner on their hands!

We are very pro-Hyundai these days ( we have two of them..a 2012 Sonata and a 2013 Elantra GT ). Very solid cars so far ( and no oil burning like our freaking 2010 Prius). I'm not quite convinced I want to be an early adopter of the Ioniq though...However, if the warranty is as good as their other vehicles then it might be worth a shot.

 

Thank you Tideland Prius for the two, very interesting articles.

I am anxious to actually see one in person.

 

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

PHEV review here

 

Ioniq's are starting to arrive in the US. On the Ioniq forum there are several first hand accounts of driving the US version.

 

cali?

 

Today, I had a first look at an Ioniq. I stopped by the dealer and they had unloaded it in the last several days. It was white, a hybrid, and the least expensive model. I did not have time to drive it, but I sat in the front and back seat.

Quick impressions:
Exterior - Pretty vanilla. The all black grille in uninspiring; the wheel covers are downright ugly. I like the overall lines, however. If the wheel covers had not been so unsightly, I would say the overall impression is favorable. Nice front end, profile and rear. There is a "family kinship" to other Hyundai vehicles ... which is good, because I think Hyundai makes a very attractive vehicle across the board.

Interior - Pretty vanilla. The all grey (everything) looks pretty cheap IMHO.
I adjusted the seat for my 6' 2: frame, and thought the seat was comfortable, at least for a short sit. I liked the size of the steering wheel. I like the position of the shifter .... I tend to rest my hand there and it was in the right place. The Prius shifter is just not in the right place for me. The dash is grey on grey. The view through the rear-view mirror is very limited. More restricted than the Prius.
I sat in the back seat behind the driver seat. It was still adjusted where I had left it. I could not ride in back at that setting. I thought about head room, and while close, I did not touch. (I have longer legs than torso)

I'm anxious to return, hopefully sit-in and drive the next higher model, and get a driving impression. Th salesman said they have been getting 60+ mpg, and that may not be an exaggeration .... the dealer is in the suburbs where cruising at 35-55 mph is normal. He also said it "felt peppier that you would expect." I'm not sure that is a performance endorsement.

Time will tell. I still like the exterior way more than the Prius, and the grey on grey interior is not as objectionable as the urinal white ... but that is a personal opinion. Right now I do not see myself buying the lowest level model .... quite frankly, I was a little disappointed. But I am holding an opinion until such time as I see the higher level model.

 

New (short) driving impressons of the plug-in version slated for 2018: 2018 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Prototype Review: Move Over, Prius

(Bold mine)
"Transmission troubles. Hyundai is proud of the fact that its Ioniq Hybrid and Plug-In use a dual-clutch transmission instead of a CVT, like most gasoline/electric cars. With the gas engine running, it means you get smooth, quick shifts, all part of Hyundai’s work to make the Ioniq family feel like a “normal” car behind the wheel. But when you’re running on electric-only power, the transmission’s shifts are far more noticeable – power sort of cuts away for a brief second while the next gear is selected. You notice it when accelerating from a stop, and until the gas engine kicks in, it’s surprisingly jarring.

 

The use of a transmission does allow a smaller electric motor to be used. Some car part supply companies are developing 2 to 3 speed Ev transmissions.

If Hyundai/Kia's system is set up like Honda's, and I think it is, the motor's output path to the wheels is only through one side, and thus one clutch, of the transmission. In which case, the transmission is operating like an automated manual instead of a dual clutch while in EV mode on the PHEVs. That means noticable shifting. Perhaps the drive experience will be improved on the production model.

Hyundai appears to have done a better job of keeping usable space in comparison to the the hybrid. The rear seats weren't touched, and the PHEV loses just 3 cubic feet of cargo space. Toyota and Ford PHEVs lose double that.

 

Here's a very thorough review of the Ioniq hybrid. The Ioniq didn't appeal to me due to the appearance (I don't like the large, bright grill), and I was thinking the Kia Niro was more attractive, but the Ioniq is growing on me. I like cargo space and the supposed good handling:

 

Very nice and thorough video hear of both the exterior and interior.

They basically click every button, open all storage compartments, etc... Some nice views of the engine compartment and under-floor trunk storage ( similar to the Gen3 Prius ). Even though it is an older video, it covered some things I had not seen previously.

 

Pretty impressive! Sigh..articles like this are going to force me to take another look at the Ioniq.

 

PHEV is well reviewed. Details on its release are still scarce.

 

I have a 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid limited, the one thing that I really like is the transmission, unlike the CVT it feels a lot faster (Sport mode).

1. Handling, for the life of the Prius this is where it lacked the most. The Ioniq handles beautifully.
2. Lifetime battery warranty (I dont have to change the battery like I did in the past)
3. Warranty 10 yrs 100k