HYUNDAI Ioniq 2017

Body and cabin

Style, as everyone knows, is all a matter of taste. People surprised by the audacious lines of the latest Prius may be relieved to learn that despite its more discrete lines, the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq is just as aerodynamically efficient as its rival. It’s as true for the hybrid as for the electric model, the latter distinguishable only by small details such as the absence of a grille and the LED taillights.

With its 270-cm wheelbase, the Hyundai Ioniq fits squarely into the compact car category. It is a bit shorter than the traditional sedans of the segment because of its hatchback body configuration, but you can’t tell from the inside. The Ioniq offers plenty of space for four adults, and even for a fifth for short or average trips.

It is one of the main advantages of having designed the Hyundai Ioniq on an all-new platform: the big battery associated with plug-in hybrids and electric cars is installed under the floor, away from the cabin. Along with the hatchback body style, the placement of the battery also explains why the Ioniq has so much cargo space for a fully electric car. The hybrid version offers even more, because of its smaller-sized battery.

The driver environment will be familiar to anyone who has sat behind the wheel of a new-generation Hyundai: Elantra, Sonata or Tucson, for example. And that’s a very good thing, since the controls stand among the simplest in the industry.

Whether it measures 17.8 cm (7 in.) or 20.3 (8 in.), depending on the model, the centre screen is logical and always accompanied by a series of “real” buttons that facilitate access to the main functions. Gauges display crucial information—speed, range, fuel level or battery charge—in a traditional, perfectly legible manner. Only the gear shift of the electric model needs getting used to, as it is composed of buttons laid out in a cross shape on the front end of the centre armrest.

Safety

What would a modern car be without a suite of advanced safety features, like automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning with automatic assist or adaptive cruise control? Hyundai offers them all in the Ioniq, but only in the top-line Limited model. It would have been pertinent to see them appear in less expensive trims, if only as options. On the other hand, a backup camera is standard and all models, except the hybrid Blue, are delivered with blind-spot monitoring and reverse rear-cross-traffic warning.

The 2017 Hyundai Ioniq has not been crash-tested by the U.S. government or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Structurally, it is composed of 51 percent high-strength steel, which usually combines light weight and solidity. That is similar to the proportion found in the Hyundai Elantra, which obtained a top rating in IIHS tests.

Crash test results

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Overall score: Not tested
Frontal impact: Not tested
Side impact: Not tested
Rollover resistance: Not tested

Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS)
Moderate overlap frontal impact: 4 / 4
Small overlap frontal impact:
- driver side: 4 / 4
- passenger side: 4 / 4
Side impact: 4 / 4
Rear impact: 4 / 4
Roof strength: 4 / 4

IIHS Top Safety Pick+

Mechanical overview

To our knowledge, the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq is the first “green” car to offer a choice of traditional hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or 100 percent electric power delivery.
In the first instance, a 1.6-litre direct injection Atkinson cycle four-cylinder pairs with an electric motor to deliver a total of 129 hp and a hefty 195 lb-ft of torque.

To relay power to the front wheels Hyundai has foresworn the continuously variable transmission found in most hybrids. Instead, the Korean automaker uses a dual-clutch automatic, following in the footsteps of Volkswagen with the defunct Jetta hybrid. The transmission’s six gears can be shifted manually via wheel-mounted paddles.

Like other traditional hybrids, the Hyundai Ioniq can go for short distances in electric mode if you drive with a light foot or when you release the accelerator (for example, during a descent). During our test run the gas engine did, indeed, switch off a few times, whereas it switched back on, smoothly, only a few meters after a full stop.

Overall performance seemed just adequate outside of the city, and the engine becomes quite noisy when pressed. On the other hand, the dual-clutch transmission adds a bit more pep to acceleration, which makes the driving more fun, compared to most hybrids.

If you want to drive longer in electric mode, but without losing the extended range of a gas engine, you can opt for the Hyundai Ioniq plug-in hybrid when it arrives in the fall of 2017. Hyundai says that its 8.9 kWh battery will allow you to drive abut 40 km without calling on the gas engine.

Obviously, the all-electric version aims even further, with a range of 200 km according to Hyundai. That does not eclipse the 383-km maximum attributed to the Chevrolet Bolt, but it matches the Volkswagen e-Golf and surpasses the range of the current Nissan Leaf.

Naturally, the electric Hyundai Ioniq cannot do a Montreal to Quebec City trip without a stop at a public charging station, but it could meet the daily needs of a good number of motorists. A level-2 station will take around 4 hours 30 minutes to restore a 28 Kwh battery to full charge. With a fast-charge port and 400V station, 85 percent capacity can be achieved in around 25 minutes.

The new Hyundai’s electric motor, like all such motors, delivers its generous torque (218 lb-ft) instantaneously. What distinguishes the electric Ioniq from its hybrid counterpart is its energetic, smooth and quiet acceleration.

A good portion of our test took place on snowy roads in the Kelowna region of British Columbia, where road salting seems to be limited to the main roads. In these conditions, the front axle quickly becomes incapable of channelling all the immediate power the electric motor supplies. The traction control system intervenes so insistently that it hampers start-offs, especially a slope. Fortunately, it can be deactivated to take full advantage of winter tires.

As usual with hybrid and electric cars, releasing the accelerator reverses the functioning of the electric motor to recharge the battery. This “regenerative braking” process creates a goodly dose of engine braking that Hyundai lets you modulate via wheel-mounted paddles. Want to slow down more without braking? Just click the left paddle up to three times and you’ll immediately feel the difference; the car can come to a complete stop without even touching the brakes.

As indicated earlier, Hyundai designed the platform specifically for the Ioniq. This front-wheel-drive architecture positions the major portion of the battery under the floor of the electric version, which lowers the centre of gravity. In addition to the high-strength steel mentioned above, the chassis uses 148 metres of structural adhesives to improve rigidity.

Hybrid and plug-in versions use an independent multilink rear suspension, whereas the electric model has to employ a less advanced torsion bar setup because of its larger battery. Shifting to Sport mode firms up the electric steering, in all versions.

The unusually harsh winter conditions that punctuated our test in British Columbia made it more difficult to evaluate cornering grip. However, the clear pavement on the Trans-Canada Highway did allow us to appreciate the Hyundai Ioniq’s stable and composed ride at highway speed, regardless of the suspension. The precise and well weighted steering provides a certain degree of road sensation, an improvement for a Hyundai product. Tire noise, however, seemed a bit too invasive, despite promises to the contrary.

A test under our usual conditions will be required to enable us to evaluate energy consumption—gasoline for the hybrid, electric for… the Electric—and to obtain a realistic measure of the range this promising newcomer can deliver.