Hyundai IONIQ 6 2023 Review

There are three models in the 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6 range. The single-motor/rear-wheel drive Dynamiq is cheapest at $74,000 plus on-road costs, while the dual-motor/all-wheel drive Techniq and flagship Epiq are priced from $83,500 and $88,000 plus ORCs respectively.

No IONIQ 6 qualifies for the various state and territory government rebates while the Epiq is too expensive to access the federal government’s electric vehicle FBT concessions.

The IONIQ 6 lines up against the most formidable EV opposition possible in the form of the Tesla Model 3. At $64,300 (in Victoria before on-road costs), the Tesla range starts significantly cheaper for its single-motor/rear-drive model. Things only even up in price terms at the top of the range.

The Polestar 2 also undercuts the IONIQ 6, while the base-model BMW i4 isn’t that far up the pricing ladder.

If you’re not wedded to buying an electric passenger car then there are SUV alternatives such as the Tesla Model Y, the Kia EV6 and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 – the latter two share their Hyundai Group E-GMP technical underpinnings with the IONIQ 6.

The 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6 line-up has a comprehensive equipment list and the flagship Epiq cops the lot.

It alone includes digital side mirrors that display imagery on screens tucked into either end of the dashboard, a heat pump for more efficient cabin climate control and battery conditioning for faster DC charging.

It shares with Techniq an upgrade from the Dynamiq’s 18-inch alloy wheels to 20s and from Hankook Ventus eco tyres to Pirelli P Zero EV-specific rubber.

They also get ventilated front seats that recline fully flat, steering wheel and rear seat heating and a full-width powered sunroof.

All three models include dual-zone climate control with rear vents, a new slimline design for front seats with heating, eco-processed leather seat trim, leather steering wheel trim, alloy pedals, alloy scuff plates, an electric park brake, powered flush-fitting door handles, keyless entry/start and a power tailgate. There is no spare tyre, only a mobility kit.

New two-colour ambient interior lighting can be adjusted through six themes to reflect your mood and can change intensity as road speeds vary.

There are eight exterior paint choices and four interior trims they can be paired with. The only IONIQ 6 option is matte Gravity Gold paint for $1000.

Hyundai offers no free charging or wallbox installation to go with the IONIQ 6, which seems a bit of a miss for a car in this price range. It does come with an emergency trickle-charging cable.

The IONIQ 6 comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and an eight-year/160,000km high-voltage battery warranty.

Service intervals are every 24 months and 30,000km, reflecting the reduced maintenance requirements EVs need. The scheduled service charge for each of the first two visits is $560.

The 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Epiq on test here shares all its safety features with cheaper models in the range, starting with a five-star ANCAP rating based on the latest 2023 protocols.

The IONIQ 6 also introduces several new safety features to the Hyundai line-up in Australia.

It is the first Hyundai sold here with Intelligent Front Lighting that adjusts the dual projector LED light beam to avoid blinding oncoming traffic.

The IONIQ 6’s forward collision avoidance assist reacts in more emergency scenarios, it has added low-speed parking assist collision avoidance parameters and the reverse parking system can now operate in more situations including diagonal spaces.

As per IONIQ 5, the system also operates remotely from outside the car.

These updates are part of a long list of driver assistance systems (DAS) led by autonomous emergency braking (AEB) that can detect vehicles, pedestrians or cyclists.

It can attempt to brake for vehicles between 10km/h and 200km/h and pedestrians and cyclists up to 75km/h.

Other DAS includes evasive steering assist and crash avoidance systems for junctions, oncoming traffic, lane changing, reversing and when vehicles are in the blind spot on the road or when exiting a parking spot.

The IONIQ 6 can also monitor for traffic when a door is being opened and issue an audible warning. When the indicator stalk is active, vision of the blind spot is displayed in the digital dash.

Other features include driver tiredness monitoring, speed limit monitoring, lane keeping and following and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go that issues an alert when the vehicle in front moves off.

A comprehensive safety suite is rounded off by a 360-degree camera, front and rear parking sensors and seven airbags including a front-centre airbag.

There are two outboard ISOFIX mounts in the rear seat and three child seat top tethers.

The 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6 is the first Hyundai in Australia capable of accepting over-the-air (OTA) updates.

It is also the first Hyundai battery-electric vehicle sold in Australia to come with the Bluelink connected car system.

OTA allows navigation systems and performance features like charging to be refreshed and improved without having to visit a dealership.

Bluelink is complimentary for IONIQ 6 owners for five years and is transferrable with the car to a new owner.

Services accessible through the Bluelink app include snapshots of the vehicle surrounds via the 360-degree camera, remote start and climate control operation, lock/unlock, car finding and much more.

EV-specific settings that debut with IONIQ 6’s version of the Bluelink app include charge scheduling, energy consumption monitoring and driving distance limits.

Beyond Bluelink, IONIQ 6 tech is very similar to IONIQ 5. All three IONIQ 6 models get two digital 12.3-inch screens on the dashboard – one acting as an instrument panel with a very clear head-up display in the windscreen above it, and the other as an infotainment touch-screen.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, but are connected by cable rather than wireless as per the usual Hyundai Group settings. However, there is wireless smartphone charging.

The IONIQ 6 has one USB-A multimedia port in the centre console, two USB-C charging ports in the centre lidded bin and two USB-C charging ports for rear seat passengers.

The IONIQ 6 also comes standard with embedded sat-nav, multi-Bluetooth connectivity, AM/FM and DAB+ radio and a Bose eight-speaker audio system.

The 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6 range comes as either the 168kW/350Nm single-motor Dynamiq or the 239kW/605Nm dual-motor Techniq and Epiq.

All models use a permanent magnetic synchronous e-motor on both axles mated with single-speed reduction gears. Forward, reverse, neutral and park are selected via a stalk on the steering column.

The Dynamiq can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 7.4 seconds and the all-wheel drive models in an impressive – if not outlandish these days – 5.1 seconds.

Hyundai says max power and therefore acceleration rates can only be tapped in Sport mode, which is selectable via a button on the steering wheel.

The other modes are Eco (which dulls responses noticeably), Normal (which doesn’t) and Custom. The latter allows the driver to vary throttle sensitivity, steering weight and – in Techniq and Epiq – all-wheel drive tune. It has no impact on the passive MacPherson strut/multi-link suspension set-up.

Separately, braking response can be tuned to Normal or Sport modes, the latter designed to provide sharper response to pedal pressure.

There’s a big love-it-or-hate-it debate going on about the 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6’s styling. But it serves a functional as well as emotional purpose.

Accredited with a 0.217Cd drag coefficient figure, the IONIQ 6 is the second-most efficient production car through the air in the world today behind the Mercedes-Benz EQE.

That means the IONIQ 6 spends less of the energy stored in its 77kWh lithium-ion battery pack pushing through the air so you can go longer between charges.

As a result, the IONIQ 6 Dynamiq claims an excellent 614km range based on the WLTP testing regime.

The Dynamiq also claims a 14.3kWh/100km consumption rate, which outdoes the frugal rear-wheel drive Tesla Model 3, which manages 14.9kWh/100km.

On bigger wheels and with more power demands and weight to manage, the Techniq and Epiq claim identical 519km and a 16.9kWh/100km averages. A Long Range dual-motor Tesla Model 3 does better at 602km and 16kWh/100km.

Those IONIQ 6 numbers are better than the bulky IONIQ 5, which says something considering they share the same powertrain.

Recharging the IONIQ 6 is aided by the E-GMP platform’s clever electric architecture that can operate at the orthodox 400 volts or ramp up to the faster 800 volts.

As a result, the IONIQ 6 can take as little as 18 minutes for a 10-80 per cent refill using an ultra-fast DC charger.

While Hyundai keeps banging on about DC 350kW charging rates, the reality is it can achieve a best rate of around 230kW. This is still pretty darn good.

A 7kW AC wallbox recharge will take 11 hours and 45 minutes to go from zero to 100 per cent, while a 230V trickle recharger would take 34 hours and 20 minutes. Hope you’ve got a good book.

The IONIQ 6 can regenerate energy on the run via braking. It has flappy paddles on the steering wheel to manipulate the amount of regen from zero to full-on one-pedal braking.

It can also automatically judge the amount of regen based on the speed of the vehicle ahead, following distance and navigation data.

The 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6 establishes its own character thanks to the way it looks. It reinforces and accentuates that by the way it drives.

Thanks to its stiffer three-box body, its revised and firmer damper settings and – to a lesser extent – retuned steering, the IONIQ 6 feels tauter, sharper and more responsive than the IONIQ 5.

Those 245/40R20 Pirelli P Zeros no doubt help the Epiq reinforce that, as they grip up and help point and shoot the IONIQ 6 between corners, exploiting that consistently fabulous dual e-motor grunt.

But let’s be clear, the Epiq is no Ninja dancing on the head of a pin. It’s 4855mm long, 1885mm wide, 1495mm high, has a long 2950mm wheelbase and weighs in at a substantial 2078kg (tare).

Even with the battery slung low between the axles to help centre of gravity, it feels more at home in big sweepers than a series of ridge-climbing hairpins.

The primary downside of this more sporting nature is a tougher ride. It rarely gets downright ugly, but on the lower-profile Pirellis you are aware of small-bump patter as well as coarse-chip roar.

There is an argument here for adaptive dampers, especially considering the money being spent.

The IONIQ 6 Epiq isn’t quite as compelling braking into and steering through a corner as zotting between them. In one test car I found it difficult to modulate the brake as smoothly as I wanted to, while the electric assist steering consistently felt too distant and inert to be truly communicative.

Have no doubt it’s still fun to drive on a winding road – and we dove some beauties during the launch – but if there was a Kia EV6 GT on offer as well there would have been a fight for its driver’s seat.

At a more relaxed pace the IONIQ 6 is a quiet, flexible, smooth and refined cruiser in the way EVs are just so well suited to being.

You can amp up some artificial noise to make the powertrain more visceral, but it seems just a manufactured waste of energy.

The ride harshness might get a bit irritating if you’re daily commute is on a rough road, but otherwise it’s easy to imagine plenty of people handing over their cash on the basis of the style and then coming to enjoy the pleasant driving characteristics later.

In fact, by far the most annoying thing about driving the IONIQ 6 is its desire to bing and bong warnings for speeding and steering out of lane. The speed warning – and therefore traffic sign recognition – has to be turned off via laborious multi-step drill into touch-screen menus every time the car is turned on.

It’s the result of some bureaucratic bulldust in Europe that washes over onto us here.

Come on Hyundai, just give us a button on the dashboard that turns it off permanently.

Because we spent so much time during this drive on flowing country roads, the regen didn’t get a big workout. But we know from past experience the Hyundai system is effective. The one-pedal i-Pedal function does pull you up.

A longer drive test in more typical circumstances will deliver a more realistic verdict on real-world economy than the 20-plus kWh/100km we were averaging.

The interior of the 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6 is not the original and striking effort the exterior is. There are strong overtones of IONIQ 5 in here with occasional switchgear bits and bobs evident from the wider Hyundai/Kia/Genesis range as well.

The darker trim we spent most of our time with was a bit drab. Lighter trims work better.

Some trims are made from stuff like recycled fishing nets and sugar cane waste. Happily, you can’t tell.

The presentation is simple and spacious, with much of the complexity hidden from view in the sub-menus of the infotainment and instrument screens. You do have to drill into the touch-screen to turn off the climate control.

Having said that, this is not as complex as these systems can get. There are simple ways to access controls such as air-con settings and basic audio functions without dabbing at screens.

Being able to centre the speedo in the instrument panel would be an improvement. It sits to the left and can be obscured by the turning steering wheel.

That, by the way, has only two spokes and a flat bottom, as well as four-pixel mood lights in the boss that change colour depending on what function is engaged. Interesting but rarely noticed, TBH.

The steering wheel adjusts for reach and rake, which is as it should be. There is a big left foot rest and the front seats offer plenty of adjustment, but they do lack side support in the cushion. The backrest does that job better.

The digital rear-view cameras in the Epiq don’t adjust wide enough or high enough for me. Too much of the screen is occupied by tarmac and the side of the car.

Hyundai’s also moved all the power window controls from the driver’s door to the centre console. It makes for a thinner, stylish look and provides easier access to door pockets. It takes some getting used to.

Flip to the rear seat and you’ll encounter a stupendous amount of leg space. The new slimline front seats help with that as does the E-GMP platform, which provides a flat floor.

Headroom isn’t so generous, but it isn’t too bad for adults up to 180cm tall. Just keep your bouffant under control.

Pillars and side and rear windows are small so there are vison blind spots. The sloping roofline and non-SUV ride height makes it feel like you are diving into a cave entering the rear seat.

The boot is small (401L) because of all the e-motor gubbins under the floor. But you can fold down the rear seats to expand the space. There’s also a tiny frunk in the AWD models and a slightly larger one in the Dynamiq.

Cabin storage is generous. The flying bridge centre console liberates lots of space for your junk, and the drawer-type glove box also offers plenty of room. There are door bins all-round and seat-back pockets as well.

With only 1300 examples of the 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6 headed to Australia this year, and 300 of them already accounted for, it’s less about whether you should buy one than can you find one to buy?

There are surely enough people in Australia attracted by its unique style to ensure a waiting list.

The looks are backed up by a convincing driving experience if you like a sports-tinged flavour, lots of safety gear, tech wizardry and based on Hyundai’s claims – more than our less-than-indicative experience – range-anxiety-beating economy as well.

It’s all pretty compelling apart from the pricing.

Gee, it would have been good if Hyundai had pitched the IONIQ 6 head-to-head with Tesla Model 3 and given the many buyers flocking to the all-conquering Musk-mobile something more to ponder.

But it isn’t so they won’t. The IONIQ 6 is a decent car destined to remain a bit player unless pricing becomes more competitive and supply frees up.

2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Epiq at a glance:
Price: $88,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Dual permanent magnet synchronous motors
Output: 239kW/605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gears
Battery: 77.4kWh lithium-ion
Range: 519km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 16.9kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2023)