Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid 2016 Review

Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid
International Launch
Amsterdam

Hyundai gambles on electric-vehicle technology by offering not one, not two but three different eco-drivetrains in its smart new Ioniq hatchback. If the Australian car-buying public needs convincing of the merits of hybrid technology, then the excellent little Hyundai could be the machine to win over the masses – provided that Hyundai Australia gets the pricing and specification right once it arrives here in 2017.

Toppling the Toyota Prius in the compact hybrid car market is no easy task. The Japanese company has been building its part-electric oddball for 15 years now, with the Prius now into its extraordinarily angular fourth-generation. And here in Australia, where hybrids and electric vehicles haven’t taken off like they have elsewhere in the world, it kind of has the game all sewn up.

If you want a hybrid, you buy a Prius.

Hyundai, however, has other ideas – and it’s tilting at Toyota with this, the Ioniq hatchback. It’s not content, though, to simply face up to the Prius with a similar petrol-electric non-plug-in drivetrain, as found in the Ioniq Hybrid model we’re testing here. Instead, the Korean firm is going all-out with a variety of eco-conscious choices for the Ioniq buyer – so there’s a fully electric version called the Ioniq Electric and there’s also a plug-in hybrid model that, inventively, Hyundai has christened the Ioniq Plug-in.

Three electrified forms of propulsion in just one body shape is something unprecedented in a mass market brand and proof of Hyundai’s commitment to a plan that will see it selling 28 eco-friendly vehicles worldwide by 2020.

The good news is that Hyundai Australia is getting on board and has confirmed it will be bringing the Ioniq Plug-in and Ioniq Hybrid models to the country. The bad news is that, while the Hybrid and the Electric will go on sale in other regions later this year, we’ll have to wait until 2017 for any version of the Ioniq.

So let’s assess the easiest model to live with, the Hybrid, which is also likely to be the cheapest.

Hyundai has hinted the Hybrid should be around $35,000 (rivalling the Prius) with the Plug-in expected to be pegged at circa $40,000. The price of the Electric model is unconfirmed as Hyundai Australia as yet has no plans to bring it in, although in other markets it’s the most expensive Ioniq of all.

Back to the Hybrid and what we have is one of the company’s gasoline direct injection ‘Kappa’ units, a 1.6-litre normally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine. This develops 77kW at 5700rpm and 147Nm at 4000rpm, which are modest numbers augmented by the 32kW permanent synchronous electric motor mounted just ahead of the Ioniq’s gearbox. This has a meaty 170Nm from the minute you brush the gas pedal, and when it’s working with the four-banger combustion lump, the Hybrid has peak outputs of 104kW and 265Nm -- enough for a 0-100km/h time of 10.8sec and a top speed of 184km/h.

In two key areas, the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid has the technological edge on the Prius, chiefly because it employs the more modern lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery pack as opposed to the Toyota’s older nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) fare.

Located underneath the rear seats to optimise both weight distribution and interior packaging, Hyundai has chosen Li-ion because it has lower memory sensitivity, better charge/discharge efficiency and higher maximum output than Ni-MH.

And the Hyundai lands its second big punch into the Prius’ midriff, thanks to the adoption of a six-speed dual-clutch automated gearbox, rather than a flawed continuously variable transmission (CVT).

The Korean company says it has done this because of the ‘poor responsiveness and increased levels of engine noise’ a CVT brings.

On more subjective matters, the Hyundai also noses ahead of the Toyota because it’s a lovely-looking car. You’ll be able to spot the Electric model as it has copper details set low on both bumpers, while there’s no radiator grille and silver plastic trim on the body. It also runs on 16-inch alloy wheels.

This Hybrid, and the same will be true of the Plug-in, instead uses blue accents, black plastic and 15-inch rims. And it has a radiator grille, of course, one equipped with an active flap to improve aerodynamics at speed. The differences are largely irrelevant as both versions of the Ioniq look great.

Step aboard and here we have another Hyundai benchmark. Again, these cabins have the copper or blue themes according to the motive power, but both feature the company’s first-ever digital instrument cluster, which is a beauty.

We can’t speak too much about specification here, as Hyundai Australia has yet to confirm the toy count, but like any Hyundai it should be well-stocked. Our launch car had such luxuries as heated and cooled front seats, satellite navigation, adaptive cruise control and a wealth of driver assist safety systems, among much more.

It’s all tightly screwed together and neatly styled, while it’s also spacious enough for four big adults and it has a decent 443-litre luggage volume.

The Hybrid can actually run on EV power alone, but it will only achieve this for very short periods of time. In essence, the Ioniq uses its electric power to move off and when it’s coasting, otherwise utilising that petrol motor to keep things ticking along.

And it’s a superb combination because the Hyundai’s GDI four is smooth and happy to rev, and it cuts in and shuts down seamlessly when the car’s on-board electronics decide it’s not needed. Going DCT was a masterstroke; while the Ioniq Hybrid is hardly a quick car, it feels massively more responsive than anything with a CVT.

And it stays quiet, even during hard acceleration. Hyundai has worked hard on the refinement of the Ioniq - and it shows. A drag coefficient of 0.24 means the Hybrid hardly ruffles the air as it scythes through it and the exertions of the engine/gearbox are never intrusive. In fact, it’s tyre noise on the optional 17s that permeates the cabin most, but even that’s not unbearable.

Such hushed manners couple with excellent ride quality, both around town and out of it, to set the refinement bar high.

What the Ioniq isn’t is exciting. The steering’s again one of Hyundai’s best efforts but it doesn’t link up to a chassis that’s sparkling. The Hybrid is composed through corners and isn’t a massively heavy car, but the regenerative brakes have that odd two-stage feeling that saps driver confidence and there’s little information coming back to whoever’s behind the wheel.

It has clearly been engineered to meet a comfort brief first and foremost (mission, emphatically, accomplished), but if you want a frisson of dynamic intrigue with your EV, you might wish to look elsewhere.

It will be interesting to see if Hyundai Australia’s suspension boffins are allowed to work their magic on the Ioniq. Of late their handiwork has been extremely impressive.

There’s much to commend the Ioniq for and we haven’t even touched on its main weapon: economy.

Hyundai quotes 3.4L/100km and 79g/km CO2 for the Hybrid on the 15-inch wheels (the numbers slip to 3.9L/100km and 92g/km on the 17s), while a 45-litre tank means a theoretical range of 1300km.

Figure on more like 900km, as we saw 4.4L/100km during our test drive, but it cannot be denied that such parsimony is still mighty impressive stuff. A lot like the rest of the car, really.

The main roadblock in the way of the Ioniq’s route to success in Australia is the lack of government support for plug-in and zero-emissions cars. Unlike in the US, EU and Japan, where there are incentives for buyers choosing green vehicles, there’s no such carrot dangled before customers here.

And though improving, there’s just not the charging infrastructure to make the Plug-in and Electric models as viable as they could be. Hyundai insists the Ioniq Plug-in’s 50km EV range is enough to cover most daily commutes, but a few more public juicing points wouldn’t hurt the car’s cause.

Nevertheless, we reckon the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid has the skillset to make the grade, primarily because we’re convinced it’s a better car in all respects than the Toyota Prius.

It’s got more advanced tech, it’s nicer to look at, it has the classier interior and its drivetrain is a velvety little ripper. All we need to know now is the exact specification we’ll get here, and for what price, and then we can officially draw the battle lines.

2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid pricing and specifications:
Price: $35,000 approx (see text)
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder GDI petrol with permanent magnet synchronous motor and lithium-ion battery
Output: 104kW/265Nm
Transmission: Six-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 3.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 79g/km
Safety rating: Not tested

Also consider:
>> BMW i3 Range Extender
>> Toyota Prius
>> Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV