Hyundai Ioniq 6 debuts with 379 miles of all-electric range

Hyundai has revealed more details about its upcoming Ioniq 6 saloon, which is set to challenge the likes of the BMW i4, Polestar 2 and Tesla Model 3 when it arrives in the UK in 2023.

As The Car Expert reported two weeks ago, the Ioniq 6 – with its streamlined, aerodynamic silhouette and pixel-style LED lights – will be offered with 58kWh and 77kWh battery pack options like its Ioniq 5 hatchback sibling. Hyundai now says that the latter of these battery options can provide an impressive all-electric range of 379 miles from full charge.

This means that, despite being slightly longer than its rivals from BMW, Polestar and Tesla (and thus in theory a bit more spacious), the 77kWh version of this curvy Hyundai saloon trumps the maximum battery range of its key competitors, despite the fact that these rivals all use slightly bigger battery packs.

Details are still rather thin on the ground when it comes to the entry-level 58kWh powertrain – other than Hyundai’s claim that it is “one of the most energy-efficient” models ever made. This 58kWh battery uses around 225kW of energy for every mile, which makes it more efficient than small city cars like the Fiat 500 Electric.

Hyundai says that this smaller battery option will only be available in a single-motor rear-wheel drive configuration, but that the larger 77kWh versions can be specced with an all-wheel drive setup that features two electric motors. This range-topping configuration can reportedly complete a 0-62mph sprint in 5.1 seconds.

Like the Ioniq 5, It has also been announced that the saloon will come with a vehicle-to-load (V2L) function that allows you to charge and power external devices like e-bikes and camping equipment using the car’s battery, and the driver will be able to adjust the car’s steering responsiveness, motor power and accelerator pedal sensitivity in the settings menus.

There will be 12 different exterior colour options to choose from when the car goes on sale, as well as four different interior colour choices. Customers will also be able to select either 18-inch alloy wheels or 20-inch alloy wheels.

More details have been released about the car’s interior too, which features one connected display that links the 12-inch infotainment console to the 12-inch instrument cluster, flanked by displays for the digital side mirrors at each end of the dashboard – a feature that has recently been added to the Ioniq 5 equipment list.

Like most new electric cars, this infotainment system is compatible with over-the-air updates, meaning it can download future updates while sitting in your driveway. The navigation software plans your route in real-time depending on how much charge it has left (your charge level being denoted by the four LED dots on the steering wheel), so if you are running low, it will request a charging station detor in an effort to avoid running flat.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are also available, and the saloon comes with an eight-speaker Bose sound system as standard.

Speaking of on-board tech, the Ioniq 6 comes with a long list of driving assistance and safety features, including a ‘smart’ cruise control function that learns and mimics the owner’s driving style. A more straightforward lane-centring cruise control also comes as standard.

Other semi-autonomous driving features include a speed-limiter that adjusts vehicle speed to match the speed limit, and a safety feature that automatically steers the car out of the path of road obstacles and pedestrians in potential crash scenarios.

The car also monitors its blind spot and steps in to avoid collisions, and the driver can view the saloon’s blind spots through the infotainment system.

Hyundai is yet to announce the car’s UK pricing and trim level specifics – these are likely to be released later this year. We also don’t know when the car will be available to order at the moment, but the manufacturer says that it plans to start making Ioniq 6 models in Autumn this year.