Ioniq have been in the Australian market for less than two years but there is already a facelift with many upgrades under the roof.
Battery
The cosmetic upgrade is not what lurks in most EV consumers mind, its the batteries and range. Therefore to alleviate such concerns, Hyundai has upgraded the batteries for Ioniq to 8.3 KWh which is over 40% increase from previous version. The battery is much more denser now and is liquid cooled. With this upgrade, the range for this vehicle has broken 300 km barrier. It can not do 311 kilometers on a single charge.
Price
The starting price of fully electric Ioniq is $48,490 AUD, while the plug-in hybrid will start at $41,990 AUD. That makes it one of the most affordable EVs in Australia. They may cost more than its hybrid counterpart which is priced at $34,790 AUD, but considering all the lifetime savings of fuel costs, its really not a bad deal. So, even if you aren’t concerned about environment, you can actually save some bucks in the long run, and also save yourself from a lot of troublesome maintenance that comes with gasoline engines.
Interior
There have also been a some changes in the interior as compared to the original design and all of them are good improvements. This car does not have a futuristic looking design that is common in most EVs these days like in Tesla. Ioniq is more close to the current modern designs like Elantra.
There is a piano black console in the middle which have been upgraded to high resolution ten and a quarter inch wide screen. In the infotainment screen you can see the maps, battery status etc. It can also tell the nearest location of charging station. This one is also more user friendly than most of its rivals, maybe not Tesla user-friendly, but still better than others.
Its speed-o-meter is also a 7 inch screen where you can see basic information like speed, battery range etc.
Its center console also has piano black and many buttons. They do not resemble a traditional gear lever, you use the buttons to shift car in drive or reverse. There is also a parking button and a neutral button.
Its steering wheel feels good and have a lot of buttons to control the functions in the speed-o-meter screen and the infotainment system. There are paddle shifters which help with regen braking, this has great potential to improve the range.
The seats look premium and are very comfortable with good arch support. The seats are electric and have memory adjustment which can be adjusted from the buttons by the door.
The material quality on its interior is satisfactory. There is faux leather wrapped on the dashboard which is sturdy and also looks good.
There is good space for the back passengers, plenty of headroom and legroom for average sized people. But if you’re a soccer player, you might struggle. One problem that many other EVs have is the raised floor because of batteries underneath, your feet are higher and you get an awkward seating position which becomes uncomfortable in long journeys. This is why I believe electrified SUV’s will be much more preferable choice for EV consumers when they become more affordable.
There are also rear vents which are really beneficial for countries with extreme weather. There is an armrest with two cup holders in the rear seats.
The visibility is also good with minimal blind spots.
Performance
Its electric motor is located under hood which generates 100 kilowatts of power and 295 newton meters of torque. Therefore its not as rapid as the fast EV cars like the Tesla Model S, but it still has pretty good performance and comparable to or faster than four-cylinder gasoline powered cars. It does 0-62 mph in just 4.5 seconds. While driving the cabin is also quiet, what you hear is the noise from the tires since there is no engine noise.
The handling of this car is also good as the curb weight is on the lower side. The batteries sits very low in this car which improves the handling because of low center of gravity, going through the corners at speed gives you more control.
If you have a little more money to spend then get the premium version which has advanced features like Lane Trace Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control. Other than that it comes equipped with blind spot monitoring and reversing camera which has crystal clear quality.
This upgrade definitely improves the ride quality and this car should be considered as a contender when making a decision for your next EV purchase.
