Why new IONIQ isn’t simply the best but it does a lot simply well

Published on 22 February, 2020

Longer range makes it more relevant but it's let down by drab interior

Overview

The really top sports people, writers, chefs, public speakers, chat-show hosts - to mention a few - all subscribe to the greatness, but exacting nature, of simplicity.

Many politicians (especially politicians), some presenters at car launches, windbag social commentators and self-indulgent footballers love to wallow in a complicated exhibition of ordinariness. It falsely feeds egos; conveys a sense of (self) importance - to the detriment of the team, company or occasion.

There can be a fine line between being simply good and being ordinary. I think this week's car serves to illustrate a mixture of both.

The revised Hyundai IONIQ electric car has had its range extended from 210km to 312km - a sizeable increase off a low base.

I'll fill you in on how it fared on test drives presently but, at the risk of becoming a temporary member of the windbag commentators' grouping, let me tell you a bit about the car itself.

It is not, by any means, a vehicle for the exhibitionist. Its low-slung crescent-like profile reminds me of a slimmed-down Toyota Prius hybrid. Only the IONIQ looks a bit old-fashioned; and it's downright plain.

The inside didn't generate much enthusiasm. I'm not a fan of its light tan/grey plastic upholstery and leather seat facings.

This one wasn't quite as liberally laden with grey as the previous model I'd driven, but it won't win awards for design or ambience. Yes, it is simple - with a plain and workmanlike nature. That's where it loses and wins.

The losses may be largely aesthetic, but there is a straightforward practical proposition lying in wait - which is where my driving tests become relevant, I hope. I gave it a reasonable mix of urban/national-route driving.

I did keep detailed figures but for the sake of simplicity, I calculated I would have got 275km had I let the battery run flat. I chose not to because I've become acutely aware of how quickly the charge fades at motorway pace and I wanted a reasonable amount left for its safe return. Motorway driving is where, generally, EVs still endure a perception of long-range inadequacy.

Yet, before you dismiss the IONIQ on such grounds, let me quote the adage of "horses for courses". Don't insist you need 500km range to drive an EV. Many are put off on that basis (compounded by stories of charging-point mayhem when they venture further afield).

The reason you'd consider the IONIQ is you'd feel comfortable with your daily/weekly journeys in a 250/300km range.

Driving in suburbia was a different proposition to motorway trips, for me. With the aid of two steering-wheel mounted paddles I was far better able to dictate the rate of charge depletion and/or conservation of energy. The paddles allowed me to decide if I wished to assign slow-down/braking energy (regeneration) to the battery pack.

On several occasions I ended up adding a few kilometres to the predicted range. I get such a delight from that. Others tell me they enjoy the sense of it, too. You will drive an electric car in a different manner to one with an internal combustion engine after you get acquainted.

My rate of braking diminished remarkably, for example; a couple of little pulls and I'd feel the car slowing noticeably. It becomes second nature. It's simple. As indeed it was to drive.

I would have liked greater illumination of the little cluster of Drive, Reverse buttons for night-time start-up but engaging them was child's play. I was pleasantly surprised, not just with the ease of drive, but how well the car drove (I started with low expectations).

At €35,000, this longer-range IONIQ is expensive but so are most electric cars, including its small-SUV stablemate, the Kona (417km range on my test some time back), which looks more modern (that is saying something as neither break moulds). Critically, however, both do most of what they say on the tin.

In its favour, the IONIQ is one of the few small-family cars around at the moment where there is a bit of interior room. And there is a good spread of spec.

Would I buy it? I can't envisage living with the interior. It's just a thing I have. I'm over-fussy. But the electric-drive part worked well. I would, of course, prefer a longer range yet for what it undertakes to provide and mostly delivers, the IONIQ is straightforward and simple in a matter-of-fact sort of way.

It's not simply the best but it's really good at a lot of things.

Facts & Figures

Hyundai IONIQ EV:

From €34,850. Range 312km.

Spec includes: 10.25in infotainment screen, 7in driver info cluster, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay; wireless phone charging pad, cruise control, electric/heated/folding mirrors, drive mode, heated driver's seat/steering wheel, electric front seats, rear-parking sensors/camera, climate control, rear fogs, LED headlights, high-beam assist.