2017 Hyundai Ioniq: First Impressions
CARS.COM — Hyundai’s first dedicated hybrid and battery electric vehicles were unveiled at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland; they made their U.S. debut in New York. The all-new 2017 Ioniq is aiming squarely at a few different electrified competitors, but has the distinction of being a single car with three powertrain options.
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The three versions don’t look very different from each other. You can tell which is which mostly by the grille — the hybrid and plug-in hybrid each have one — a trapezoidal affair that features the Hyundai badge — but the EV eschews any pretense of a grille. Its smooth front may take a little getting used to, but it’s a distinctive feature that lets you know this is the pure electric car.
Overall, the cars don’t look that remarkable; Hyundai’s opted to go for the “blend in” philosophy, in contrast to Toyota’s recently redesigned Prius, with its “stand-out” look. The Ioniq looks a little like the first-generation Chevrolet Volt, before the Volt got a lot sexier. It’s a conservative design from a company that perhaps feels it overreached with a lot of its previous designs; most of the latest Hyundais are far less adventurous in their styling than the vehicles they replaced.
On the inside, things don’t get any more exciting, with hard plastics everywhere and less-than-thrilling shapes and surfaces. There’s plenty of room up front for two and more room in the back than you’ll find in a Volt, but the headroom is tight for six-footers, thanks to the Ioniq’s sloping roofline. There’s also genuine room for five, like the Prius and Nissan Leaf, with a flat floor that doesn’t suffer from the battery tunnel issue that plagues the Volt. The cargo area seems ample, thanks to the car’s width and its hatchback format, with folding seats that help expand the storage area.
The choice of powertrains will make the Ioniq unique when it hits the market: Do you want a hybrid that might rival the Prius for fuel economy, but without the psychedelic spaceship looks? How about a plug-in that will get you as far as the first-generation Volt, but actually fits five people? Or would you like to go gas-free with an EV that will get you about 155 miles on a full charge, besting the Leaf? Hyundai has some options for you.
