Attention VW, Tesla and Mercedes: The Hyundai Ioniq 6 has a range of 610 kilometers – with a battery capacity of just 77.4 kilowatt hours. The Korean carmaker has announced details of its new sedan worth seeing.

Koreans don’t like to bang on the plaster. But when Hyundai calls its latest electric vehicle the “Electrified Streamliner”, it quickly becomes clear where the aerodynamic wind is blowing from. The drag coefficient of 0.21 underlines what is obvious at first glance. The Asians didn’t talk too much. The Hyundai Ioniq 6, which will be launched in Germany at the end of this year, is definitely streamlined.

The silhouette of the 4.85 meter long sedan with the steeply sloping roof line resembles a Mercedes CLS. The front apron, which with its splitters and flaps is more reminiscent of a sports car, shows how predominant the dictates of aerodynamics are in the development of the Ioniq 6. For design chief Simon Loasby, the aerodynamic concept of the Ioniq 6 pays homage to legendary vehicles from the 1920s and 1930s, such as the Stout Scarab, the Phantom Corsair or the Saab 92, when aircraft engineers brought their skills to the streets.

Hyundai Ioniq 6: Two battery sizes available with rear-wheel or all-wheel drive

But aerodynamics is not everything. Hyundai offers the Ioniq 6 different variants. Either with a 53-kilowatt-hour battery or with the 77.4-kWh batteries. Both energy stores can be combined with an electric motor for rear-wheel drive or with all-wheel drive. The top version with two electric motors and the large battery has 239 kW / 325 hp, a torque of 605 Newton meters and breaks the 100 km/h mark from a standing start in 5.1 seconds. With the advertised 610 kilometers WLTP range, the front engine is omitted. In reality it should be less. Nevertheless, it is remarkable that the Koreans achieve these values ​​without monster batteries with a capacity of 100 kWh or more. If you value low consumption, pack the 53 kWh battery into the car, also opt for rear-wheel drive and make do with 18-inch tires instead of 20-inch tires. With this configuration, the Ioniq 6 only consumes 14.0 kWh/100 km and should also be even more comfortable.

When charging, the Ioniq 6 achieves top values ​​thanks to the 800 volt technology of the E-GMP platform. At a 350 kW DC charging station, the batteries are charged from 10 to 80 percent in just 18 minutes. The system also masters the preconditioning of the batteries. As with other models based on the E-GMP architecture, you can also have your electric grill powered by the vehicle’s own batteries. With Albert Biermann, the former BMW-M chief of technology had monitored development at Hyundai until the end of last year and was also involved in the Ioniq 6. This is also noticeable in the setting of the driving modes, because with the Korean electric sedan you can individually adjust the steering, the immediacy of the implementation of the commands from the accelerator pedal, the transmission and the engine power.

With the assistants, the Ioniq 6 offers the full group package and is therefore up to date. The Korean electric vehicle has not yet mastered level 3 autonomous driving on the freeway, but it can park independently. Otherwise, everything is on board that makes life easier for the pilot: adaptive cruise control including lane assistant, the intersection assistant helps to avoid collisions when things get tight, as well as the emergency brake assistant. The narrow black band that runs across the front apron houses seven sensors that support these functions.

The interior should become a feel-good zone

The interior is trimmed for comfort. After all, the Koreans never tire of praising the passenger cell as a living space in which to work and rest. This requires an airy sense of space. With such a stretched and sloping roofline, headroom can quickly become tight. For this reason, the engineers have also dispensed with a solar roof.

With a wheelbase of 2.95 meters, legroom in the rear and the adjustability of the front seats is not a big issue. Ambient lighting, one USB-A and four USB-C ports as well as comfortable seats transform the Ioniq 6 into a rolling office when needed. Two twelve-inch monitors projecting vertically upwards provide the occupants with all the information they need. As is usual with all modern cars, your own smartphone can be integrated into the infotainment system via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Wireless updates are also no problem with the Ioniq 6. Whether there will be an N model is still in the stars.