… Hyundai Ioniq Electric Premium SE …
Hyundai has come a long way since it introduced the Pony to the UK market in 1975. Folks may look back on it now and think it a rather odd and ungainly machine, but that does Hyundai a great dis-service. Look what it was up against, the Austin Allegro for one. Hardly one of the UK motor industry’s more inspiring creations. And of course, the Morris Marina.
Although the Marina had its merits, handling wasn’t one of them. For many years there was a stretch of replacement fencing on the Kirkfieldbank/Lanark road which I personally financed after inserting a Marina sized hole in it one night coming back from a function. And no, it had nothing to do with any form of over-indulgence. It was a company pool car and as a mere youngster I was unaware of its solid rear axle hung on a pair of cart springs shortcomings. When colleagues found out about my indiscretion I was hee-hawed for weeks after it – there but for the grace of God they might well have been!
Of course there were nicely shaped Vivas around at the time and the Hillman Avenger of course, but even those early Avengers were subject to bouts of unreliability depending on which day of the week they were built! So anyone who called the relatively cheap Pony ‘tinny and basic’ had to be careful when comparing it to other marques. Just saying!
Having said that, the British manufacturers were on a roll and by the time of the 80s were turning out vastly improved machinery. It may have taken Hyundai a wee bit longer to catch up, but catch up they certainly have. Just look at the current range and their engineering direction.
An example of which I got a wee shottie of just recently, their all-electric Hyundai Ioniq. Impressed? You betcha. Forget the power plant. This is a proper car. It starts, goes and stops, and handles really well. Inside it looks like a car, apart from the absence of a gearshift or auto-selector, so there is nothing futuristic about it. Just four buttons marked N, P, D and R down on the centre console. It’s all very well finished with leather seats and leather rimmed steering wheel and finished off with good quality plastic trim giving it an almost upmarket air.
There is plenty of room inside for 4/5 and it’s ‘ordinary’ looks don’t attract unusual attention from the outside. The only giveaway is the ‘solid’ front grille and the silence as it passes pedestrians by. The boot is normal sized too with the battery pack under the rear seats and partially filling the spare wheel well, so to all intents and purposes this goes and looks like a normal car.
If there is a difference then it is down to the noise, or lack of it. The engine is virtually silent apart from a faint and distant whine and which allows you to hear other things like road noise and wind over the door mirrors. Nor is there any vibration when idling along in traffic. In fact it can be quite weird until you get used to it. On the other hand, just switch on the radio or play your own music – at only half the volume you would normally use!
The electric motor has a maximum power output of 88 kW which equates to 118 bhp but this ‘power output’ can be managed by the use of paddles behind the steering wheel which allow the driver to adjust the regenerative braking in four stages during deceleration and braking. It also has Sport, Normal and Eco modes which can be managed to provide a range of up to 174 miles.
That surely is the biggest drawback to mass electric vehicle appeal at the present time although the lithium-ion polymer battery can be fully charged from the domestic mains in 4.5 hours. That’s pretty good for current industry standards.
But for those folk who commute in the central belt from Glasgow to Edinburgh between Stirling and Lanark an electrically powered vehicle has to be worthy of consideration.
Would I have one? Not quite so sure. If used primarily for commuting then possibly, but until electrical powered range and/or batteries improve it would cause me a problem getting to and from the Snowman Rally each year. There aren’t many 24 hr service stations with electrical charging points on the A9! But as a triumph of forward thinking and engineering, the Ioniq Electric is a good car. Period.