2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE Long Range Goes the Distance on Route 66!
Tested: We drive the electric sedan along the desolate and picturesque historic road on the strength of its claimed 361-mile range and 140 MPGe combined rating.
From the June 2023 issue of Car and Driver.
Route 66 ain't what it used to be. The Mother Road has long been bypassed by the Interstate Highway System, and most of its once-numerous roadside motels, gas stations, and eateries have vanished beneath the blades of bulldozers. Those that remain generally fall into one of two categories: graffiti-slathered skeletons of their former selves that live on in Instagram infamy or Route 66 memorabilia outfits selling tchotchkes and supplies to infrequent passersby.
But the road still has a lot of appeal, especially the more desolate stretches that wander far from the interstate through lonely yet beautiful lands that convey a sense of time travel. These are places where you can see the weather advancing across the countryside as you drive down into the valley to meet it. There are few people out here and even fewer services, making it an interesting environment to take the new Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric sedan off leash on a road trip.
The sleek Ioniq 6 sedan shares much with the Ioniq 5 SUV. Both ride on Hyundai's acclaimed E-GMP platform, with an available long-range battery pack that stores 77.4 kWh of electricity. The Ioniq 6 is available in rear-wheel drive with a rear-mounted motor that provides 225 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque or all-wheel drive with an added front motor that bumps total output to 320 horses and 446 pound-feet. Curiously, Hyundai claims both Ioniqs weigh nearly the same, with the SUV's gross vehicle weight rating exceeding the sedan's by just 44 pounds in long-range spec.
Distance on Route 66
Tested: We drive the electric sedan along the desolate and picturesque historic road on the strength of its claimed 361-mile range and 140 MPGe combined rating.
Route 66 ain't what it used to be. The Mother Road has long been bypassed by the Interstate Highway System, and most of its once-numerous roadside motels, gas stations, and eateries have vanished beneath the blades of bulldozers. Those that remain generally fall into one of two categories: graffiti-slathered skeletons of their former selves that live on in Instagram infamy or Route 66 memorabilia outfits selling tchotchkes and supplies to infrequent passersby.
But the road still has a lot of appeal, especially the more desolate stretches that wander far from the interstate through lonely yet beautiful lands that convey a sense of time travel. These are places where you can see the weather advancing across the countryside as you drive down into the valley to meet it. There are few people out here and even fewer services, making it an interesting environment to take the new Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric sedan off leash on a road trip.
The sleek Ioniq 6 sedan shares much with the Ioniq 5 SUV. Both ride on Hyundai's acclaimed E-GMP platform, with an available long-range battery pack that stores 77.4 kWh of electricity. The Ioniq 6 is available in rear-wheel drive with a rear-mounted motor that provides 225 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque or all-wheel drive with an added front motor that bumps total output to 320 horses and 446 pound-feet. Curiously, Hyundai claims both Ioniqs weigh nearly the same, with the SUV's gross vehicle weight rating exceeding the sedan's by just 44 pounds in long-range spec.
HIGHS: Cruises with the best of them, attractive and spacious interior, you won't spend a lot of downtime charging.
Measuring Up against the Ioniq 5 SUV
That they look radically different is self-evident, but there's much to glean from the details. The sedan is 8.6 inches longer than the SUV, while its roofline is 4.1 inches lower. At 0.22, its coefficient of drag betters the cubist SUV's by 23.6 percent. Combine this with its tidier frontal area, and we estimate the Ioniq 6 enjoys a 30 percent reduction in aerodynamic drag force.
This pays off when it comes to EPA ratings, as our rear-drive SE Long Range test car, a $46,825 machine, is good for a whopping 361-mile range and 140 MPGe combined. Meanwhile, the same best-case configuration of the boxier Ioniq 5 is rated at 303 miles and 114 MPGe combined. On the competitor front, the single-motor, front-drive Polestar 2 sedan is pegged for 270 miles of range and 107 MPGe combined (rising to a Polestar-estimated 300 miles and switching to rear-drive for 2024), while a rear-drive Tesla Model 3 does 272 miles and 132 MPGe."
We drive the electric sedan along the desolate and picturesque historic road on the strength of its claimed 361-mile range and 140 MPGe combined rating.
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"DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 116.1 in
Length: 191.1 in
Width: 74.0 in
Height: 58.9 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 57/47 ft3
Trunk Volume: 11 ft3
Curb Weight: 4225 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.2 sec
1/4-Mile: 14.8 sec @ 95 mph
100 mph: 16.5 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 6.3 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.5 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.6 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 116 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 168 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.86 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY AND CHARGING
Observed: 116 MPGe
75-mph Highway Range: 260 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 140/153/127 MPGe
Range: 361 mi."