Things I Love About my Hyundai Ioniq Electric
I’ve had my Hyundai Ioniq for almost a year now and here are some of the things I love about it.
Quiet
I love how quiet it is. It’s quiet on the inside and, like any EV, it is silent when driving. Not hearing an engine sound is wonderful to me.
Zippy
My Ioniq is not fast when compared to newer EVs. But it is certainly fast when compared to our other vehicles (Toyota Corolla and Toyota RAV4) and most other common ICE cars. Because the Ioniq is just an unassuming little hatchback, its speed is deceiving and I love that about it.
Hatchback
Yes, the Ioniq is a hatchback and I absolutely love that about it. A hatchback is so much more practical than a sedan. Plus, Lucy the dog loves riding in the back with the seats folded down — the hatch gives her all kinds of space!
Small Size
I like small cars. In the past I’ve had small sedans such as the Audi A4, Saturn SL and the Toyota Corolla. I really prefer that smaller car size. I love that the Ioniq is also a small car. I’m also sad that the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 are much bigger, but I’m hopeful that Hyundai might eventually release something like a smaller Ioniq 6, but with a hatchback. Perhaps an Ioniq 4!
Charging at Home
Let me tell you, standing outside in the New England winter to fill up a gas car is no fun. Being able to just plug my car in overnight while it is in the garage is wonderful. It takes all of 30 seconds to plug it in and I’ll have a full charge in the morning. This is such an amazing time-saver!
Wireless CarPlay
My wife’s RAV4 has wired CarPlay which is nice, but wireless CarPlay is even better. I don’t really have to do anything except start the car and things connect and work. I also love that CarPlay has much better audio quality than standard Bluetooth, making the Ioniq’s base stereo sound better than it has any right to.
Incredible Efficiency
In the summer I could easily see 6mi/kWh driving around the city, with about 4mi/kWh on the highway. Efficiency does drop by about 30% in the winter here in New England, though.
Comfortable Seats
The seats are surprisingly comfortable. I like the cloth material and they have been plenty comfortable for driving, although the longest single road trip I’ve taken with it is about 1h30m. Plus these seats are heated and can get astoundingly hot, which is great for my back.
Adaptive Cruise Control
This is not unique to the Ioniq, but it’s the first car I’ve driven regularly with it. Having the car adjust your speed on the highway is great for more relaxed driving. With my Corolla I would constantly have to manually adjust the cruise (or even turn it off) depending on the traffic. Adaptive cruise is just lovely and every car should have it as standard equipment.
Regenerative Braking
I love how the car slows down when you let off the accelerator. Having paddles that let you adjust the level of regen is also nice, although I don’t really change them much — I just leave it at level 2. I get so used to it that it can be a problem when I have to switch back to driving an ICE car!
Of course not all is unicorn and rainbows with the Ioniq. Stay tuned for my follow-up post on Things I Hate About My Ioniq EV.
What are your favorite features of your EV?