2018 Hyundai IONIQ Plug-In Hybrid: Effective Even in Winter

Slowly but inexorably, the market is filling up with hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars. The majority of manufacturers, when developing electrified models, tend to stick with one or the other of these categories. Not Hyundai: the South Korean automaker has taken on all three of them at once. It is now possible to order your 2018 IONIQ sedan in hybrid, plug-in hybrid (official name “electric plus”) or all-electric format.

The hybrid and 100% electric versions hit the market in early 2017, with the plug-in hybrid version joining them towards the end of the year. This is the model we put to the test during the holiday period, during which the mercury seemed stuck at an absurdly low level. During the week we tested the plug-in IONIQ, the temperature only rarely nosed up above -20 degrees Celsius!
This is clearly not the ideal temperature for a car that needs to rely on a battery to drive a few dozen kilometres! But then again, maybe it’s just the thing for seeing what it can do. Here’s how our near-Siberian adventure played out…

Points in common
Logically, producing a trio of cars with different powertrain systems requires the use of a common foundation. All of the Hyundai IONIQs share more or less the same platform and the same basic silhouette. The 100%-electric model has no front grille, since the absence of a radiator obviates the need to direct cooling air to it. Design is dictated by aerodynamic exigencies; the IONIQ’s coefficient of drag is just 0.24, making it one of the most efficient cars on the market in that regard, comparable to the Toyota Prius.  

The IONIQ benefits from a strongly sloping roofline and relatively sharp-edged rear section, while in front, the wings direct air flow toward the vehicle’s sides. Also, at each end of the front bumper sits a small deflector. Even with this technically-dictated element, the IONIQ sports an attractive design. As for the interior, nothing much to fault regarding its presentation; the display screens are of a good size, the commands easy to reach and use. The two hybrid models feature a gear shifter on the console, while the all-electric version makes use of push buttons.

The front row is quite livable and the seats are comfortable, even though I’d rate the lateral support as no more than average. The rear seats are ok for a compact car like this, but getting in requires some substantial bending down, due to that sloping roofline. Rear visibility, by the way, is not fantastic, mainly because of the configuration of the rear window overhanging another windowed space – not the best of solutions. Fortunately, the backup camera is included as standard equipment.

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