TOTALLY DIFFERENT YET TOTALLY FAMILIAR

HYUNDAI'S SLICK NEW ELECTRIC SEDAN IS NOTHING AND EVERYTHING LIKE ITS SUV SIBLING

- AARON GOLD

It seems ioniq—er, sorry, ironic—to us that Hyundai’s new Ioniq 6 electric sedan drives so much like the MotorTrend SUV of the Year–winning Ioniq 5 SUV. We know we shouldn’t be surprised; both cars share Hyundai/Kia’s E-GMP platform, a prime example of putting a different metal hat on a similar mechanical skateboard. Still, with the svelte Ioniq 6 playing an EV Stan Laurel to the Ioniq 5’s Oliver Hardy, it’s hard not to chuckle at the similarities.

Hyundai promised the 2023 Ioniq 6 would deliver a “more driver-centric” experience than the 5, and we wondered if that meant it would share its character with its other E-GMP-mate, the Kia EV6, which has a decidedly tail-happy feel, particularly in GT form. Nope: Hyundai’s interpretation of driver-centric is heavier steering and a jigglier ride. Just goes to show, some old Hyundai habits die hard.

Not that we’re disappointed, as the new Ioniq 6 maintains many of the 5’s best attributes, including a luxury-car-quiet interior and the ability to float over bumps as if they are paved with down pillows. Unfortunately, Mother Nature thwarted our efforts to find the 6’s limit-of-grip behavior. Hyundai held the press preview in Phoenix and even managed to find one of the few curvy roads in that ruler-straight state, but just as we got there, so did rain, followed closely by sliding mud.