Comfortable, handles well, good looking, great MPG (Blue trim line)
I have owned/driven my Ioniq for 1 month, mostly city and highway, a few country roads too. I commute about 100 miles round trip several times a week. I was concerned about reviews that said the seats are not comfortable and the brakes are clunky, but I have experienced neither of these issues. The seat comfort and braking are both very good. I am 6' tall and find the front seat leg room and head room excellent. The view out the rear window through the rear-view mirror is somewhat limited height-wise, but it helps to set the driver's seat lower to improve vertical rear visibility. Front and side visibility is good. I like the push-button start and the push-button lock/unlock on the front doors. I can unlock, drive and lock my car without ever touching the key fob in my pocket. But the key fob can be used to lock/unlock the car remotely. To start the car you have to depress the brake pedal while you press the On/Off button. The key fob can unlock the hatchback but it does not release the latch or open the hatchback. You have to push the button on the handle to pop the latch and then manually lift the hatchback. I drive mostly in Eco mode for best fuel efficiency and acceleration is somewhat sluggish but tolerable. In Sport mode this car accelerates like a sports car. Switching between Eco and Sport modes is as simple as a left-or-right flick of the shifter. With the 6-speed transmission I notice the engine sometimes will race briefly when I first turn on the car, or when it shifts from 1st to 2nd gear. It has the option of manual shifting but I haven't found this necessary or useful out here on the Great Plains. If I was shifting manually I would probably shift into 2nd earlier than the automatic transmission does. The dashboard displays help me monitor my fuel efficiency in real time. I have been able to drive in electric-vehicle mode on the freeway at 70 mph on a slight downhill slope for over a mile before the gasoline engine kicks on. My true fuel efficiency on my first few tanks of gas is about 47 mpg in March when high temps are in the 30s-50s and lows in the 20s-30s. I expect better gas mileage in the summer. I bought the Blue trim line for maximum fuel efficiency but I have to admit I was not comfortable with the tire mobility kit. The instructions were difficult to understand and I was worried about getting stranded, so I bought a spare tire kit and had it installed by a local dealer. The steering wheel controls are well placed and intuitive to control the entertainment system, voice commands, display screens and cruise control. The headlight controls are on the left side of the steering wheel and the windshield wiper controls are on the right side, both easy to use and understand. The entertainment system is good. I can play music from my Android phone on Bluetooth or from a USB flash drive. I have had good luck using Android Auto with voice commands for navigation, but Android Auto only works when my phone is plugged into the USB plug on the car; it doesn't work by Bluetooth alone. That means I can't play music from my USB flash drive when I'm using Android Auto because there is only one USB jack in the car. There is also internal memory in the car where music files can be saved (My Music) but I don't know how much memory is available; the owner's manual does not say. I have had issues with Android Auto disconnecting at random for unknown reasons; I'm not sure if the problem is with my phone or the Ioniq. The climate control works well and the controls are simple and intuitive. I have used heat, A/C and defrost and all work well, although I have not yet had a chance to use A/C in the heat of the summer. I like that the entertainment system controls are all situated around the touchscreen, separate from the climate controls which are situated below the entertainment system controls. I also like that there is a "Driver only" button to shut off the passenger climate control, which saves energy when I am traveling alone. I don't haul a lot of stuff but the hatchback and fold-down rear seats seem to provide plenty of cargo space. Overall I have found my new Ioniq to be a very nice car, fun to drive, reliable, comfortable, and fuel efficient. The price is reasonable and the warranty very good. I recommend this car!
Recommended
Verified Owner
