Hyundai Ioniq HEV: driven

One of the things manufacturers are saying more and more about hybrid and electric cars is that they need to be built on their own dedicated architecture. So it’s not the best start to find that Hyundai’s forthcoming Ioniq uses the platform from the Elantra.

But something else we hear more and more about hybrids and EVs is that if you want to sell them in big numbers, you need to stop them costing so much money.

Hyundai is aware of that. The company says cost is one of the biggest issues it set out to address with the Ioniq.

Hence the Elantra chassis. Using it saves a load of R&D money, but it’s still flexible enough to accommodate the gubbins required for hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric power trains.

Which is good, because Hyundai intends to offer all three.

Something else the company says puts people off EVs is the annoying mushiness of CVT gearboxes. So instead the Ioniq will feature a dual-clutch auto developed to keep pace with the inputs it gets from a hybrid system.

We’ve not yet driven the Ioniq enough for a full assessment. But the drivetrain? It’s very promising indeed.

Between its 1.6-litre petrol engine and 43bhp motor, the hybrid Ioniq we drove pulled with a smoothness that was crisp and really pleasing. Perhaps the highest praise you can give a hybrid is that it feels like a normal car, and that’s justified here.

To achieve this level of refinement, a hybrid drivetrain has to shuffle between its various modes without upsetting the car’s poise. And a measure of the Ioniq’s success is that the only way of knowing when this is happening is to keep your eyes on the info screen.

No fuss, no hesitation. This could be a good ‘un.

It’s ‘could’ as opposed to ‘will’ at this point because while first impressions are of a decent combination of ride and dynamics, we need to see more before we reach a conclusion.

But for now, there’s enough here to suggest that when the Ioniq goes on sale next month, it’s going to make some pretty strong ripples in the hybrid pond. Hyundai intends to shift EVs in big volumes: Elantra chassis notwithstanding, the Ioniq suggests that it’s got every chance of doing just that.

Location: Seoul, Korea

On sale: March 2016

Price: £18,000 (from, est)

Engine: 4 cyls, 1595cc and electric motor

Power: 104bhp at 5700rpm and 43bhp electric motor

Torque: 196Ib ft combined

Kerb weight: tbc

Gearbox: 6-spd auto

0-60mph: 10.8s

Top speed: 115mph

Economy: 79.0mpg (combined)

CO2/tax band: 81g/km, 13%