It's just over a month since I traded my Ford Focus Estate for a 2020 Ioniq Plug-In Premium SE. Here are some first impressions that might interest anyone thinking of a similar move. Overall, there is a lot to like, but there have been some disappointments too; let's get those out of the way first.
1) The Hyundai website told me that a Shale Leather interior was an option at no extra cost, and I liked the look of it. But no cars with this interior are actually being sold - it's Dark Grey or nothing. Never mind. Dark Grey turns out not to be as gloomy as it sounds, and my cabin is a perfectly pleasant place to be.
2) The Hyundai website also makes a big selling point of "The stylish and intricate alloy wheels [which] are aerodynamically sculpted to minimize air turbulence and deliver optimal fuel economy." They do look great; only problem is that Hyundai don't put them on the cars they actually deliver. The ones you get look fairly downmarket by comparison. Sorry, Hyundai, but you get a BLACK MARK for that.
3) I drive about 10 miles most days, with occasional longer trips. So with a 39 mile electric range, I thought I could do most of my driving without burning fuel. No. Not in winter, at least, because the heating and ventilation need the engine to run a lot of the time, even when the car is being pushed along electrically. I'm not giving black marks here, though. The hybrid design obviously involves compromises, and I can't expect it to be tailored exactly to my circumstances. Fuel economy still looks pretty good, but time will tell.
OK, so what's good? Just about everything else! Colourwise, I took a risk on the new Electric Shadow, though it's hard to tell from photos on the web just what it looks like in reality. I hoped for something distinctive but understated, and am well pleased with what I got. In a dull light, it's more or less grey, but there is a hint of greenish blue that I find very pleasing, especially in a decent light. And the new front end styling is a great improvement to my eye (not that I want to undermine anyone's affection for the older version).
Electric driving, which I hadn't experienced before, is quiet and smooth, though inevitably some road and wind noise is apparent at higher speeds. Even when the engine kicks in, it is reasonably unobtrusive, and the transition is smooth. I had worried that with the weight of engine, motor and batteries the Plug-in might be underpowered, but I have found no problem at all (though admittedly I am not a particularly sporty driver). And I do love the regenerative braking. Advise me to get a life if you like, but it is hugely satisfying to know that I am recovering energy rather than wearing out brake pads! I worry a little about whether the brake lights come on when I do this though. Can anyone help me out here?
I have a smartphone, a tablet and a laptop, and I was sceptical about whether I needed another pc-like screen sticking up from my dashboard, notwithstanding that several manufacturers are moving that way. I have been pretty much won over, though. The navigation map is bright and sharp, the view from the rear camera is not quite high-definition, but perfectly usable, and although the touchscreen response is sometimes a little slow, this is not a significant problem. Controls for the climate system audio and so on are almost all touch-sensitive virtual buttons rather than mechanical ones. I have seen reviews that complain about this, but everything works fine, and to me it makes for an appealing, clean design. There are a host of driving aids, which will be more useful to some folks than to others. To me, the lane-following system is of doubtful value, for example, but I love the fact that the wing mirrors automatically dip when I go into reverse, so I can actually see the parking space I'm aiming for!
By and large, then, I am loving this car! SHAME ABOUT THE WHEELS, THOUGH.
1) The Hyundai website told me that a Shale Leather interior was an option at no extra cost, and I liked the look of it. But no cars with this interior are actually being sold - it's Dark Grey or nothing. Never mind. Dark Grey turns out not to be as gloomy as it sounds, and my cabin is a perfectly pleasant place to be.
2) The Hyundai website also makes a big selling point of "The stylish and intricate alloy wheels [which] are aerodynamically sculpted to minimize air turbulence and deliver optimal fuel economy." They do look great; only problem is that Hyundai don't put them on the cars they actually deliver. The ones you get look fairly downmarket by comparison. Sorry, Hyundai, but you get a BLACK MARK for that.
3) I drive about 10 miles most days, with occasional longer trips. So with a 39 mile electric range, I thought I could do most of my driving without burning fuel. No. Not in winter, at least, because the heating and ventilation need the engine to run a lot of the time, even when the car is being pushed along electrically. I'm not giving black marks here, though. The hybrid design obviously involves compromises, and I can't expect it to be tailored exactly to my circumstances. Fuel economy still looks pretty good, but time will tell.
OK, so what's good? Just about everything else! Colourwise, I took a risk on the new Electric Shadow, though it's hard to tell from photos on the web just what it looks like in reality. I hoped for something distinctive but understated, and am well pleased with what I got. In a dull light, it's more or less grey, but there is a hint of greenish blue that I find very pleasing, especially in a decent light. And the new front end styling is a great improvement to my eye (not that I want to undermine anyone's affection for the older version).
Electric driving, which I hadn't experienced before, is quiet and smooth, though inevitably some road and wind noise is apparent at higher speeds. Even when the engine kicks in, it is reasonably unobtrusive, and the transition is smooth. I had worried that with the weight of engine, motor and batteries the Plug-in might be underpowered, but I have found no problem at all (though admittedly I am not a particularly sporty driver). And I do love the regenerative braking. Advise me to get a life if you like, but it is hugely satisfying to know that I am recovering energy rather than wearing out brake pads! I worry a little about whether the brake lights come on when I do this though. Can anyone help me out here?
I have a smartphone, a tablet and a laptop, and I was sceptical about whether I needed another pc-like screen sticking up from my dashboard, notwithstanding that several manufacturers are moving that way. I have been pretty much won over, though. The navigation map is bright and sharp, the view from the rear camera is not quite high-definition, but perfectly usable, and although the touchscreen response is sometimes a little slow, this is not a significant problem. Controls for the climate system audio and so on are almost all touch-sensitive virtual buttons rather than mechanical ones. I have seen reviews that complain about this, but everything works fine, and to me it makes for an appealing, clean design. There are a host of driving aids, which will be more useful to some folks than to others. To me, the lane-following system is of doubtful value, for example, but I love the fact that the wing mirrors automatically dip when I go into reverse, so I can actually see the parking space I'm aiming for!
By and large, then, I am loving this car! SHAME ABOUT THE WHEELS, THOUGH.