McLaren vs Ferrari in humdinger hypercar showdown
Fifty years ago McLaren and Ferrari were battling it out on the track as Emerson Fittipaldi and his rival Clay Regazzoni chased the 1974 Formula 1 World Championship. Fast forward…
Here is an instructive fact. This sleek new Hyundai Ioniq 6 saloon sits on the same platform as the already launched Ioniq 5 crossover SUV. They use the same electric motors, the same battery packs. Beneath the skin they really are the same car. And yet, the Ioniq 5 in the same rear-drive ‘Ultimate’ specification has an official range of 295 miles, the Ioniq 6 some 338 miles. Why? It’s simple: the Ioniq 5 has a highly commendable drag co-efficient (CD) of just 0.29, the Ioniq 6, a freakish 0.21.
But that slippery shape does something else too: it gives the car real character. There are some elements of its lines that remind me of those extraordinary 1930s Silver Arrows autobahn record breakers from Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union, others that are so reminiscent of the Porsche 911 I’d not be surprised to learn they’d heard from lawyers in Stuttgart.
Both in its design and in its styling (for they are not the same thing), the Ioniq 6 seems so much more imaginative than the majority of Europe’s equivalent output. It also has an 800v charging infrastructure like the Porsche Taycan and not many others so that, in theory at least, it can charge from 10-80% in 18 minutes.
No, it’s not great to drive, but what similar car is? Instead Hyundai has been bold, made the most of the advantages inherent within EV architecture and created a genuinely desirable electric car. And in so doing they have achieved something very indeed. AF
Price £50,540
Engine Rear electric motor, 76kWh battery
Power 255bhp
Torque 258lb ft
Weight 1835kg
Power to weight 139bhp per tonne
Transmission Single speed, rear-wheel drive
0-60mph 7.4sec
Top speed 115mph
Range 338 miles (WLTP)
CO2 0g/km
Verdict An EV that isn’t such a drag.
Fifty years ago McLaren and Ferrari were battling it out on the track as Emerson Fittipaldi and his rival Clay Regazzoni chased the 1974 Formula 1 World Championship. Fast forward…
Here’s a fact for you – the MG Cyberster is the world’s first production two-seat EV to go on sale. It’s brave, to put it mildly. The car looks great…
Remember the Fiesta and Focus – the brilliant bread-and-butter Fords on which the company built its reputation in Europe? Forget them now – one has gone and the other is…
A while back, Max Girardo leant me his Daytona for a day and, yes, I know both that I’m a lucky chap and that it should really be called the Ferrari…
Here is a car that should make sense as an EV. With zero sporting intent, it matters less that it is heavy and more that it is quiet, which it…
Actually, the fact it’s the Spider version is not of any great concern. For those who are interested, the roof costs almost exactly £20,000, can raise or lower in just…
This might be the most-late review of an important new car that I’ve ever written. And there is perhaps something to be learned in that. This new ultra-high-performance estate with…
To say the current generation of VW Golf is doing less well than that which preceded it is putting it mildly. Ten years ago VW was selling a million Golfs…
The most fun I’ve ever had driving an electric car was not in the 939bhp Porsche Taycan Turbo S referred to in my column in this issue, but a couple…
Monterey Car Week is now one of the world’s premier automotive events – and a brilliant 2024 showing demonstrated just why
The Quail’s 2024 edition proved again why its concours, exhibits and auctions are becoming so popular – there are few out there to match it
Rudi Klein’s legendary Junkyard set – featuring some of the world’s rarest cars and thought possibly to be the greatest private collection on the planet – is now going up for auction