Image credit<\/strong>: Hyundai<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

On the road, the design of the Ioniq 6 stands out. It looks a little bit like a VW Beetle and a Hyundai Sonata got together and had a good-looking baby with plenty of tech forward features, including more than 700 Parametric Pixels in, on and around the vehicle.<\/p>\n

The end result is a sedan that feels more sci-fi than the other \u2018meh\u2019 options on the road today.<\/p>\n

The loop I drove took us out on the crowded 405 highway in Southern California and up into the area around Tustin and Lake Forest, California. The drive took place mostly on fast-moving toll roads with sweeping turns. Since I was in a prototype, I had Hyundai handlers in the vehicle with us the entire day, which prevented us from deviating from the prescribed path. In spite of these constraints, the limited time I spent behind the wheel of the new Ioniq 6 did prove that it was a capable, comfortable, quiet and quick machine on the road.<\/p>\n

The Ioniq 6 has four modes: eco, comfort, sport and snow. Since I was driving in Southern California and not heading to altitude, I didn\u2019t get a chance to try out snow, but did experience eco, comfort and sport modes.<\/p>\n

In eco mode, the compact car doesn\u2019t lag or feel as if it\u2019s being restricted. It is bit less punchy in eco mode, especially when you first step on the accelerator. In comfort mode, the performance ticks up a notch, but it still isn\u2019t the throw-you-back-in-your-seat experience that customers have come to expect in an EV. (The less-is-more approach makes sense since Hyundai expects that most people who purchase the little EV will have little to no experience with EV torque and acceleration).<\/p>\n

In sport mode, however, the Ioniq 6 is much more spirited, offering that true EV experience of sharp acceleration. Hyundai says that the vehicle can travel from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under five seconds in the dual motor, all-wheel drive configuration.<\/p>\n

One of the somewhat niggly things about the Ioniq 6, which owners will get used to quickly, is the location of the gear selector. Like the Ioniq 5, the 6\u2019s selector is located on the steering wheel column and is a bit hidden behind the wheel itself. Once you locate it, you rotate the end of the knob on the stalk to put the car into drive and press the end of the stalk to put it into park.<\/p>\n