It's one of our favourite cars for those wanting to save the planet while saving themselves at the pump simultaneously, and now the Hyundai Ioniq — a former Driven Car of the Year finalist — has received its first face-lift.
Overnight the South Korean marque revised styling for its hybrid and plug-in hybrid models, with changes to its fully electric variant assumedly still in the pipe-line. And with those visual changes come a couple of other tech changes, too.
Just like before the hybrid versions of the Ioniq can be identified by the presence of a grill — as opposed to the Ioniq EV, which of course has none. This time around though the Ioniq hybrid's nose looks more in line with the 'Cascading Grill' corporate face we're seeing across most of their current models, like the Kona and the Santa Fe.
Optional LED headlights and taillights and racier looking wheels are among the other visual changes.
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Things are also the same but different inside. There's a new dashboard layout, which — unlike the current Ioniq — looks a lot more like it's from this century. They've tried to nail the best of both worlds by integrating the (new, and optional 10.25-inch) infotainment system into a piano black module, but also having the screen sit high 'on top' of the dashboard.
Apart from the larger size, the screen sports Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, voice recognition capabilities, and Hyundai Live Services. In terms of tech, all new Ioniqs also include Hyundai's SmartSense safety suite, which includes things like Autonomous Emergency Braking and Lane Keep Assist.
Hyundai claims that the biggest tech feather in the new Ioniq's cap, though, is the addition of a 'Green-zone' drive mode. The mode automatically switches the car to electric driving in designated areas — making it potentially handy for those entering and exiting heavily built-up areas. Hyundai claims it's a world first.
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The Ioniq also features a new Eco+ drive mode, which will extend the car's available energy in dire situations (a la Tesla extending the range of its cars during last year's Florida floods). A new 'Utility Mode' will allow occupants to access certain features inside even when the car is turned off.
Those waiting with baited breath to hear of improved range capabilities will have to keep waiting. Hyundai claims the current hybrid and plug-in hybrid can achieve fuel economy figures of 3.4L/100km and 1.1L/100km respectively. Expect these to be unchanged in these new models.
