REFRESHED styling, upgraded standard equipment and a new battery and motor combination are set to make the new 2020 Hyundai IONIQ, which has just arrived in Australia, a much improved offering.
Among the changes and improvements are an extended range, to 311km, for the IONIQ Electric, while new front and rear lighting, front grilles, and new alloy wheels, will create a fresh and progressive look.
The 2020 IONIQ benefits from an Australian-specific chassis tune too, developed over thousands of kilometres of driving on a variety of Australian road surfaces, from urban roads to highways, freeways, mountain passes and country roads.
It means every version of the new look IONIQ will enjoy a supple ride, as well as a fun-to-drive factor not usually associated with eco vehicles. Inside too, there’s a new dashboard boasting premium soft-touch finishes.
Hyundai have also added ambient lighting in Premium and Electric versions, and a new, tablet-style multimedia unit. The larger, 10.25-inch satellite navigation multimedia system headlines the equipment upgrades, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto included.
The extensive SmartSense safety suite continues in the 2020 IONIQ, which adds high beam assist and an upgraded driver attention warning system featuring leading vehicle departure alert, as standard across the range.
Hyundai’s first ever dedicated eco vehicle continues to offer customers the unique choice of three eco friendly electrified power trains – electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid – in a refined compact five door fastback package.
The range opening 2020 IONIQ hybrid provides an accessible taste of electric motoring, with its petrol/electric hybrid system helping it achieve an exceptional 3.4-litres/100km.
Its plug-in hybrid sibling continues to offer the ability for electric-only trips up to 63 kilometres from its overnight fast charge capable 8.9kWh li-ion polymer battery.
Combining an electric vehicle (EV) experience with the benefit of a range extending hybrid petrol powertrain, the IONIQ plug-in hybrid is Australia’s most fuel efficient vehicle.
A larger 38.3kWh battery gives the 2020 IONIQ Electric a pure-electric range of 311km, which is an increase of 33 per cent compared with the outgoing 2019 IONIQ Electric (204km).
With its increased range, outstanding efficiency, a more powerful 100kW synchronous motor, and 100kW DC fast charging capability, the 2020 IONIQ Electric is an appealing pure electric alternative to a conventional-engine vehicle.
Pricing for the 2020 Hyundai IONIQ range starts at $34,790 plus on-roads.
At the same time, the Korean car maker’s Kona Electric has become the first ever electric vehicle to be crash tested in Australia, under new regulations, achieving the maximum 5-star ANCAP safety rating.
The Kona Electric was subjected to a frontal offset crash test, carried out by Australasia’s independent vehicle safety authority ANCAP as an audit test of the 5 star Kona model line-up. Kona was originally tested in 2017 in conventional petrol engine specification.
Kona Electric’s front offset audit test score of 14.97 out of 16.00 was slightly better than the 14.07 achieved by the petrol engine variant, and saw Kona maintain its ANCAP maximum 5 star safety rating.
The frontal offset test simulates a head-on crash with another vehicle of the same mass, travelling at the same speed, a type of collision which represents 60 percent of serious crashes on our roads.
The test, conducted in September, saw 40 percent of the front driver’s side of Kona Electric make contact with a crushable aluminium barrier at 64km/h.
Kona’s overall score of 35.07 out of 37.00 is the sum of its frontal offset test result, its maximum possible scores in the side impact and pole crash tests, and its maximum score for the inclusion of seat belt reminders.
Earlier this month Hyundai NEXO became the first hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) tested by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), earning a TOP SAFETY PICK+ award. Prior to this, NEXO was also the first FCEV to achieve a maximum five-star overall rating in Euro NCAP’s safety test.
