16/07/2026
IS IT RUNNING YET?
Because fuel is crazy expensive we bought a few 2022 Hyundai Ioniq hybrids, so I thought I’d review one.
What’s it like?
About Corolla size, looks not bad…. apart from the wheels. They look like food processor blades. Ugly wheels seem to be a common EV/ Hybrid feature, maybe they grow on you…. Like fungus….
The Interior is school uniform grey, a bit boring but well set out, plenty of space for five people without the front seats being pushed up all the way to the dash.
Luggage space is good; I could fit enough fuel tins in there to drive to Rarotonga and back without folding the rear seats down.
How does it drive?
“Is it running yet?” no sound…. I put it into drive and yes, I guess it is because I’m moving…. Smooth, quiet and not at all gutless, the transition between petrol and electric is seamless.
I was driving at night and was pleased to find it has auto dipping headlights, you might think “who cares” but once you have had them you won’t want to go back.
Theres lots of safety systems, lane assist, collision warning, stability control, tyre pressure monitoring and multi airbags.
The media system has apple car play and android auto plus the normal radio etc.
I was able to test the car in a variety of situations, with five people onboard it can still go around corners and is very stable on gravel roads.
So how about the economy?
Hyundai say 3.4l to 3.9L per 100km, Don’t reckon! Perhaps if you put 80psi in the tyres switched off the heater, aircon, lights and radio then drove like a nana you might get close but realistically it’s more like 4.3l to 4.5l per 100km which is still great and you can expect 1000km on a full tank which is a small 45 litres.
It would be fair to say I haven’t really embraced the whole Hybrid or Fully electric concept, but certainly the idea of a true hybrid like this has far more appeal than a plug in hybrid where you have to pay road user charges or fully electric where human nature will see people putting the minimum charge in the battery to get from A to B. (I hate to think what that does to battery life)
If I was being critical……
Other than the ugly wheels it’s a bit odd for a hatchback to have no rear wiper but there are two windows back there so maybe one stays clean.
It would be nice if when you turned the key it went ”BRUM” or something so you know it’s going, but it does have a green light saying ready.
Nothing else negative really.
If you are considering a Hybrid car take a look $18999 and we still guarantee you at least $2000 for your old car in any condition as a trade in.
