Hyundai IONIQ 6 77 kWh Prestige Review: Keen Drivers Please Pay Attention

What we like:

Ample power to have fun

All the goodies of the Prestige trim

No 'bo hua' tax of the dual motor

What we dislike:

Quite a price hike over the Cat A car

Cat A COE is just $10k less than Cat B at press time, but the price difference between the 53 kWh (Cat A) and 77 kWh (Cat B) Prestige variants is still significant at some $27k. There is a reason for this. For one, the larger battery gives an additional WLTP range of 185 km, adding up to a total of 614 km. This is the highest of any IONIQ 6 variant, allowing you to go further and push harder with a peace of mind.

There are also other meaningful changes. You get 225 hp (instead of 143 hp) and this elevates the car from mere commuter to a sporty saloon. Torque surprisingly remains the same at 350 Nm but you do feel the extra punch. It is like unleashing a cuffed dog straining to sprint and letting it live up to its full potential. Arguably, with this amount of power and rear wheel drive, there are all of the ingredients you need to have proper fun. There’s not quite a need to go for the top dog dual-motor Inspiration model (and get disproportionately taxed more for it too).

With more firepower at your disposal, it is easier to exploit the brilliant chassis fully. While the drivetrain always felt caged in the 53 kWh Prestige, requiring you to build momentum to extract some nuances from the car, it is much easier to access the granular information in the 77 kWh Prestige. You can work the tail to your bidding, especially when it is wet. The proliferation of rear-wheel drive is one of the upshots of electric vehicles that isn’t impressed upon enough.

You get the same 18-inch wheels too, which means ride comfort is retained - one of the notable issues of the Inspiration model was its harsher ride on the 20-inchers. If you are a car enthusiast, you would gather that the 77 kWh Prestige variant offers quite the best of both worlds.

When we drove the 53 kWh variant we named it the sweet spot for Singapore. That is true so long as you drive the car mainly as a transport, and want the most bang for your buck. There is a long list of nice options included over the base Exclusive model for just $7k more, like the LED headlamps, a sunroof, natural leather seats, ventilated front seats, driver memory seat and a host of safety systems. So yes, really worth the little extra outlay.

However, keen drivers would have to look upwards to the 77 kWh Prestige variant, which enjoys the same perfect mix of optional extras, as well as having ample power (but not too much), while not paying a lofty price.

Photos by James Wong

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