[obermd]

I slowed down while passing it to take a closer look. It's not a bad looking car. My only real issue with it is it's a Hyundai.

 

[Barry]

I've never owned a Hyundai, but it looks to me like they have recently been making good vehicles, reliable, well-reviewed and with good styling. They now have more US market share than Subaru and I think they will continue to gain.

 

[Mitch G]

I test drove the Ioniq and its Kia sister Niro. They are both great cars as far as hybrids go, imo.
The headroom in the back seat of the Ioniq is fine (I'm 6'1") and great in the Niro.
At 50mpg city and highway, 10 year warranties, and generally good reliability, they are a contender for sure.
The plugin is only 25miles EV which doesn't make it worth the trouble, imo.


Mitch

 

[Raymondjram]

I slowed down while passing it to take a closer look. It's not a bad looking car. My only real issue with it is it's a Hyundai.

It will take away sales from the Ford Fusion Hybrid (it looks similar) and definitely take away sales from the Toyota Prius and Prime. South Korea does build cars well (the Chevy Spark and Captiva are built there), and they are the world leader in smartphones (LG and Samsung), smart watches (Samsung), tablets (Samsung), cheap notebooks or "Chromebooks" (Samsung), modern appliances (LG and Samsung), and OLED TV (LG and Samsung). But I prefer a North American designed and assembled vehicle (my Chevy Equinox was assembled in Canada) and a U.S. brand.

BTW, South Korea is the only U.S. competitor that has never been in any conflict against the U.S. in modern history. They are thankful to us because the Korean Conflict of the 1950s allowed them to gain democracy and protection from the Communist North Korea.

 

[TheBlueFlash]

I'm really interested in the BEV version of the Niro if it comes with at least 200 miles of range. I test drove the hybrid version and I liked all the options and the utility (roof rails) and the available sunroof. I wasn't a fan of that dual clutch transmission though. I heard they would use an e-CVT/planetary gear set for the BEV version however.

 

[Shivetya]

was behind a silver one Marietta the other day. Did not care for the split rear window.

the all electric is only 124 mile range which at least is better than Honda, but the Honda EVER has more battery range

 

[viking79]

I'm really interested in the BEV version of the Niro if it comes with at least 200 miles of range. I test drove the hybrid version and I liked all the options and the utility (roof rails) and the available sunroof. I wasn't a fan of that dual clutch transmission though. I heard they would use an e-CVT/planetary gear set for the BEV version however.

The BEV version should use a simple single gear reduction so it should be very smooth driving, no need for variable gear ratios in a BEV. Looks like the PHEV also uses the DCT.

 

[viking79]

They are a nice looking car, much cleaner design than the Prius and competitive specs.

 

[TheBlueFlash]

The BEV version should use a simple single gear reduction so it should be very smooth driving, no need for variable gear ratios in a BEV. Looks like the PHEV also uses the DCT.

Thanks for the clarification.

I too heard about the initial 124 mile range, but I think they also said they're wanting to offer a higher capacity/range model shortly after the release of the lower range version, possibly giving the consumer the option of specing out a larger battery if they so choice ala the Tesla purchasing model.

http://insideevs.com/kia-niro-ev-coming-2018/

Hyundai also has a BEV Kona CUV confirmed to be in the works that looks pretty interesting: http://www.hybridcars.com/pending-a...-niro-will-double-hyundai-kias-ev-production/

 

[bro1999]

There is a blue one that I've seen parked at my work. First impression was "Not bad looking". I don't recoil in horror like I do every time I see a Gen 4 Prius/Prius Prime and feel the urge to gouge my eyes out with a rusty metal knife.

 

[Raymondjram]

I'm really interested in the BEV version of the Niro if it comes with at least 200 miles of range. I test drove the hybrid version and I liked all the options and the utility (roof rails) and the available sunroof. I wasn't a fan of that dual clutch transmission though. I heard they would use an e-CVT/planetary gear set for the BEV version however.

Doesn't the Chevy Volt 5ET50 transaxle use two clutches, too?

 

[alfon]

The Ioniq hybrid looks a lot better than the Prius thats for sure. The only issue I can see with the Ioniq Hybrid is the mandatory drive belt replacement every 75,000 miles. Probably a $300-$500 replacement and installation cost as well. This is the heavy duty synthetic / rubber belt that I believe goes between the gas engine and electric motor, it is not a common serpentine belt, which the Ioniq has that as well. The 2010-17 Prius does not have one or any rubber belt as well on the engine that needs routine replacement.

 

[hellsop]

The Ioniq hybrid looks a lot better than the Prius thats for sure. The only issue I can see with the Ioniq Hybrid is the mandatory drive belt replacement every 75,000 miles. Probably a $300-$500 replacement and installation cost as well.

Seems not particularly different from a mandatory timing belt replacement. Which Hyundai seems to like having done every 60k instead of 75k. A brand loyalist would only see this as an improvement.

 

[Cobalt60Volt]

I slowed down while passing it to take a closer look. It's not a bad looking car. My only real issue with it is it's a Hyundai.

Before the Volt I have owned 4 Hyundai vehicles. They are super reliable and come with a standard 5 year warranty. All 4 of my vehicles were never in the shop. Two of them I owned for 7 years without a single issue.

I was really wanting to buy the Ioniq but the Volt is such a great vehicle I could not pass it up. My first GM vehicle in 14 years.