Think of a hybrid car, and you’ll probably picture a boomerang-shaped vehicle known as Toyota Prius. Given the fact that it falls into the same category, perhaps it comes as no surprise that the new 2017 Hyundai Ioniq (I-on-ik) resembles Toyota’s infamous eco-friendly vehicle, though it takes its own road with the interior.
It might be new on the market but we’re sure, soon enough, car drivers and eco warriors will be snapping up the new Hyundai Ioniq left, right and centre.
Hyundai Ioniq may start with the same basic design blueprint as Prius, but pens a more attractive automobile. It’s chic, sleek, has a cutting-edge aerodynamic exterior and currently available in two variants, the HEV and HEV Plus, with the Plus version offering more high-end safety and convenient features.
The vehicle’s architecture is primarily constructed using high-strength steel, especially in strategic locations around the passenger compartment in order to minimize the intrusion of crash energy into the cabin. Hopefully, drivers won’t go around bumping into other cars just because it has a strong built.
The eco-friendly car is equipped with a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone projection capability. It also includes wireless charging port, Bluetooth, HD Radio, satellite radio, USB connectivity, and more. As you can guess, there’s a lot of buttons on the futuristic panel, but it’s fairly easy to access.
What’s more, the Ioniq is offered with a range of awesome driver assistance and collision avoidance technologies which made us instantly fell in love with the car. That includes safety features such as the Vehicle Stability Management, Front and Rear Parking System, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and the seven-airbag system.
Opt for the HEV Plus if you prefer advanced convenient features such as the Wireless Charging System for Smartphones, Blind Spot Detection, Lane Keeping Assist System, Automatic Emergency Braking System, Smart Cruise Control System, and a Rain Sensor, for when you just can’t give a damn to operate your windshield wiper manually.
Meanwhile, the Blind Spot Detection works perfectly alongside Lane Change Assist and Rear Cross Traffic Alert to warn the driver of any surrounding vehicles, passengers or other objects that may lead to a collision if unnoticed while the car is in motion.
This high-tech vehicle allows you to be a little lazy, as the car is so smart, it will do everything for it’s master. Except of course, the driving part.
On top of that, the beauty of the Ioniq’s shifter is being able to transform the vehicle from eco-friendly to Sport Driving Mode simply by changing the gear to ‘S’, boosting the speed and transitioning the screen to a red display to elevate the feeling of sportiness. Pretty cool right?
And the best part is, in an effort to reduce the load and energy used, the green car is packed dual-zone climate control too. When alone, drivers can set the air-conditioning to ‘driver only’ mode, perfect for those who’ve been struggling with being too cold in the car but hate rolling the car window down.
All in all, Hyundai’s Ioniq is practical, and depending on what trim you select, it seems like a good hybrid car which retails from RM99,888. The efficient futuristic features and utilities supplied by this 5-door hatchback body style is just the right vehicle for green-loving urbanites who are constantly on-the-go.
Interested buyers can choose from Phantom Black, Polar White, Platinum Silver, Aurora Silver, Iron Grey, Marina Blue and Phoenix Orange (only applicable for HEV Plus).
Head over to Hyundai’s official website if you’d like to know more about the eco-friendly car.
