Hyundai Ioniq 2020 review: Hybrid Elite

As with the rest of the range, the changes are restricted to reshaped headlights and front and rear bumpers and do enough to stop the Ioniq from being unbelievably plain. Given the largely excellent styling prowess of the company, the Ioniq's blandness reminded me of its early 2000s malaise. It's still no stunner - the basic shape and profile remain unchanged - but it looks a bit more modern. You can't get away from the very high, aero-driven tail and the very dodgy-looking alloy wheels.

It sits on 15-inch, dodgy-looking alloy wheels.

The cabin is largely similar but does have that new screen, which makes the car feel a bit more futuristic than before. It's mostly because of the huge touchscreen that the Hyundai clubs the Corolla Hybrid's hopeless offering into submission. The cloth interior is a bit featureless but I don't mind it, apart from making the cabin feel a bit dark. Some of the plastic fittings are a tad nasty feeling, but it's otherwise a nice place to be.

You can't get away from the very high, aero-driven tail.

It might be the entry-level Ioniq, but the Hybrid is packed with safety gear, including seven airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, high and low-speed forward AEB with pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, driver-attention detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist and reverse cross traffic alert.

It might be the entry-level Ioniq, but the Hybrid is packed with safety gear.

Add in two ISOFIX points and three top tethers for the kiddies and that's a pretty solid list.

As the Ioniq debuted across the ditch in 2016 before it arrived here, the five-star ANCAP rating goes back to December of that year.

The Hybrid is the most "normal" of the Ioniq range. While the engine still won't start when you press the button, it won't be long before a couple of whirrs and clunks signal the burning of hydrocarbons is underway. It's quite unlike, say, the Toyota Prius, which runs a CVT instead of the Hyundai's six-speed twin-clutch. The Ioniq can dither about which gear it wants on occasion and if you're not paying attention, you'll wonder why pulling a paddle doesn't change gears for you.

The performance won't blow your mind, but this Ioniq behaves like an adequately powered hatchback.

That's because, like the other two Ioniqs, you can use the paddle to select how aggressively the energy recovery works. It's not as polished as the PHEV on full recovery - the mode I favour - because the deceleration of the recovery feature makes it difficult to drive smoothly. It's a challenge I was more than willing to accept, but the middle setting was by far the best. I like the full recovery for its eco-potential but on most electrified cars it means less brake pedal use, meaning you can modulate progress on the throttle. Either way, you don't need the brake all that often, unless you're in the weakest setting.

Light but direct steering and a general sense of calm.

The performance won't blow your mind, but this Ioniq behaves like an adequately powered hatchback, which is exactly what it is. Once you're in the cruise, though, the extra torque brought to you buy electrons is quite impressive, particularly when you want to overtake on urban roads in the 80-100km/h range. Not startling, no, but quick enough to make you wonder why it's so slow-feeling off the mark.

Otherwise, it's pretty similar to the PHEV. Tidy, if unspectacular ride and handling, light but direct steering and a general sense of calm, which is a nice set up for a city car.