The King is dead: Hyundai Ioniq (58 MPG US EPA combined) beats Prius ECO rating (56)

[bobdbilder]

Originally Posted by Daox

So, you're just saying its not wise financially to buy a hybrid to save money. Weather it is worth it is a different topic. To you it was worth it to spend more money on porting and polishing, lowering springs, and the other mods to have a more fun car that gets worse fuel economy and costs more to drive. Financially, this does not make sense and is not wise. To some here it is worth it to have a car that burns cleaner (or doesn't burn at all), or one that simply uses less fuel because it helps reduce foreign oil dependency. There are many motivations, and if it is 'worth it' is completely subjective. Your own modification is proof of that. I'm not saying you're wrong in how you choose your car or your mods, I'm just saying that weather or not something is worth it is very subjective, and you're taking a very narrow view of why a hybrid is or isn't worth it. Less and less these days is a 'hybrid' going to only be about fuel efficiency and saving money. There are more and more performance hybrids being released by companies. Is it worth it to buy a performance hybrid? Its never worth it to buy a performance car if you're looking to save money. But, they still are popular vehicles.

When I started off in my post on this topic, I did say it was a personal choice based on financial results. I understand that the US Economy is highly dependent on Consumerism. I get it. I totally get it. I was a Sales Rep anyway. I am saying and have reiterated that Hyundai shouldn't be selling it to us here in the third world. This is why both Honda and Toyota has stopped selling Hybrids to us. Even Ford has stopped selling their Focus Diesel. There will be people who buy hybrids for many Value Added reasons. Locally there just isn't enough buyers to maintain having that product line in their catalog. The fault does not lie on the technology. It lies in the marketing of the product targeting people who have more disposable income. Hence that bit of motor journo article that amplifies aesthetics and creature comfort and subjected fuel performance as an after thought. Hyundai should be shipping it out to you guys in the US or China who do have the numbers to support selling high margin products.

[bobdbilder]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Furthermore, not everyone finances a vehicle (I don't), and interest rates in the States are 2% if you do take out a loan.

I went through the latest numbers and it seems due to currency fluctuation the difference is not so much. We now stand at $0.52 while the US is at $0.68 per litre. At an interest rate of 2% it wouldn't be much of a difference. The Ioniq in Malaysia is sold with 2.24% int rate. I guess it is some sort of incentive against the normal 4% on local cars. Here, cars not older than 10 years are allowed financing.

Maybe if there were more incentives like what they have in London. A CO2 surcharge or Congestion tax or Insurance then it would make more FINANCIAL sense.

Gasoline prices around the world, 06-Mar-2017 | GlobalPetrolPrices.com

[vskid3]

I did a quick test drive of an Ioniq hybrid yesterday. I wouldn't say it's a Prius killer, but it's definitely a worthy competitor. The conventional-looking gauge cluster would be nice for those that don't want something super futuristic looking. The average MPG display showed 46MPG, which is pretty good for a car that's probably only seen short test drives involving acceleration tests and blasting AC. The 6-speed dual-clutch transmission was weird for a hybrid, all the others I've driven have been eCVT or manual. It seemed slow/reluctant to downshift when I punched it, but that may have been because of eco mode being turned on.

If you or someone you know is looking to buy a new Prius or similar, the Ioniq deserves a look (probably the Kia Niro, too, as they're based on the same platform).


I can't wait for the Ioniq EV to make its way out of California so I can try one. It should be a pretty good car. Hopefully they can stuff some more battery capacity into it.

[bwilson4web]

Hi,

In our family, collision avoidance and dynamic cruise control are mandatory requirements. We already own a 2014 BMW i3-REx and 2017 Prius Prime Plus which both have this capability. So I was surprised to discover on the Hyundai configuration web page that the Ioniq equivalent to TSS-P is only available on the basic Ioniq, not the fuel efficient 'blue.'

• Ioniq + advanced -> $23,950 + $1,000 = $24,950, 55 MPG combined
• Prius ECO (TSS-P standard) -> $25,165, 56 MPG

Bob Wilson

[gone-ot]

Yeah, sometimes (often?) automotive "packaging" marketing has you scratching your head in wonderment.

[hypermark]

We bought the base model a few weeks ago. It's our first hybrid replacing our Sonata. WE LOVE THIS CAR. So far, it's averaging 72mpg and we're not even trying. On two trips, it hit an amazing 95mpg. Hyundai was offering employee pricing but I believe it's only in Michigan. They knocked off almost $5,000 so our loan was approximately $19,000. The base has nice standard features - large media display, Apple/Android options so the car becomes the phone. Only bad thing - no spare. Seems more common these days.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by hypermark

So far, it's averaging 72mpg and we're not even trying. On two trips, it hit an amazing 95mpg. ...Only bad thing - no spare. Seems more common these days.

Is this a plug in hybrid? Are you hand calculating that MPG, or is that what is displayed? At 72 MPG, you're averaging what I do in my plug-in Prius.

...and I take the spare out of my vehicles nowadays. Out of probably a dozen or so flats, the only one that couldn't be repaired with a plug kit and inflator was when I launched sideways off a gravel road, landed sideways in a farm field, and pulled the tire off the rim.

[hypermark]

This is the plain hybrid and yes that is what's displayed although I recalculate when I fill up and it's gone both ways. I would estimate I have a little over 4 gal with 320 miles. A decimal gauge for the gas tank would be a great help. My commute is about 15 miles and the roads are average - flat/hilly. One thing I rarely do is go above 60mph. On my way home in the middle of rush hour, it did 86mpg. It's a real gas sipper.

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

... <good stuff> ...

...and I take the spare out of my vehicles nowadays. Out of probably a dozen or so flats, the only one that couldn't be repaired with a plug kit and inflator was when I launched sideways off a gravel road, landed sideways in a farm field, and pulled the tire off the rim.

Thursday a piece of road debris took a chunk, down to the steel belt and tear into the sidewall. So I decided to try "road service" and lesson's learned:

• Never leave home w/o a cell phone - the tow service has a keypad response, phone system. On the third call to BMW service, built into the car, I asked the service rep to do a three-way with the road side service and handle the keypad responses.
• EV air conditioning saved the day - it was in the low 90s and the tire failure occurred 50 yards (~47m) from a parking lot exposed to the sun. After the first hour, I began to think about hailing a cab. The second hour, called again,"15 minutes away." The third hour, it was getting close to 5 PM. At 4:30 PM, the tow truck arrived.
• BMW Service Center stayed open - the service rep called it an emergency and they replaced the tire, $232, tire, labor, sales tax, and fees.

Yes, I was planning on a spare tire and jack. Now just watching eBay to get a good deal.

Bob Wilson

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Even though some people might look at the spare tyre as a dead weight, especially when nearly all they drive is through well-mantained paved roads, it's still a desirable feature.