25 January 2025
6 Weeks with the 6 ::: Week Four

It’s been a month driving the Hyundai IONIQ 6, and I’m still trying to make up my mind about its design. Don’t get me wrong—it’s definitely unique, but whether I love it or not depends on the day. What’s been fascinating is how polarising it’s been for people I’ve met. Some see it as stunningly beautiful (I’ve had four different people come up to me to say how much they love how it looks), while others… well, let’s just say they’re not fans.

But yes, it surely is unique. One thing I’ve really grown to love is the way Hyundai has incorporated these pixel-like, squarish elements all over the car. They’re everywhere—the LED headlights and taillights, the intricate wheel designs, even little touches in the cabin. It’s such a cool way to tie the car’s futuristic vibe to a sense of playful nostalgia. It’s like a nod to the 8-bit era, but in a sleek, modern package.

The inside of the IONIQ 6 continues the theme with square-shaped controls and subtle lighting patterns. It feels cohesive and just really well-thought-out, like every little detail has a purpose. Sitting in the driver’s seat, you feel like you’re part of something cutting-edge yet approachable.

Speaking of cutting-edge, one of the fun things about living with a car for a long period of time is the fantasy of modifying it. None of my 30+ past cars have been left stock, so it was only natural for me to start thinking of what I’d do to this car if it were mine.

So, I did a little rendering to imagine it with bigger wheels, superimposing the original concept car’s wheel design onto the 6. Since H&R from Germany already sells lowering springs for the car, I “dropped the height” a little too, and strip in a silver decal at the lower part of the body.

My, oh my, it looks incredible. The lowered stance and those chunkier wheels make it look like it’s ready to take on the track.

But while the above photo was photoshopped, the ones below are not. These are from H&R themselves and it will give you a glimpse of what a murdered-blacked-out IONIQ 6 would look like if the stock 20-inch wheels were sprayed glossy black and the car dropped 30mm in height. Sick right?

If you’re into modifying your cars, the IONIQ 6 has so much potential to really make it your own.

This got me thinking about the RN22e concept car, which was the precursor to the IONIQ 6 N series. If you haven’t seen it, go look it up—it’s insane. The RN22e takes the same platform as the IONIQ 6 but cranks it up with track-level performance and handling. It’s basically a preview of what’s to come in the IONIQ 6 N, which has me really excited. If Hyundai can deliver anything close to the RN22e in the N series, it’s going to be a serious game-changer for EV enthusiasts.

Every day with this car makes me appreciate it more. Truly.

It’s been smooth to drive, utterly reliable and easy to live with. With Chinese New Year around the corner, I’ve begun week five with lots of lunch appointments, running of errands and cross-island travels–there’s no other car I’d rather be in right now.

Hyundai IONIQ 6 Long-Term Review:
Week One – Our long-term test drive kicks off
Week Two – Range anxiety – is it really an issue?
Week Three – Charging downtime has its perks
Week Four – What if I modified the IONIQ 6?
Week Five – More reasons why it really won our ACOTY