2018 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid SEL

The 2018 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid SEL is a solid rival to the Toyota Prius

Price: $24,000

I’ll bet if you tell most people you’re driving the fairly new Hyundai Ioniq hybrid that they’ll have no idea what car model you’re talking about. Hyundai—yes. Ioniq—no.

On the other hand, Toyota’s Prius hybrid has been around just about forever and most people know exactly what it is. Still, Hyundai has a popular name, so it sold 8,599 Ioniqs during the first six months of 2018, or approximately double the number it sold in the same 2017 period. (Toyota sold 46,171 Prius models in the first half of 2018.)

Chances are sales of the compact four-door hatchback Ioniq will pick up. It’s got a lot going for it, including a sleek body, roomy interior, lively performance and a decent ride. Not to mention high fuel economy, which is what the car is largely all about.

My test $24,000 Ioniq Hybrid SE provided an estimated 55 miles per gallon in the city and 54 on highways. Its 1.5-liter direct injection hybrid four-cylinder engine, paired with its electric drive, generates a combined 139 horsepower. That’s enough to deliver lively performance in town and good highway passing ability.

The powertrain works with a responsive six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission that has an easily used manual shift feature with steering wheel paddles. The  transmission can be put in Sport or Eco modes. Sport mode tightens the car up a bit and provides more responsive acceleration, but eats into fuel economy. It’s good for especially fast moves in traffic, but Eco mode otherwise is just fine.

The front-drive Ioniq’s steering is quick enough, although not much in the way of road feel. The suspension provides a comfortable ride—although sharp bumps can be felt. Handling is good, although, after all, this is an economical compact car, although a rather long one at 176 inches.  Still, it has vehicle stability management with traction control and generally sporty handling if you don’t push it too hard on its 15-inch wheels, shod with 65-series tires. I found that the four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes with regenerative braking and electric brake force distribution calmly handled sudden quick stops.

There’s plenty room for four tall occupants and the center of the rear seat is soft enough to handle a fifth, at least on shorter trips. Otherwise, the unoccupied center has a fold-down armrest. All doors have large storage pockets and open wide for easy entry. The front seats provide good side support in curves, and the quiet interior has high-grade materials. The infotainment system with its 4.2-inch color screen can be easily used, and there’s redundant dashboard buttons and knobs if one doesn’t want to bother with the screen.

The hatch has a rather high opening, but glides open on  twin struts to reveal a fairly large cargo area and has an interior indented area to help close it without touching outside sheet metal. Significantly enlarging the cargo area are 60/40 split-folding seatbacks that easily flip down..

Hyundai doesn’t skip on the Ioniq Hybrid SEL’s equipment. It includes a push-button start, dual automatic temperature control, power driver’s seat, heated front seats, AM/FM/MP3 auto system, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration and a bluetooth hands-free phone system.

Options include automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist system and smart cruise control.

Safety features include body-color heated side mirrors with turn signal indicators, automatic headlights, LED daytime running lights, lots of air bags, door handle approach lights, blind spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert, lane change assist and a rearview camera.

The hood is held up with an awkwardly engaged old-fashioned prop rod, but the engine compartment looks like it belongs in the latest space shuttle.

The back window has a slender center horizontal bar that results in an upper and a lower glass area, but I hardly noticed it after a few miles of driving. If anyone comments on the bar, just tell them that the 1970s Maserati Khamsin sports car had the same type of rear window bar.