ROAD TESTS BY MOTORING JOURNALIST TIM SAUNDERS
Advanced motorist Tim Saunders regularly reviews vehicles from the leading manufacturers. Videos on his youtube channel have been watched more than 350,000 times.
His first report on a BMW 520i was published in the Dorset Echo when he was 17 (just after passing his driving test) in 1995. He went on to become business and motoring editor at the Bournemouth Echo. Now, his engaging and informative reviews are published in magazines across the UK. "Your pieces are a great addition to our magazines," says Chanel Hosfield, Editor of Life Publications.
Hyundai Ioniq 6
By Tim Saunders
Is blazing your own path in life, rather than following the crowd, important to you? The curvaceous Hyundai Ioniq 6 with its striking design should appeal to such drivers.
Evocative retro design from the 1950s is the unique feature of this luxury electric saloon. So much more appealing than anything the bland competition is offering. Until now this area was monopolised by Smeg with its fridge freezers. The Hyundai’s sloping back reminds me of a VW Beetle, Porsche or the Citroen CX but it’s more pronounced and lower to the ground. It is like a rounded updated CX without the rising suspension. Unlike the aforementioned it has an electric bootlid and other design touches include detailing on the bumpers and a clear plastic strip on the rear spoiler. As an electric car it’s vital that it is aerodynamic so the considered design no doubt gives it low drag, too. While I appreciate and applaud the unusual door handles – that you push in on the right hand side, which then sees the handle rise from the door on the left that opens it – these are fiddly, awkward and impractical when arriving at the car with the children’s school bags. Although it is funny when the children first try to get in the car and they are stood there scratching their heads but it doesn’t take them long to master it. Traditional door handles are certainly easier to operate and good design should be easy to use, in my book.
The striking overall design of this modern Citroen CX or slightly squashed and elongated Beetle, certainly catches the attention of the passenger in a builder’s van crawling along beside us in a rush hour traffic jam on the M27 one Friday night. He can’t take his eyes off it.
And the designers have not just concentrated on the exterior, they have sprinkled some character inside, too. In the cabin there are fins, reminiscent of 1950s Cadillacs, protruding from either end of the dashboard. Here’s a car that makes me smile. And I need that at the moment. It’s really heartening to see that good design is not dead. Opening the glovebox sees a tray slide out rather than it simply falling open in the usual manner. It’s all quite refreshing. That said, I don’t warm to the column gear selector being on the right hand side of the steering wheel. It’s awkward for me and just slows me down. But again, cars of the past had such things and they’ll probably sell more of these in the States than here anyway - it frees up space on the centre console for the electric window switches, too.
Hyundai reckons it’ll travel over 300 miles on a full charge. I don’t know about that because it is delivered to me with a range of 116 miles, which is enough for us to drive to the school cross country awards at Waterlooville where Heidi(11) and Henry(8) are competing. They come 23 and 76 respectively out of a few hundred children from schools across Hampshire.
In common with all other electric cars I find the reading will advise say, 116 miles when you park up, and then when you start it again you’ve somehow lost four miles. I’ve mentioned before how I struggle with the luxury of electric cars and the fact that everything inside is electric, which of course drains the battery, which frankly, is infuriating. In my eyes there’s no room for great luxury in an electric car. My main luxury is having warm feet, which this model provides. What annoys me is for instance, that Heidi in the back has heated seats and can turn them on whenever she likes without a care about the range being affected. Well, why don’t you go and charge it up? I hear you ask. I have a busy life and don’t have time to queue or wait to charge it. I have no plans to have a home charger either as I remain unconvinced about this expensive technology.
Acceleration is lightning quick as we’ve come to expect from these vehicles but of course you can’t drive at that speed for long without the range plummeting.
This is probably the biggest electric car you’ll come across; it’s a luxury saloon, far more eye-catching and characterful than a Tesla and with that aim in mind Hyundai has succeeded and surpassed that.
The name is interesting too. Ioniq. If you go back to your physics at school an ion is an atom or group of atoms that carries a positive or negative electric charge as a result of having lost or gained one or more electrons – so an eminently appropriate name for a car. Perhaps the ‘iq’ relates to intelligence quota… for the driver who has something about them.
Facts at a glance
Kia Sorento 1.6 HEV T-GDi AWD
By Tim Saunders
A seven-seater SUV that seems to travel at speeds of up to 50mph in EV mode. That’s what I experience while driving the Kia Sorento on the motorway.
I’ve driven numerous hybrids and many will only travel at up to 30mph on EV mode. So, you can imagine my amazement when I’m on the M27 and see the EV sign flash up on the dash and I’m not free-wheeling at the time either. This is the 1.6-litre petrol version and a full tank will travel over 500 miles returning around 42mpg during the test.
My time with the Kia takes place when there’s persistent rain for days on end (what’s new in England?). This results in surface water on virtually every road we travel down. It becomes particularly worrying on the country lanes where there aren’t just puddles but the entire road surfaces seem to be covered in water and on occasions it’s hard to gauge the depth. I’d be worried if I was in a standard everyday car especially when there are so many potholes about but I’m in the Sorento so excess water and poor roads are no challenge whatsoever. Nevertheless, caution is called for. I remember in 2023 during the autumn floods, a driver who often passed through a usually low Yorkshire river, attempted to do the same but with some passengers, and they all died as their off-roader was overcome by treacherous water. Never be complacent on or off road.
During torrential downpours the Kia’s wipers are sufficiently fast to keep the windscreen clear.
It’s my eldest daughter’s birthday and she wants to go for a walk in the South Downs regardless of the weather so after our picnic - inside the vehicle - we brave the elements and have a great time. However, when we return we are dripping – a great test for those heated seats in the front and second row (but not the third row where Henry is sitting). These seats are also cooled when that blistering summer heat arrives. They’re effective although “not as hot as in other cars” says my wife, Caroline. Well, that can’t be a bad thing as far as I can tell.
In common with all modern vehicles there are lots of warning sounds and beeps and when turning the engine off there’s an au revoir note like on some washing machines. All of these bells and whistles are not for me, I like simple – so does my wife – that’s why she married me!
If you dare to listen to the radio when the engine is off, a warning message soon appears on the dash stating that the battery is running out. This is always very frustrating. In older, smaller cars it’s possible to listen to the radio for quarter of an hour or more without fear of draining the battery. That’s progress for you.
It’s a large vehicle and easily accommodates the five of us. We think it will be a nice gesture to offer to take Grandma for a drive because we haven’t normally got room. But she’s too tired. Then when we visit Grandpa, he’s not fit enough, so in the end we’re unable to carry more than the usual five of us, which is a pity but never mind. Such is life.
The full-length panoramic glass roof incorporating an electric tilt/slide sunroof certainly makes the dark cabin lighter. What a great addition for a hot summer’s day. I can only dream.
Being such a large vehicle it is a little awkward to reverse at times but generally the camera helps, unless heavy rain obscures the vision.
An easy-to-use six-speed automatic unit is fitted to this vehicle and to engage it’s simply a matter of turning the dial and selecting D for drive or R for reverse. There’s little skill required in driving such a vehicle although its size can make negotiating parked cars a little challenging when driving down a B-road. In economy mode it is prone to lethargy when leaving traffic lights but if more stealth is required then select a different mode. There are paddleshifts either side of the steering wheel for more engaging driving, too.
Overall, we all like the Sorento.
Facts at a glance