[Neilto]

After a very long time of testing, deliberating and working around Covid rules I have now got a Ioniq Se in my garage.
I put the interest free aspect in the title as that was a significant inducement for me to swap our 5 year old Fiesta ecoboost for the Ioniq.
After upgrading our house heating to incorporate solar panels battery storage and ASP courtesy of generous Sottish government incentives and having a Zappi charge point installed for our Hybrid (Passat GTE) it seemed inevitable to get a full EV. But which one....?
Believe me I looked at every option, consumed many hours of utube, read loads of car forums, test drove many alternatives before choosing the Ioniq.
I'm not saying its the best EV out there but it is the best EV for my particular balance of cost/performance/features and feel good.
We ended up with an ex-demo car with 3500 miles for a very attractive price that complies with the loan scheme and gives me a virtually new car for £270/month that I own after 6 years or that I can sell any time before that. Beware the loan process is tedious in the extreme and slow but if you are willing to work within these constraints its worth it.

I looked very hard at the following alternatives in order of next best
VW eGolf
VW ID3
Peugeot 308
Nissan Leaf
Tessla Model 3
BMW I3

I also looked at the "SUV like" tanks but not really drawn to them - I have a Land Cruiser which satisfies that need and nothing comes close to that - regardless of what powers it.
I guess the journey started with Tessla - I got a go in a Model S top spec and it was enough to convince me electric was the way to go but boy are they expensive and when they go wrong its a nightmare. The model 3 is compelling but it fails for me in terms of its impractical configuration - I want to be able to but 2 dogs and/or golf clubs in the car so its a non starter.

Given that i have owned more VW cars than any other (and still have the Passat) the e golf was an obvious choice. I so nearly bought a really nice one with every extra - like my Passat and It would have made a lot of sense jumping from car to car having the same controls but the range killed it for me - I want 150 miles non stop all year so sadly had to walk away from the Golf.

So obviously then it has to be the ID3 - well no actually. I tested one (1st) and although it was OK (just) to drive it didn't feel like a VW inside. Its not a patch on the Golf or Passat in my opinion feeling decidedly low budget on the inside. Perhaps this might upset some but it feels like a cheap/wanabe I3.

I also drove a top spec Leaf+ and it was nice to drive but felt a bit dated inside and the boot is terribly impractical with that big subwoofer dominating practical space.

Oh yes and I drove a very nice I3 with sunroof and leather and loads of other goodies but for some unaccountable reason could not get it over the line - perhaps the skinny wheels I'm not sure. Very familiar with BMW too having had loads over the years including M's

So really after all that the Ioniq was the one.

So after a few weeks of very restricted driving what are my good and bad points

Well first the goods - and there are far more of these and they are significant

1 Efficiency number 1 without a doubt. This is (for me) the most important point in an electric car and the Ionic is great in this respect. Is it best in the world not sure but its got to be up there. I have done a few drives so far around 0 deg C and wet getting between 4.1 and 4.6 m/KWh. God knows what I will get in better conditions but range is not going to be an issue.

2 Driving ease. The car is bristling with tech that can make driving so easy. I love the LFA/cruise/auto regen mode.

3 Performance - yes it true. Yes I'm familiar with Insane mode, and have had cars with 0-60 time less than half the Ioniq but its really fast enough when you need it to be.

4 Comfort - its a nice place to be good quality seats heated ventilated and memory for his and hers

5 Honest - Last but not least it doesn't lie to me. When GOM says 50 miles left its probably 55 or more. VW on the other hand never lives up to its GOM aspirations and that leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

Bads
Nothing major that I can't live with but...
1 Top by far and what were they thinking about when they decided that Auto Hold should have a selection button. OK fair enough but its upside down - really. Apparently you have to select it if you want it Duhh! Do I have to select ABS if I want it?, do I have to select traction control if I want it? etc. So a button by all means but you press it to deselect it for those who like to be pressing a brake pedal when stopped!!
2 Heat. So again I'd like to be able to decide if I want to have heat eating into my valuable electricity. Why does it default into heat on when everytime I use it its off.
3 Beeps. It beeps unnecessarily I wish I could turn it off completely. I have yet to receive a beep in any car where I think oh gosh I'm glad I got that beep because I did not realise that I'd selected reverse etc. etc. It beeps 3 or it 4 times when I start it - why - I know its started I just pushed the fucking button that says start! Oh yes and it beeps when you stop it too - incessantly - until you lock it and walk away and God for forbid if you don't lock it because thanks to blue link your phone will beep too to say that you have not locked it!

But all beeping aside and upside down logic I think its a great car - honest

 

[barrivia]

Also bought an Ioniq through the scheme and enjoying it greatly.

 

[AdamLC]

Went though a similar journey myself before getting the ioniq.

I do agree on all the bongs, so many!

From my findings the 4 bongs at startup are when you start the engine before plugging in your seat belt

 

[TJEV]

Had a hybrid, good car. Have they improved the ACC since the original model? It used to be purely radar based and didn’t use the cameras, so was rubbish at detecting cut-ins and slower traffic.

 

[Neilto]

Funny you ask. I noticed today that it was very good actually. Car turning left in front of me usually shows the Passat into panic mode but the Ioniq delt with it almost as well as if it was me adjusting the speed and distance myself - that good!

 

[Panda]

Great review. As you will know now, the efficiency is legendary. I still have no idea how it does it. One thing I noticed recently, if you hold down the paddle which increases regen, you get max regen and the car will virtually come to a stop. Now here is the interesting thing, it engages Autohold. I assume that it is something to do with the dynamo slowing the car rather than the breaks. Give it a go.

 

[Jimlad]

wish the interest free EV loans were avaliable to the whole UK. Would replace my ageing Diesel second car TOMORROW

 

[Neilto]

wish the interest free EV loans were avaliable to the whole UK. Would replace my ageing Diesel second car TOMORROW

Yes it is a great scheme and Its a shame its not Nationwide. As all the staff administering it are working from home the process is very slow. In my case it took almost exactly 2 months from putting the deposit down to getting the car but in fairness that was over Christmas/New Year and COVID. The rules of the scheme are very precise and all your paper work needs to be spot on - you really do need to be well organised and computer savvy. At one stage I had to send an email with 14 separate scanned attachments. Also you need to have a seller that is patient enough to wait through the process. There were times when I almost gave up on it to take VWs ID3 finance but it was going to be a lot more expensive in the long run. I'd like to give a mention to Arnold Clark here as they were very good throughout as they had been through the process previously with other buyers. Another thing to note is the scheme isn't intended for second cars, if you already have an electric (or PHEV) car in your name you are not eligible for the loan. So for the avoidance of doubt the Ioniq is indeed my wifes car.

 

[DenkiJidousha]

The EST scheme has recently expanded to cover second hand cars with some restrictions Including type of seller - But the slow process will be even worse without a helpful dealer willing to wait I guess?

 

[CasperStorm]

EST scheme has always taken 6-8 weeks. Certainly did when I bought a B250e in 2017 and folks were telling me that then!

 

[Neilto]

Went though a similar journey myself before getting the ioniq.

I do agree on all the bongs, so many!

From my findings the 4 bongs at startup are when you start the engine before plugging in your seat belt

Ha Ha you are quite right only one bong if doing it properly - and me being an Advanced Driver Observer should know better! - Early days.

 

[Electrickery]

I don't find the heating comes on by itself, if I turn it off, it is still off the next time I get in the car. It will only heat if the temp is set higher than the cabin, and it isn't off.

 

[Panda]

I don't find the heating comes on by itself, if I turn it off, it is still off the next time I get in the car. It will only heat if the temp is set higher than the cabin, and it isn't off.

I usually preheat the cabin with the app, so I wouldn't know. But, I would add that the app works 100% of the time, unlike the previous EVs I have owned which were always hit and miss.