The 2020 Hyundai Ioniq: A connected car service saves the day

It turned into as soon as an electronic mail I hoped I’d by no scheme want to jot down. “Hello [Hyundai PR person], I hope you hold had a pleasurable July 4th. I despise to want to jot down this electronic mail but anyone has factual stolen the Ioniq that you just’ve lent us.” Up until that level, my week with the little subcompact hybrid had been honest—in spite of every thing, what’s to now not admire about 55mpg (4.3L/100km)? Nonetheless there turns out to be an even searching hero on this memoir, one reviled by much of the Ars Technica viewers: a connected car service saved the day.

The Ioniq is now not the most contemporary electrified car in Hyundai’s lineup—if truth be told, it debuted in 2016 and, within the years since, has been joined by toddle-in hybrid EV and battery EV variations. Nonetheless for some reason or varied, this mannequin year 2020 Ioniq turned into as soon as the first time we now hold tested one. The fluctuate starts at $23,200 for essentially the most ambiance pleasant, if most spartanly outfitted clean, the Ioniq Blue. Nonetheless as is the absolute most sensible scheme of the click like a flash, ours turned into as soon as a $31,200 Ioniq Puny, loaded with sides admire adaptive cruise maintain an eye on, LED headlights, a 10.25-roam infotainment gadget with navigation (and CarPlay and Android Auto), to title but just a few.

The ultimate substitute for this mannequin year turned into as soon as a midlife refresh, with new, extra aerodynamic styling and a revised within. The Ioniq is powered by a 1.6L notify-injection Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine that generates 104hp (76kW) and 109lb-ft (148Nm), which works in concert with 43hp (32kW), 125lb-ft (169Nm) everlasting-magnet synchronous electrical motor which together will ship up to 139hp (104kW) to the front wheels via a six-tempo dual-take hold of transmission. The battery is a 1.56kWh lithium-ion pack, and that helps the Ioniq halt that blended sensible of 55mpg, or 58mpg (4.1l/100km) if it’s the Blue clean, attributable to that car’s 15-roam wheels (as against the 17-roam alloys of the Puny).

The automobile is well designed for lifestyles as a metropolis runabout. It’s miles simple to find into and come all the absolute most sensible scheme via out of, and the paddle is honest on the broken streets that appear to be an inescapable feature of 21st century lifestyles in an American metropolis. The Ioniq is remarkably peppy, too—chalk that up to the electrical motor which is constantly ready to ship its torque to the wheels.

Hey, hold you viewed my car keys?

The main designate of the drama to realize turned into as soon as at lunchtime on July 5. The Ioniq had been parked for a couple days attributable to the lengthy weekend and the pandemic, and I needed to pop out and fetch lunch, but for the lifetime of me I could perhaps now not score the car keys wherever. An hour spent searching the dwelling and our car car automobile parking space came up empty. Feeling pretty foolish, I emailed the firm that takes care of Hyundai’s press like a flash, letting it know the driver should composed elevate the spare key after they came to receive the car on Monday on the tip of our week with it.

At 6pm, I purchased a concerning electronic mail from a neighbor, who alerted me to a young man—perchance no extra than 14—whom he saw acting suspiciously by the car. I went to study outside, but there turned into as soon as no person to be viewed. Per security camera photos, the infant returned 22 minutes later, armed with the keys I could perchance moreover now not score. They must hold fallen out of my pocket as I brought in some groceries just a few days earlier, and rather then turning them in, he aged them to unlock the car and power away.

Let me repeat you, having a loaned car stolen is now not a colossal feeling. Mortified, I let the like a flash firm and Hyundai each know, and I called the police, who perchance didn’t pretty find that the crime had literally factual took place, on myth of they didn’t ship anybody over until the following morning. (Also, seeking to show that the car belonged to Hyundai and wore producer plates which didn’t expose up in their database turned into as soon as a fun relate.)

Linked autos find a lifeless rap on this predicament. Citing privateness and cybersecurity concerns, most of our viewers ultimate are seeking to study them when the memoir concerns a security exploit or embarrassing hack. Since 2017, three years of free Hyundai’s Blue Hyperlink service has been a passe feature on Ioniqs. One of the most sides are factual there for convenience, admire being in a self-discipline to remotely birth the car via smartphone or smartwatch. Nonetheless a variety of Blue Hyperlink’s sides are security- or security-focused, connecting you to an emergency response center within the match of an accident. And in case your car gets stolen, Blue Hyperlink can come all the absolute most sensible scheme via and immobilize the car so the police can enhance it. Which is what ended up going down on this case—it turned into as soon as even learned undamaged, even though I effect now not need any longer cramped print on the effect it turned into as soon as recovered, sadly.

From this trip, I if truth be told hold learned a necessity of things. First, the Ioniq is an spectacular little hybrid, and 55mpg is nothing to smell at. Secondly, I should composed find definite that every press car’s key is connected to my keychain, which at least has a Tile locator beacon on it. Thirdly, I should be grateful this didn’t happen every week earlier, when the car turned into as soon as a $238,000 McLaren and never a $31,000 Hyundai. And at closing, connected autos can hold merit, and of us should composed know that.

Itemizing image by Hyundai