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When Hyundai  introduced the Ioniq 5, it startled your senses, with its angular collection of blunt creases coming off the geometric forms that made the car blunt but stylish from every angle.

Personally, I was infatuated with its appearance, because it was such a departure from normal automotive design, yet unforgettably attractive on its own. It is one of those vehicles that people either lover or hate and while I think the majority had to be in favor of the Ioniq 5, Hyundai’s designers were already way ahead of us. They were preparing to roll out the new Ioniq 6 for 2023 as both a complement and further breakthroughs  in its far-out trip into the future.

Like the Ioniq 5, the Ioniq 6 is pure electric, with two arrangements in its battery layout to offer satisfactory performance with the single-motor rear-wheel-drive model, or mind-blowing power with the 2-motor system that has one motor up front and the other at the rear, and swaps a bit of range efficiency for the grand feeling of spectacular power.

How much power? How about 320 horsepower and all-wheel drive?

There is no similarity to their looks, because designers started out leaving the Ioniq 5 on its own, while starting out with a platform that is 8 inches longer than the Ioniq 5, and stats and ends with long-sloping front and rear ends. It costs more, and provides the choice you can make of the blunt-shaped Ioniq 5 or the sleek, racy Ioniq 6.

The test vehicle we had for a week to drive along the North Shore of Lake Superior and in and around the city of Duluth, with its steep hills, was the fully loaded Ioniq 6 with the two electric motors, powered by the larger 77.4 kilowatt-hour battery, chargeable with a fast-charging rapid-DC charger. It came in Ultimate Red, a stunning darks red color that added a dose of sportier flair beyond its exotic shape.

The longer, larger platform is shared with the much-praised Genesis luxury brand GV60 from Hyundai, the Ioniq 5, and the Kia EV6. The intention of the Hyundai EVs is to challenge and beat the Tesla models and all other EV comers, and indications are it might be well along on that trail. The Ioniq 5 with the smaller electric motor and rear-drive can get 303 miles of range, and experts suggest that with its more aerodynamic front and rear design treatment, the Ioniq 6 should run for more miles of range. But officially, the EPA lists the range as 270 miles and says you should expect the equivalent of 103 miles per gallon, calculated on tests that show city/highways tallies of 111/94 miles.

Range anxiety continues to be the primary problem between consumers and electric cars, with good reason. It’s no fun to note your driving range might be less than the distances to your destination. There are charging stations all over these days, and one impressive feature of the Ioniq 6 is a little fine-print item off to the right of the primary gauge screen that notes where the location of the nearest charging station is, and how far away it is.

In Duluth, the best location is down near Canal Park, where a large parking lot offers free parking to electric cars using the charging stations. One of these stations is a Level 3, high-speed charger that attracts all the wises visitors and many locals, who flock to that area to line up for the fast charger, knowing they can find shopping and numerous restaurants as well as stunning sightseeing venues in a stroll down to the Aerial Bridge.

But when the fellow delivering there Ioniq 6 to me fro the press fleet distributor in Chicago tried to stop there, he found that the fast charger wasn’t working, So he plugged into the Level 2, and instead of getting a full charge in less than 2 hours, he was shown an indicator that said it would take him six hours to reach full charge.

Fortunately, I knew of a half-dozen there chargers in the city, and one of them is on the outside wall of the Kia dealership, located in the West End near Lincoln Park, so I drove out there and, as usual, found the Kia service staff more than hospitable, and I plugged in for an hour to bring the Ioniq 6 to full charge. Scaling the steep hills and using he shift paddles judicuiousky to capture regenerative power on the way down meant I could stretch the range to last almost the entire week.

Among the many interesting features on the Ioniq 6 are a weird but neat shift lever, which actually sticks out to the right from the steering column in a Mercedes-like scheme, and you grasp the husky end of the shaft and twist it up, for reverse, or down, for drive. Push the button on the end of the knob and you’re in park. At first, I thought it was a bit awkward, but afgter getting used to it, I actually prefer it to many of the shifter ideas out there these days.

Possibly the only thing I dislike about it is it is located in a position where it is almost obscured from normal driver’s view by the shaft on the steering wheel. The other feature that is truly impressive but might take a full winter to either appreciate or scorn is the door handles. As you walk up to the vehcle, with the key fob in your pocket, the stylish little levers angle out a bit, ready for your grasp and easy opening. It worked well, every time, but I must point out that we had one small overnight dose of lake effect snow — just enough to coat those door handles as they popped out to meet my grasp.

What, I wondered, will they do if we happen to have a 10-degree sleet storm and a blizzard? Will they still pop out, or will they stay in the comfort of their own little cubicles, while you fume and wonder how you’re going to get into your vehicle? Maybe that will tempt you to peruse the option and package list more carefully.

But actually, the only option added to the test vehicle were carpeted floor mats, which hiked the total price from $56,100 to $57,425. That means that all of Hyundai’s features and safety goodies are standard, which include collision avoidance, blind spot detection and alert, lane keep, lane following, rear cross traffic alert, and parking distance monitor.

The dual electric motors have a clever Hyundai technique of a battery pre-heating system that warms your battery and helps limit the drain or range often associated with EV motors in harsh cold. The DC ultra-fast charging devices, regenerative braking paddles, active grille shutters, surround-view visibility, and the Bose Premium audio are all standard equipment.

The huge, 12.3 inch gauge package and center-located navigation screen convey just about all the information anybody could want, and are adjustable to several variations. I like the gauge screen which has an analog style readout in digital fashion, so you get a neat, colorful circular pattern with a large number inside it to show your speed.

After driving the Ioniq 5 and the Ioniq 6, I’m still not through with Hyundais, which lead the industry on their cars, SUVs and powertrains that range from very good gas engines, excellent hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and pure electric. And as I’d evaluating these, I’m hearing of spy photos out there showing the new Ioniq 7!