Hyundai Ioniq 6 vs Peugeot 408

What's the difference?

In the Ioniq 6 N Hyundai has built an incredibly quick and high-capable performance car. But that doesn’t mean it’s flawless and an obvious recommendation over its rivals.

Its looks remain divisive, and while obviously each individual will need to judge the design of the Ioniq 6 N themselves, objectively speaking there is a lot to like about this latest addition to Hyundai’s N stable. 

Yes, it’s very fast, but with all the N modes switched off it’s also a very quiet and relaxed sedan with a premium look and feel. So it will play the dual role of track terror and everyday family transport well. 

But it needs to be for the price, which is really testing the limits of Hyundai’s brand appeal. It obviously won’t be a best seller, but with the less-polarising Ioniq 5 N only selling approximately 300 cars since its launch, this could be a very niche proposition, reserved only for those who crave its special kind of electric performance.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

The Peugeot 408 GT Hybrid delivers heaps of standard equipment and safety tech for what is now a much more competitive price. It’s also super fuel-efficient, which is right for these turbulent times, offers thoughtful practicality and the wagon-fastback-crossover-SUV look is striking. The price paid for miserly economy is a peaky small-engine powertrain and the ownership promise isn’t exactly class-leading. That said, it deserves consideration in its new, even more competitive under $60K mid-size SUV segment.

The original Prophecy concept, which previewed the Ioniq 6, was a thing of beauty, a case study in elegance and simplicity. The final production version of the Ioniq 6 is a case study in awkwardness, with a design that polarised opinions.

For the Ioniq 6 N Hyundai has been given a second chance to try and make it look more appealing and less divisive. To that end they’ve added this gloss black bumper with an integrated splitter, highlighted by the N-specific fluro orange strip, as well as unique fenders and 20-inch forged alloy wheels.

The facelift also introduces much more appealing slimline headlights that help reduce the awkwardness.

At the rear, there’s a new rear bumper design, with more black to try and hide some of its most awkward lines, plus an unmissable rear wing to further attract your attention. And while it undoubtedly provides a sportier, more dynamic look, it actually provides up to 100kg of downforce.

Inside, Hyundai has made a number of key enhancements to ensure the Ioniq 6 N looks suitably sporty. There’s a sports steering wheel, complete with a pair of N buttons to immediately activate the more dynamic driving modes, plus sports seats and even a soft knee pad built into the side of the centre console, so you can brace yourself when you're lapping the track at speed.

There’s a 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen in the centre, which houses all of the various car settings, including the very detailed N performance driving modes. This is where you can either program the N buttons or dial up the individual settings.

There’s also track-themed graphics that appear on the head-up display, if you really want to do your best Oscar Piastri impression.

Peugeot Design Director Matthias Hossann has been guiding the brand’s look and feel since 2020 and the result is a recognisable approach across the range with enough flexibility to give each model its own personality.

Recurring themes include the dramatic, fan-like grille with body-colour elements, narrow angled LED daytime running lights (DRLs) slicing through the outer edges of the nose and sinister tapered headlights set into the front corners.

The rear end maintains the visual drama with a stacked, angular treatment sectioning off the ‘Claw Effect’ LED tail-lights (the Peugeot brand mark is a Lion), chamfered mid-section and chunky bumper.

And among what increasingly feels like a mass of same-same newcomers the 408’s sloping turret and high, wide haunches give the car a distinctively sporty fastback look.

The interior is classy and clean although the almost uniformly grey colour palette is unrelenting.

The two-tier dash adds visual interest and a combination of sweeping curves and clean, straight lines around the cabin lift the tone. Nappa leather trim with the ribbed seat centre panels using perforated hide also looks classy.

But then we come to the ‘iCockpit’ instrument display and steering wheel combination. It’s based on the idea that reducing the size of the steering wheel and lowering its position while flattening its top and raising the location of the instrument binnacle is a better solution than the traditional look-through-the-steering wheel approach.

It doesn’t work for everyone and it doesn’t work for me. As noted in previous Peugeot reviews, after more than a decade in existence various members of the CarsGuide editorial staff continue to struggle with the arrangement, while others love it. 

For me, the wheel feels too low, yet the top of it obscures the lower part of the instrument panel. While it may work well for others I see it as the answer to a question no one was asking.

The cabin is very practical too, despite its sportiness. There’s good storage spaces, including a pair of cupholders and a tray built into the centre console.

There’s also USB-C charging ports in the front and back of the cabin to keep small electric devices charged, as well as a smartphone wireless charging pad.

By relocating the controls usually found on the door (windows, mirrors, unlock/lock buttons), the door pockets have been sculpted out to create more width and space for the front seat occupants.

It’s comfortable and roomy too, especially in the back, where Hyundai has taken advantage of the Ioniq 6’s bespoke electric underpinnings to have a flat floor with good knee and legroom.

The boot measures 371 litres, which is on the smaller size for a mid-size sedan, and well short of the class leaders, like the 524L Toyota Camry.

At close to 4.7m long, around 1.9m wide and a bit less than 1.5m tall with a 2790mm wheelbase, the 408 sits in the middle of the typical mid-size five-seater footprint.

Ample room in the front, although the lower section of the two-tier dash protrudes a fair way towards the driver and front passenger and the centre console is broad so it feels snug rather than airy.

Storage includes generous door bins with room for larger bottles, a lidded (and illuminated) bin between the seats that doubles as a centre armrest, two cupholders in the console with an oddments tray ahead of them and a decent glove box with an extra pocket built into the lid.

Switching to the rear, sitting behind the driver’s seat set for my 183cm position, there’s loads of leg- and headroom and enough width for three adults when required and more than enough for a trio of up to mid-teenage kids. Centre rear is less of a short-straw position, too, thanks to a relatively low and flat central tunnel.

The lack of a fold-down rear centre armrest is a miss mainly because it means there are no cupholders in the rear. But there are decent door bins with a space for smaller bottles, netted map pockets on the front seatbacks and a storage cubby at the back of the front centre console.

Speaking of which, individual air vents in the back of that console are a welcome addition.

 The boot is large for the class at 508 litres (VDA) with the rear seat upright and 1583 litres with the 60/40 split-folding backrest folded down. The power tailgate (with foot sensor and pedestrian detection) also makes life easier.

Other thoughtful touches include four load tie-down anchors, a netted pocket on the right-hand side, elasticised straps on the left-hand side, specific lighting and a pair of bag hooks.

Power and connectivity options include two USB-C sockets, a 12-volt outlet and a wireless phone charging pad in the front, another two USB-Cs in the back and a second 12V plug in the boot. So no problems with charging capacity for phones and other devices.

Maximum braked trailer towing capacity is a useful 1300kg (750kg unbraked) but we have to put a big black mark against provision of a repair/inflator kit rather than a physical spare. Not good enough for the Aussie market. 

The previous plug-in version of the current 408 Hybrid was a 1.6-litre, turbo-petrol, four-cylinder paired with a relatively large electric motor and cost-of-entry sat at $67,990, before on-road costs.

A shift to this car’s mild-hybrid powertrain, built around a 1.2-litre, turbo-petrol, three-cylinder engine matched up with an appreciably smaller battery and electric motor coincided with a 15 per cent ($10,000) price reduction to $57,990, BOC.

Convenience or consequence? Either way, it’s opened up a new competitive set with the focus shifting from the likes of the Lexus NX, Mazda CX-60 PHEV and Volvo XC60 to a fresh batch of sub-$60K rivals.

Think Honda CR-V e:HEV RS ($59,900, drive-away), Hyundai Tucson AWD 1.6 Hybrid Premium ($58,350, BOC), Kia Sportage GT-Line HEV FWD ($57,370, BOC), Nissan X-Trail Ti e-Power 5 seat AWD ($58,215, BOC), Subaru Forester AWD Hybrid Touring ($55,990, BOC) and the Toyota RAV4 XSE Hybrid AWD ($59,015, BOC).

Suddenly the Peugeot’s included features list sits in a new context and aside from the performance and safety tech we’ll get to shortly, standard equipment highlights include dual-zone climate control air, full-grain Nappa leather seat trim, a leather-trimmed (heated) steering wheel, Alcantara door trim, 3D satellite navigation and 10-speaker 690-watt Focal audio (with digital radio) as well as wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Then there’s power-adjustable driver (eight-way) and front passenger (six-way) seats that are also heated with a ‘multi-point’ massage function, keyless entry and start, a 10-inch digital 3D instrument panel, a 10-inch multimedia touchscreen, auto LED matrix headlights, eight-colour ambient lighting, chrome trimmed pedals, a power tailgate, heated power-folding exterior mirrors, a panoramic glass sunroof, 19-inch alloy wheels, auto rain-sensing wipers and more. 

Then you can add over-the-air updates, access to remote services via the ‘MyPeugeot’ app and ‘Ok Peugeot’ voice recognition.

That’s an impressive basket of fruit for an under-$60,000 car. 

As mentioned earlier, while it may be expensive for a Hyundai, if you want a car capable of making 478kW and 770Nm you’ll typically need to spend a lot more than $115,000. This makes the dual-motor electric powertrain the star of the show in many respects.

Those figures are the maximum performance available when you use 'N Grin Boost', a 10-second burst of ultimate power. The ‘normal’ performance is a still an incredibly impressive 448kW and 740Nm.

These come from a 166kW front motor and 282kW rear motor, to give you all-wheel-drive capabilities.

That’s enough for the Ioniq 6 N to do the 0-100km/h sprint in just 3.2 seconds with N Grin Boost activated (0.2 seconds faster than the Ioniq 5 N). Top speed is limited to 257km/h, which is obviously too much for the road, but Hyundai is pitching this as a track car and in that sense it will struggle to keep up with some supercars at the end of long straights, but that’s probably a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things.

Like most electric cars, the Ioniq 6 N has a single-speed transmission. But like the Ioniq 5 N, Hyundai has developed an artificial ‘manual’ gearbox, which it calls N e-shift. By torque limiting the engine to create a false ‘rev limit’ there are eight virtual gears for you to use via the paddles on the steering wheel.

But this is only part of the story, Hyundai has included a number of N-specific driving settings for the powertrain beyond N Grin Boost and N e-shift. N Torque Distribution has 11 different settings that allows you to adjust the torque split between the front and rear axles up to 95 per cent in one way or the other.

Then there’s N Drift Optimiser, which helps you do big skids, on the safety of a track, of course. Plus N Launch Control to shock your mates with V8s at the drag strip and N Track Manager to keep track of your lap times.

It all sounds very complicated but Hyundai has done a nice job of integrating the systems into the car and making the menu easy to navigate. And because these systems are largely digital, rather than mechanical, it actually helps make the car easier to drive in some regards.

The Peugeot 408 Hybrid is powered by a 1.2-litre, turbo-petrol, three-cylinder engine producing 100kW at 5500rpm and 230Nm at 1750rpm.

This compact, all-alloy, direct-injection unit works in concert with a single 15.6kW/51Nm 48-volt electric motor integrated into the six-speed dual-clutch auto transmission and energised by a 0.9kWh lithium-ion battery.

Drive goes to the front wheels only and Peugeot claims a 0-100kmh sprint time of 9.4 seconds.

To power this track-focused EV, Hyundai has had to upgrade the 84kWh battery with specialised heating and cooling systems.

Range is rated to 487km, which is good without being great. And, unsurprisingly, if you access all the power available you will end up using the battery quicker, much like you’ll use more fuel if you drive an internal combustion engine hard.

For track use, Hyundai suggests a ‘20-20-20’ cycle of 20 minutes of track driving, 20 minutes of cooling and then 20 minutes of charging to ensure you get maximum out of a track day. Although we were able to do closer to 30 minutes of track driving from a single charge.

To make this possible, there is a special N Battery mode, which is able to maximise track usage by managing the cooling and output depending on the scenario. There are Drag, Sprint and Endurance settings, with Drag making the battery warmer for sudden acceleration, Endurance trying to keep it cooler to extend on-track range and Sprint automatically applying N Grin Shift when needed.

It’s an incredibly complex system but it speaks to the challenges of making an EV capable of the rigours of high-speed driving consistently.

In terms of charging, the key detail to know is, with the maximum charger, you can go from 10 to 80 per cent charge in as little as 18 minutes, according to Hyundai’s claim, and is compatible with either 400V or 800V charging infrastructure.

The 408 Hybrid’s official fuel consumption figure for the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle is 4.5L/100km, the 1.2L turbo triple emitting 102g/km of CO2 in the process.

And it’s important to point out those official (ADR 81/02) numbers for the 408’s consumption and emissions are better than any of the direct competitors we’ve called out in the ‘Price & Features’ section above. 

Over a week of mainly city and suburban running with some freeway sections thrown in, we recorded an on-test average of 6.0L/100km. Impressive for a mid-size crossover weighing in at a bit over 1.4 tonnes.

Brim the 52-litre tank with minimum 95 RON premium fuel (ethanol blends not recommended) and using our real-world figure you can expect a handy driving range in excess of 860km.

To put it bluntly, the Ioniq 6 N is sickeningly fast. Literally, it can make you feel car sick from the passenger seat if the driver unleashes the power a little too frequently, which isn’t hard because the Ioniq 6 N offers near-instant torque.

The dual motors mean this swooping sedan launches out of corners with a ferocity usually reserved for supercars - it is that quick under hard acceleration. But pure acceleration is only part of the story when it comes to a proper performance car.

As impressive as the Ioniq 5 N is, it was always going to be handicapped by its taller SUV body, meaning the handling was somewhat dulled by its size and shape. The lower, more aerodynamic Ioniq 6 N is therefore noticeably more dynamic and responsive to drive.

The suspension and steering tune isn’t specifically tuned for Australian conditions, instead it’s based on the globally developed setup designed for the Ioniq 5 N, which Hyundai Australia did have input into.

Despite not being tuned specifically for Australia it still rides with impressive compliance for such a performance-orientated electric car. Even on the choppier back roads we tested it on, it feels controlled and compliant while still being responsive, without feeling uncompromising or uncomfortable.

But to really experience the true performance potential of the Ioniq 6 N, you need to hit the racetrack. Thankfully, Hyundai Australia allowed us to test it to its limits at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Free from speed limits the immense power can be unleashed and to make the experience even better you can use the N e-shift and the N Active Sound+ - three separate artificial soundtracks that are designed to mimic engine noise.

There is one that can broadly be described as ‘futuristic’ and another that is meant to sound ‘electric’ but neither are good enough to bother with. Instead, if you stick to the one that sounds like Hyundai’s petrol engine you’ll enjoy it.

While it is clearly an artificial sound, and there will be haters who just don’t like it (and they can leave it switched off), Hyundai has done a brilliant job mimicking the sounds of a proper petrol performance car. So much so that when you lift off the accelerator, you actually hear a ‘snap, crackle, pop’ from the rear of the car, as if there is an actual exhaust making the sound.

What the noise does do is really help you with a sense of speed, as does the N e-shift, not only helping you drive faster but also just making the experience more fun.

For the serious track-day drivers the amount of adjustability in the Ioniq 6 N is brilliant. In particular the N Torque Distribution system, which allows you to shift the drive split front-to-rear on the move. Experimenting with this system, there is a clear difference between the handling not only as you switch between modes, but if you’re really, really serious, you can even adjust it during your on-track run. As the tyres get hotter, shifting more drive rearwards helps the car rotate better and punch out of the corners easier.

However, while Hyundai may have designed it as a track-capable, ‘Corner Rascal’, as they like to say, the reality is, most of the time you’ll be driving, you won’t be on a racetrack.

Even so, N Road Sense is a special setting that is able to recognise a double curve road sign and urges the driver to activate N mode and have more fun, so it’s always looking to encourage you to have a good time.

But what about when you’re not driving fast? How does the Ioniq 6 N stack up as a daily drive? Well, one of the elements of  performance EVs that I personally appreciate, is how quiet and relaxed they are when you don’t need to go fast. Unlike an internal combustion performance engine, which can feel like a caged animal at suburban speeds, an EV with 448kW is as smooth and quiet as an EV with 148kW.

It means it plays both its roles - weekday commuter transport and weekend fun machine - with equal ability.

Even with the assistance of an electric motor in the transmission and a turbo on the engine, a 1.2-litre, petrol three-cylinder powering a more than 1.4-tonne five-seat car is always going to be an interesting equation.

And in practice, although the small triple’s peak torque (230Nm) is available from just 1750rpm it lacks the smoothness of larger capacity mild- and full-hybrid combinations. Especially at slower speeds, the powertrain feels relatively edgy and agitated.

Outright acceleration is fine (claimed 0-100km/h acceleration is 9.4sec) with decent mid-range pulling power for confident overtaking or decisive lane changing (a 15.6kW/51Nm boost from the motor playing its part) and the dual-clutch auto is a more polished example of what can be a fractious device. 

But engineering and tuning for maximum fuel-efficiency has an impact on driveability. For example, we noticed the air-conditioning system’s output softened at standstill, which led to some mild window fogging in stop-start traffic on a particularly humid morning. Haven’t seen that for a while. 

The strut front, torsion beam rear suspension delivers a compliant ride and responsive handling in classic Peugeot fashion. The steering in particular points accurately and provides good road feel. 

We’ve covered the intricacies of the i-Cockpit instrument and steering wheel configuration in the Design section as its shortcomings (for me, anyway) are more ergonomic than dynamic.  

The car is relatively quiet, thanks in part to sound-dampening acoustic glass and the Michelin e.Primacy tyres (205/55) which also grip persistently if you decide to slice through your favourite set of corners. Push the engine harder and it’s revvy note and exhaust rasp will start to make their presence felt. 

Regenerative braking is helpful and the physical brakes (ventilated discs and the front and solid rotors at the rear) are nice and progressive.

The front seats are firmer than the Peugeot norm but remain comfy enough and they provide enough side support to keep you well located. 

Despite the swoopy fastback design, all-around vision is surprisingly good and an overall length under 4.7m, an acceptable 11.2m turning circle, a clear reversing camera and a 360-degree camera view make parking straightforward. 

The 408 has a maximum five-star ANCAP rating from assessment in 2022 with active crash avoidance tech including Auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, junction assist and backover detection, adaptive cruise (with stop & go), lane departure warning and lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition, a 360-degree camera view, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning, driver fatigue monitoring and tyre pressure monitoring as well as front and rear parking sensors.

If a crash is unavoidable there are six airbags onboard (front, front side and side curtain) but a front centre bag is notable for its absence. 

On the upside, an active bonnet helps protect impacted pedestrians from striking hard engine parts under the bonnet and multi-collision brake minimises the chances of subsequent impact after an initial crash. 

For child seats there are three top tether points across the second row with ISOFIX anchors in the outer positions.

Hyundai covers the Ioniq 6 N with its usual seven year/unlimited kilometre warranty, with any non-competitive racetrack usage also covered. So you can do a track day, including the official N Australia organised ones, with peace of mind.

This applies even if you upgrade your tyres and brake pads in search of faster lap times, as long as you don’t enter into a competition, Hyundai will look after most mechanical on-track problems.

Service intervals are every two years or 30,000km, whichever comes first. Hyundai offers a ‘lifetime’ servicing plan that covers the first four years, but with only two services required - one for $645 and the second for $667.

As one of the best-selling brands in the country, Hyundai has an expansive nationwide dealership network, including extensive rural coverage and service centres trained to deal with EVs.

Peugeot covers the 408 with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is perilously close to sub-par in 2026 with an increasing number of brands at seven, eight and up to 10 years conditional. The battery warranty at eight years/160,000km matches the market.

Roadside assistance is included for five years, service is recommended every 12 months/15,000km and pre-paid servicing is offered across three-, four- or five-year plans, with the latter at $2070.

That’s a not insubstantial average of $414 per workshop visit, which Peugeot says will save you $893 compared to pay-as-you-go over the five years.

For reference, a Toyota RAV Hybrid service for any of the first five years is $260, although pricing steps up after that period.

Peugeot has a well established network of 31 dealers mainly covering major cities and key rural areas, primarily on the east coast. Currently, no presence in Tassie or the Northern Territory, while Perth and Adelaide are the only representation in WA and SA.