What's the difference?
Sedans have long been supplanted by SUVs as the family favourite but they still have their charms for those drivers who like something that feels more dynamic on the road.
Enter the limited edition Volvo S60 Recharge Black Edition which sees the return of a plug-in hybrid powertrain for Volvo’s only sedan.
I’ve been family-testing the PHEV variant to see just how practical a sedan is for the modern family, and whether it's rivals, the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C200 have anything to worry about.
This new Hyundai Ioniq 6 N asks one important question for the brand - how far can Hyundai go?
Not in the sense of driving range, but rather how far can the brand go in terms of both performance and price. The Ioniq 6 N pushes the limit on both, offering supercar levels of power and performance and at a price that continues to take the brand into unchartered territory.
This is the follow-up to the groundbreaking Ioniq 5 N, the all-electric performance SUV that launched in 2024. But, as you’d expect, in the intervening time Hyundai has been able to make improvements to push the Ioniq 6 N to new levels.
The Ioniq 5 N dramatically raised the bar for Hyundai, offering up to 478kW of power and 770Nm of torque, way beyond the 242kW/348Nm offered by the brand’s i30 N hot hatch. This was Hyundai’s ‘Godzilla moment’, when the Skyline GT-R changed the image of Nissan forever.
Now the Ioniq 6 N looks to push things even further. And it does so as the sole Ioniq 6 model grade in 2026, with the rest of the range currently unavailable in Australia, as the local operation waits for the facelifted model to arrive sometime in the future.
The Volvo S60 Recharge Black Edition proves sedans can still be sexy and an excellent family car, providing your family is on the smaller side. I only have one kid, so it's perfect for our activities and gear. It’s wonderful to drive and has a great features list but it's not without its quirks.
My son thinks it looks cool, and we enjoyed bellowing out a few renditions of the original Batman theme song this week. He has had a lot of comfort in the back seat, too.
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.Â
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.Â
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.