This Is The Best Car of 2023! 24 Rivals, Only 1 Car of the Year 🥇 

It’s worth driving, definitely!

Yep, there are fans for sure. It is polarising.

Thanks! 👍

As recently as 2018…

Thanks Mel! We love having you!

We liked the Formentor a lot, as the gold star award shows.

They have a plan and are executing it pretty well I reckon. I’m still not sold entirely on the looks of the Ioniq 6 but as a holistic product it’s incredibly well rounded.

Our pleasure!

Yep, just a typo. V/VZx are AWD, VZ/VZe are FWD.

Yes, the hollowing out of the affordable segment isn’t great.

People used to say that 40 years ago when Wheels Magazine awarded their car of the year award to Mercedes Benz. The fact that poor people can’t afford them should never be a disqualifying feature of a car.

I understand your point.@@davidarter9670

One of the other great things about my Ioniq 6 is salary sacrificing it and saving tax money…

​@@davidarter9670 Except we're ALL poor, relatively.

Right on!

Agreed, would be even better as a liftback.

@@chasingcars that what he said

​@@radissimo1That's called agreement.

And the RAV4 is a good car.

You can't afford one anyway

@@diehard200 Leasing through work is affordable with the government FBT exemption.

​@@diehard200What kind of response is this? They aren't even bashing the car, they just don't like the looks. How odd of you to make an assumption of someone's financial situation when all you have to go off of is a sentence and a username.

Would have been even stronger as a wagon.

I would be so tempted by a wagon

I wish it were a wagon, that would have been amazing, but it’s a beautiful car to drive

Thinking AU falcon

Thanks 👍

Not beautiful from the rear - I think we’d all agree. But great to drive and good value for the engineering you’re buying.

Yeah but it’s ugly. It’s a no from me.

All cars are ugly now. Seriously, that's not just my opinion, it's also a fact. Style has become future porn mushed with 5 star safety plastic wrapped air Jordan's on wheels.

I thought it looked horrible online but my opinion changed when I finally saw one in the flesh

It needs a feature to hide itself when you walk up to it. I can deal with an average looking car- but this is the ugliest car around

Glad you enjoyed it.

It was below zero on one of the days! For us, that’s cold!

Looking forward to reviewing it soon

Have to agree, launched about $10k cheaper than I expected.

Model 3 facelift only launched a matter of days ago, so time-wise impossible to include it in a video filmed a number of months ago. Model Y was in the video.

Thanks, that’s a credit to our team.

That durability!

It was invited but didn’t roll off the boat until a few weeks after filming. Same with M2.

@@chasingcars Does this mean it qualifies for next years comp?

More than likely!

@@chasingcarsM2 my pick

The platform’s a good one.

Thanking you!

Could be. I read all the feedback on owner forums etc - some people don’t care, others do. I think it needs a software update to reduce the sensitivity.

@@chasingcars thanks

The updated Polestar 2 hadn’t launched when we filmed, but having driven it now I don’t think it would have qualified. The range and efficiency improvement is seriously impressive (and would qualify as a significant mechanical change) - but the ride quality hasn’t improved nearly enough. It would have been ruled out on that ground, I think.

As for C40, again I’m on the fence about eligibility. It’s more or less an XC40 Recharge coupe, so I’m not certain it qualifies as sufficiently distinct to be called a new model. What do you think?

@ChasingCars but the E-GV70 “got a pass to attend this year” because it’s different under the skin. The C40 is different in form and, arguably, function to the XC40 so why does it not “get a pass”?

Well, yeah - the differences between a GV70 V6 and E-GV70 are much greater than the differences between the XC40 EV (of 2020) and the C40! Removal of engine and gearbox, insertion of motors, battery, 800v PE system, different suspension and steering… etc. As you’ve said, the XC40/C40 difference is almost entirely form. Eligibility requires a significant mechanical change, which I’m just not seeing in the C40.

@@chasingcars fair enough, the mechanical aspect of eligibility isn’t perhaps well explained.

Because Honda didn’t get it to the event. We did invite it.

That’s right. But when you consider 2022’s best EV was ~$200K+, 2023’s best EV (and COTY) is ~$75K+, it’s clear that the price trajectory is going in the right direction

@@chasingcars Compared to a Porsche, sure.

Salary sacrifice one and save $1000s in tax

60 was just about to launch, and had been rated by us as having poor ride quality and mediocre refinement (mainly transmission) so doubtful it would have been competitive enough. 90 was a few months away.

I have two EV's, one costs about $850 a year and one just over $1000 for vehicles that are $50k and over, how much do you pay for comprehensive insurance.

@@GDM22 that’s actually really good price. What provider? Can I ask?

@@twinrotors RAC

Hasn’t launched yet in new-gen form

The Everest requires ground clearance for what it's used for and when compared to the rest of its segment (SUVs). The Ioniq 6 is hardly going off-roading and is in a completely different segment (EV Sedan). The Ioniq 6 is no lower than a Tesla Model 3. In fact, it has slightly more clearance. I'm yet to hear of any widespread issue of Ioniq 6 owners damaging their batteries due to the clearance, so my anecdotal evidence is as valid as yours.

The ioniq 6 is overpriced. Hyundai aren't able to masss produce them. They are making a new ev factory that should help with that. I'm getting my ioniq 6 tomorrow

Invited - but not submitted by Honda. They couldn’t work out the logistics to get it to us.

@@chasingcars That says it all about Honda Australia. What a facepalm moment. I would have happily lent you mine.

That’s kind of you!

Would have loved the FL5 R on test! Hopefully next time!

I don't think (very) limited run performance cars should qualify for COTY.

We did invite the Civic Type R but Honda couldn’t get it to us.

Invited but not submitted by Honda, they couldn’t get it to us in time.

I don't understand this mentality. It's not pushing anything to consider vehicles that are on the market. I can claim that all car channels 'push' SUVs simply because I think they're the worst thing to happen to the car industry and yet that would be equally juvenile. They exist in the market and people want them (that goes for both SUVs and EVs), so they must be considered.

Volkswagen should have a few entries next year as should Honda.

You say the Hyundai looks vile and yet I think the Tiguan and all other SUVs look vile. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say.

Seal hasn’t actually launched yet (even if a few deliveries have trickled out). Agree LFP has its advantages, although so does NMC, not to mention the fact the Ioniq 6 is 800v and charges much faster.

Fast charging is big advantage for Ioniq 6, hopefully LFP batteries-charging speed technology improves over-time.

@@chasingcars I think in Australia given the speeds of he chargers, 150kwh is quick enough especially given the LFP blade batteries have a pretty flat charging curve. The AWD version is $68K before onroads with an 82.5kwh battery, adaptable suspension, 0-100kmh in 3.8 second acceleration and cell to body architecture (see its Moose test speeds).

@GDM22 Not sure I agree with the assertion that charging speeds in Australia mean 150kW peak is impressive enough, given the prevalence of 350kW chargers on a number of key trunk routes - Ioniq 6 is able to take advantage of these.

@@chasingcars From what I can see most vehicles slow down considerably even before reaching 50%. The Blade Battery in the Tesla Model Y in Germany have much flatter charging curves than the CATL LFP batteries.We will have to wait and see with the Seal, but for many like myself it is something I do so sparingly that another 10 minutes a few times a year is not worth worrying about. I choose my locations more on the amenities than ultimate charging speed anyway.

While I personally agree that the Ioniq 6 is butt-ugly, it's difficult to quantify "looks". One person's trash, etc etc...

You can't afford one anyway

Sponsored by EV lobby!

What dangers, limitations, and 'outright dangers'? You're struggling to keep up, just as people did when leaded petrol was going out of style. EVs catching fire is still significantly less common than ICEs catching fire. Reliability? This is an Australian channel for the Australian market. Australia as a country very rarely gets below 0° anywhere, just as it very rarely gets above 42° anywhere. Where exactly have these car park bans been enforced? It sounds much more like one store somewhere has decided to implement something and you're passing it off as some widespread idea. No major shopping centre has or will do so because it will cost them customers. Your quoted lifespan has been pulled out of nowhere and is the equivalent of if I picked a random car and passed that car's longevity off as the longevity for every vehicle. Not all batteries are the same and the newer ones absolutely last with significantly less degradation. We're talking about a technology that has only seen proper adoption over less than a decade. The first iterations of which are still going. Insane costs to repair 'minor' damage? Like what, exactly? EVs are known to cost significantly less to maintain and the cost to repair absolutely depends on what breaks. Anything minor isn't an issue and certainly not when one considers how many things can (and do) need replacing in an ICE, most of which are absent in EVs. All in all, you represent a reluctant portion of the population that continues to become more and more of the minority as people experience EVs and understand that the fear mongering is a bunch of nonsense. Don't buy yourself a cheap shitty Chinese one and you'll be fine. The only 'limitation' that one could argue is the access to charging, which for most owners just involves charging at home so it's a moot point. This channel, nor others, will see any of the doom and gloom you're preaching because eventually, much like (unfortunately) SUVs have taken over the market, so will EVs. That's what they're doing and they will continue to do. I do hope you warm to the idea before you're left in the dust to the harshness of time.

Hyundai hasn’t been a budget-oriented carmaker for some time. It’s thoroughly mainstream.

120k for the Hyundai ioniq 5N

@@chasingcars interesting selection of words to describe a car company that made its reputation in selling low quality vehicles for years☺️ time will tell if they have improved at all.

Interesting selection of words? Just keeping up with the times, cobber.

Invited but didn’t make it to the event sadly.

The boot could absolutely be better

And second place ain’t bad.

You can't afford one anyway

And why can’t a Hyundai be car of the year?

@@chasingcars Mazda has way better cars none were nominated

At the time of filming, Mazda’s only new vehicle this year was the CX-60, which wasn’t good enough due to poor ride quality and refinement - as a result it would not have been competitive: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-clr2U7uWZR8.html

I think it would have been strong - but the timing didn’t work out due to when Aussie cars landed in the country. MG4 will be a valued inclusion for 2024.

The digital green is my pick I think

I love my digital green 😊

Gravity gold

I guess so, given you clicked on it.

Totally fine to have that view. As I’ve always said in this job, design is subjective. I spend most of my time on the objective bits.

It’s gorgeous! Especially in the flesh…

That is your opinion, what is not anyone's opinion is how the low coefficient of drag makes it very efficient with it using around 1/8 of the energy that the average ICE vehicle uses in Australia, perhaps you can appreciate that.

You can't afford one anyway

Mercedes claims to carefully track the supply chain of its batteries to ensure ethical sourcing. Personally I haven’t visited the mine.