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Jon Ball took the Hyundai Hybrid to the extreme on his recent charity road trip, supported by our Peterborough Hyundai dealership. The challenge was to travel to the four corners of the country in less than 3 days to raise money for Hope-into-Action which provides homes and support for those in vulnerable and difficult situations. Jon was able to raise £1,600 for them and we would like to congratulate him for his efforts.
On his return home, Jon wrote the following review of the IONIQ Hybrid and its tour of the country.
If someone was to suggest a road trip that took in all the four extreme corners of the mainland UK, how long would you put aside to cover the more than 2,000 miles? A week? 10 days? Our aim was to do the whole trip in less than 3 days, including stops! So why so short a timeframe? We were on a mission. We had arranged the drive, in order to raise money for a local charity, Hope-into-Action and the challenge dictated that time was of the essence!
This is how we found ourselves taking a top spec Hyundai IONIQ Hybrid Premium SE on a tour of the UK. Visiting Dunnet Head in the north, Ardnamurchan Point in the west, Lizard Point in the south and Ness Point, Lowestoft in the east - the ‘4 Corners’ of the UK. All of this on one of the hottest weekends of the year, so far!
The car itself, one of Hyundai Press Fleet’s finest was supplied by my local dealer Smiths Hyundai, turned out to be an impressive companion for the trip. The radar guided cruise control and the lane keep assist proved their worth on the A1 at 2am; even more so during the busy afternoon traffic on the M5 heading south to Cornwall. Here the car’s ability to keep a ‘safe zone’ around itself takes a lot of the mental drain out of long motorway slogs such as this.
While the north-west of Scotland failed to reward us with its magnificent views, it was cold and raining, it showed the car to be capable and surefooted on the twisty single-track lanes. The car’s ABS was tested several times as Deer, Stag and Sheep were left wondering what this car is doing on ‘their road’ at 4am on a Sunday morning! As we headed south and the temperature began to rise the climate control and cooled leather seats proved their worth too.
It’s when you look at a satellite navigation with ‘250 miles to go’ and in your head, you think ‘Oh nearly there then!’ you know that long distance is something that this car does really well. As we reached Lizard Point after a 1,000-mile stint on one of the hottest days in June and still (relatively) fresh, it was the drivers, not the car, that needed a rest.
The final day meant a mere 450-mile drive back home, via Lowestoft. The satellite navigation, with real time traffic, told us all we needed to know to avoid the M25 on a hot Monday morning and we set a course north-east. We arrived back home after completing 2,120 miles at an average speed of 50mph and a real 60mpg. Having completed in less than three days more miles than most drivers will cover in over two months, you get to really know a car. I was honestly sorry to hand the key back. The IONIQ Hybrid dealt with the trip with refined ease, so much so I am sure it was ready for, and more than capable of, Lap #2.
In total, we raised over £1,600 for charity and I want to personally thank Smiths Peterborough and Hyundai UK for their support in helping me to do this.
To find out more about the IONIQ range please click on the link below: