Hyundai Ioniq 5 Review Retro Inspired Electric Crossover with Tech Prowess
Published on March 28, 2023
Hyundai really got our attention when it launched the Ioniq 5. While the Kona Electric and first-generation Ioniq models were good, solid electric cars, the 5 dazzled with its retro-inspired concept car looks, a spacious and modern interior, and a wide range of excellent electric powertrains. Now that Hyundai has our attention - and that of buyers previously loyal to established premium brands - it is confident enough in its cars' appeal to be really daring with the style. Enter the Ioniq 6, an electric saloon influenced by the Hyundai Prophecy concept car that the Korean company refers to as a 'streamliner'. That's due to the obsession with aerodynamics that went into its shape, in a bid to maximise the range between charges. It's now on sale in Ireland, priced to compete with the Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2 and others. Should it be your next/first EV?
In the metal
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 grabbed attention when it was new, but the Ioniq 6 ramps that up considerably, as it's not at all conventional looking. Response to our social media posts of the car was very mixed, with just as many people disliking the appearance as there were those that loved how daring and unique it is.
There's a very good reason for how it looks, and that's aerodynamic efficiency. The development team set out to reduce the car's drag as much as possible, in a bid to maximise range. The low, smooth front end looks like it cuts through the air cleanly, but look closely and you'll see a few other tricks at work, such as large automatic opening flaps in the lower apron to allow cooling air into the radiator behind only when it's needed. There are slots in the outer edges of the bumper as well, to guide air through the wheel wells and reduce drag, and there you'll spot slim black "wheel gap reducers", too.
You can't see the underbody covers that form part of the package of aerodynamic measures, but the rear end's design is dominated by two different spoiler-like features, one at the trailing edge of the sloped rear window and another above the full-width LED lights. The latter are a talking point on their own thanks to Hyundai's 'Parametric Pixel' motif, and they sit above a detailed rear bumper/diffuser.
The result is an incredibly low drag coefficient of 0.21, and hints of other notable cars, such as the first-generation Mercedes CLS and even the current Porsche 911.
Flush-fitting door handles are standard, while the conventional door mirrors are swapped for cameras in the range-topping model. Likewise, only that car gets the more stylish 20-inch alloy wheels, as the 18-inch rims help extend the range - and comfort.
After the shock of the exterior, the interior is a calm oasis of clean lines and understated design. It takes some cues from the Ioniq 5, but it's quite different in other ways. There is the same excellent double-screen layout using two 12.3-inch displays as standard across the range, though. The instruments are futuristic in style, but easy to read at a glance. And as we've seen in other Hyundais, the integrated blind-spot camera view is a brilliant idea.
The big touchscreen in the middle is easy to navigate and full of features, though we're very glad to see that the switchgear for the dual-zone climate control is kept separate below it, along with a physical volume knob and other shortcut buttons for the system.
Unlike the Ioniq 5, the 6's centre console doesn't move. It's a two-level design with a rubberised wireless charging pad, USB-A port and cupholders up top and a large storage area underneath with a 12-volt socket. Two USB-C ports are in the storage box under the armrest and there are more in the back of the car (along with vents for the rear passengers). Interestingly, the electric window switches are also on the centre console, allowing Hyundai trim back the door cards and free up more space.
Despite what appears to be a low-slung roof, there's loads of headroom up front and Hyundai claims that the Ioniq 6 has more front legroom than any other car it makes. Plenty of adjustment of the driving position through the seat and steering wheel is possible and there are extra buttons on the side of the passenger seat nearest the driver to allow others move that chair electrically when required.
The flattened-circle steering wheel has a pleasingly thin rim and is good to hold, though we found the interactive LEDs on its boss a little unnecessary. The drive selector is a column you twist on the right of the wheel, under that for the wipers.
Through all this is a sense of high quality. The Ioniq 6 isn't a luxury car as such, but it does feel well made and the plastics used in the cabin are textured in an interesting fashion. Metallic highlights, such as the extravagantly-styled speaker grilles, raise the ambience, as does the stunning mood lighting at night. Incidentally, buyers can choose between two different colour schemes for the interior - one bright, one dark.
Adults of average height don't have to duck too much to get into the back of the Ioniq 6 - and the doors open wide to make it easier to get in, too. The floor is flat all the way across and the backs of the front seats are scalloped to make plenty of space for knees, as well. There's enough headroom to accommodate six-feet-tall people, just about, and while there probably isn't space to accommodate three child seats, three teenagers should fit in without too much trouble. There are ISOFIX mountings in the outer two seats.
It's not possible to fold the seatbacks down from inside the car, but there are levers in the boot to make that happen. The boot itself is quite small, at 401 litres, though at least the charging cables and other bits and pieces can be kept under the bonnet up front, where there's an extra storage area of 45 litres.
Driving it
The word that comes to mind first when describing how the Ioniq 6 drives is 'refinement', as it is exceptionally quiet and smooth - even by the standards of good electric cars. The low-drag design helps keep wind roar over the car body to a minimum which you'll appreciate at motorway speeds especially. Double-glazed side glass helps as well. Road noise is well-contained, too (the test car sat on 18-inch alloy wheels shod in modest Nexen tyres), while the electric motor is barely ever audible.
In the default Normal driving mode, response to the accelerator is smooth and measured, hiding the fact the car is rear-driven as the traction of the rear tyres is never troubled. Indeed, you may initially wonder where the 228hp and 350Nm of torque are. However, if you put your foot down in search of it, the Ioniq 6 delivers decent performance and you can sense that it's rear-wheel driven, though it's never unruly - certainly not in the dry conditions of our test drive. It feels notably friskier in the Sport driving setting and owners can program their own custom driving mode, too. Hyundai quotes 0-100km/h in 7.4 seconds for this version of the car.
Through a sequence of tight corners you get a sense of the car's excellent balance, thanks to the low-mounted battery pack and rear motor, and it's genuinely enjoyable to drive, if not sporty as such. Instead, the chassis is controlled, keeping unwanted body movements in check, though it does that without resorting to over-stiff springs and anti-roll bars. On the flipside, it's not pillow-soft over poor road surfaces, but it deals with them competently and it always feels controlled and stable. That's in spite of feeling lighter and more agile than the Ioniq 5 it shares its core platform with.
I realise that more readers will be interested in how efficient the Ioniq 6 is than how it goes around corners...
We have not yet had the opportunity to test the range to the extreme, but initial signs are good. The official range for this model is 614 kilometres. On a very cold day, we set out with a full battery and the range showing at about 530km. A heat pump is fitted as standard so that will help when temperatures are low. During some quicker driving on hilly roads we saw the energy consumption hit as high as 20kWh/100km, while it dropped to nearly 13kWh/100km when just ambling around. Overall, we saw an average in and around 17kWh/100km and we'd expect owners to better that with a little effort.
Using DC public chargers, the Ioniq 6 can charge at up to 232kWh (that's 100km in under five minutes if you can find a good enough charger, in theory), with up to 11kW possible on an AC outlet.
What you get for your money
Irish pricing for the Hyundai Ioniq 6 starts at 48,295 including incentives that are in place at the time of writing. That's for the Signature model using the 53kWh (gross capacity) battery pack, a 151hp electric motor and an official range between charges of up to 429 kilometres. The 77.4kWh battery (74kWh usable) can be had in an Ioniq 6 Signature, too, priced at 54,315.
Signature specification includes the 18-inch alloys pictured here, cloth upholstery, heated front seats and steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, auto lights and wipers, LED lights all-round, electric tailgate, electric-folding door mirrors, rear-view parking camera, adaptive cruise control, Bluetooth, wireless charging pad, navigation, the two 12.3-inch screens and a wealth of safety equipment. As mentioned earlier, a heat pump is standard across the line-up, too.
A single Ioniq 6 Elegance is offered at 62,496 (it's the one we drove), using the larger battery pack. It adds leather upholstery, Remote Smart Parking Assist, upgraded headlights, Highway Drive Assist 2, Blind Spot View Monitor, rear privacy glass, ventilation for the front seats, Bose speakers, ambient lighting, 'Premium Relaxation' seats, heated rear seats, head-up display and even more driver assistance technology.
Topping the line-up is the all-wheel-drive Ioniq 6 Finesse at 67,995. This has electric motors front and rear for a peak power output of 325hp and a slightly reduced range - to 583km - from the 77.4kWh battery due to the fitment of 20-inch wheels as standard.
Summary
Hyundai is making a bold statement with the aero-lead design of the Ioniq 6, but there's a lot more to this car than its exterior style. The aerodynamics help it achieve noteworthy efficiency in everyday driving of course, but it also has a great cabin, a huge level of standard equipment and it's genuinely good to drive, with a welcome focus on refinement. Buyers that have traditionally been loyal to premium marques will find a lot in the Ioniq 6 to tempt them away, that's for sure.
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric SUV revealed: 480km range, plush interior for retro-styled EV
An all-electric mid-size SUV built to rival the Volkswagen ID.4 and upcoming Toyota 'BZ', the Ioniq 5 is both the first model from Hyundai's new Ioniq electric vehicle (EV) sub-brand, and is the first vehicle to ride on Hyundai, Kia and Genesis' E-GMP electric-only modular platform.
For a full breakdown of everything Korea's latest electric car has to offer, check out each section and subheading below.
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric powertrain specs
Two battery sizes will be offered a 58kWh (net) 'Standard Range' unit, and a larger 72.6kWh 'Long Range' pack paired with a choice of rear- or all-wheel-drive.
Rear-drive Standard Range models claim power and torque outputs of 125kW and 350Nm respectively, and cover 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds, while all-wheel-drive (AWD) cars with the same battery up outputs and cut acceleration to 173kW/605Nm and 6.1 seconds respectively.
The quickest model in the range is the Long Range AWD, which develops 225kW and 605Nm from a pair of electric motors, enabling a 5.2-second dash from 0-100km/h making the flagship Ioniq 5 the brand's quickest model, given the Hyundai i30 N hot hatch can only manage a 5.9-second dash across the benchmark sprint.
Road-trip loving buyers should opt for the rear-drive Long Range 2WD, which claims a maximum driving range of 470 to 480 kilometres on Europe's WLTP test cycle the longest of the line-up. Driving range figures for the other three variants have yet to be announced.
All models claim a top speed of 185km/h.
A perk of the new E-GMP platform is support for both 400-volt and 800-volt charging infrastructure, with Hyundai claiming the patented 'multi-charging system' that allows both voltages to be supported is a world first.
Plug the Ioniq 5 into a 350kW DC fast-charger the fastest and most powerful currently available in Australia and around the globe and you'll be able to recharge the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in 18 minutes, with a five-minute stint on the charger adding up to 100km of WLTP range.
That 10 to 80 per cent figure makes Hyundai's new SUV one of the fastest-charging electric vehicles on the market, on par with the 22.5-minute time claimed for a 5 to 80 per cent charge by the Porsche Taycan sedan.
A vehicle-to-load (V2L) system is on offer, allowing owners to charge bicycles, scooters, camping equipment, TVs and other electrical devices directly from the car's lithium-ion battery at up to 3.6kW, thanks to ports under the rear seats and behind the exterior charging flap.
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 exterior design
Visually, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is directly inspired by the Hyundai 45 EV concept showcased at the 2019 Frankfurt motor show, with a retro-inspired design inspired by the Korean brand's first passenger car, the 1970s Pony.
Up front, a black 'grille' strip is flanked by 'Parametric Pixel' LED headlights with the lights' rectangular signatures unique to the Ioniq 5 and joined by Hyundai's first clamshell bonnet, intended to optimise aerodynamics and maximise range.
Along the side, the concept's 'folded' surfacing has been retained, with a sharp crease running diagonally across the doors. It's joined by a set of pop-out 'flush' door handles and a quartet of aero-style alloy wheels measuring up to 20 inches in diameter.
At the rear, the pixel-like LED lighting theme continues, with four rectangular tail-light signatures sitting in pairs on either side of an 'IONIQ 5' badge.
Nine exterior colours are available, comprising the Gravity Gold Matte hero colour (pictured), Shooting Star Grey Matte, Digital Teal Green Pearl, Mystic Olive Green Pearl, Lucid Blue Pearl, Atlas White, Galactic Grey Metallic, Cyber Grey Metallic and Phantom Black Pearl.
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 interior
Inside, the Ioniq 5 debuts an all-new interior for the Korean brand, combining futuristic screens with comfort-focused seats and surfaces in what the brand refers to as a 'Living Space'.
A pair of 12-inch displays (for infotainment and instruments) are integrated into a tablet-style panel on the dashboard, with the infotainment touchscreen the first model to use a new "Jong-e Graphic User Interface" which reportedly offers "various interior ambience settings, such as soft, delicate and exuberant".
Sitting in the centre of the cabin is a new 'Universal Island' movable centre console, which can slide back and forth by up to 140mm to allow passengers to pass through the front cabin and enter/exit the vehicle on either side when in tight parking spaces.
Front seat passengers sit in new electrically-adjustable, heated comfort seats, which recline to the "optimum angle" for a "weightless feeling". The front pews are also said to be up to 30 per cent thinner than those fitted to other Hyundai vehicles, increasing legroom for rear seat passengers.
On the subject of the second row, the aforementioned centre console provides access to cup holders, a 15-watt wireless smartphone charger, and multiple USB ports for the three rear-seat occupants.
Sustainable materials adorn the seats, headlining, floor, door trims and armrests, with eco-friendly materials used by Hyundai including recycled PET bottles, plant-based and natural wool yarns, artificial leather and "bio paint", the latter pair including "plant-based extracts".
A Tesla-style glass roof comprising a single glass panel with no support beams is available, as is a solar roof capable of collecting energy from the sun and storing it in the battery pack, preventing battery discharge when parked and providing a driving range boost.
Three interior colour choices Obsidian Black, Dark Pebble Grey/Dove Grey, and Dark Teal/Dove Grey are available, as are comfort and convenience features including an augmented-reality head-up display, an eight-speaker Bose sound system and a heated steering wheel.
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 practicality
Measuring in 4635mm long, 1890mm wide and 1605mm tall, with a 3000mm wheelbase, the Ioniq 5 is 5mm longer and 15mm wider than the new long-wheelbase, petrol-powered, mid-size Tucson SUV, yet is 65mm lower in overall height.
Its wheelbase is 100mm longer than that of Hyundai's largest SUV, thePalisade testament to how far the wheels have been pushed to the corners of the car.Hyundai claims the new EV offers large sedan levels of space, despite its mid-size SUV package.
Boot space is rated at 531 litres with the second row in place, expanding to 1591 litres with the seats folded.
Practicality is aided by an additional 57-litre storage area underneath the bonnet (where a combustion engine would usually live) and a 60:40 split for the rear seats, which can also slide forward by up to 135mm.
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 safety technology
A full suite of 'SmartSense' driver assistance technologies are available, led by Highway Driving Assist 2, which uses a front camera, sensors and navigation data to accelerate, brake and centre the vehicle in its lane on a freeway, while "assisting" the driver when changing lanes.
There's also autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection and support for intersections, low-speed reverse AEB, forward collision warning, intelligent speed limit assist, auto high-beam, driver attention monitoring, a 360-degree camera and Safe Exit Assist, which prevents the rear doors from being opened if an oncoming hazard is detected.
The blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert systems can both detect and brake for obstacles, while a Blind-Spot View Monitor system projects a rear-facing camera feed from the side mirrors into the instrument cluster when the driver activates an indicator to change lanes.
Remote Smart Parking Assist enables drivers to park their Ioniq 5 in both parallel and perpendicular spaces when standing outside the vehicle via a button on the key fob.
Hyundai's Bluelink connected car services will also be available, employing a smartphone app to display the vehicle's location, vehicle status information (such as whether windows are open or doors are unlocked), remotely start the car, activate climate control and heated seats before entering the vehicle, and more.
EV-specific features on the app include screens to monitor range, battery status and charging times, along with an 'advanced battery management system' allowing users to select a preferred window for charging times to fit their schedule or take advantage of cheaper off-peak electricity rates.
When will the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 come to Australia?
The 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 will go on sale in Australia in the third quarter of 2021 (July to September inclusive), after launching in Korea and other markets in the first half of this year.
Local pricing and specifications will be announced closer to launch.
For reference, the existingKona Electric small electric SUV starts from $60,740 before on-road costs in Australia where the larger, but newer (and likely powered by batteries that are cheaper to manufacture, per kWh) Ioniq 5 will sit in comparison remains unclear.
The Ioniq 5 will be followed by the Ioniq 6, an electric sedan inspired by the Prophecy concept, and the Ioniq 7, a large electric SUV first teased at the Ioniq brand's announcement in 2020.
