By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica.com

(July 6, 2022) The all-new all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the brand’s first purpose-built EV and has just arrived at dealerships – sort of. Hyundai cautions that availability is extremely limited at select, not all dealerships and as of this writing only available in 26 states.

Ioniq 5 is built on the same platform as the new Kia EV6 and is a five-passenger high-riding hatchback a bit larger than the Hyundai Tucson crossover but doesn’t have the traditional crossover SUV characteristics despite Hyundai’s marketing efforts to convince you it does.

At launch, Hyundai is offering the Ioniq 5 in a choice of four trim levels: The base SE Standard Range $39,950, SE $44,000, SEL $46,250 and our tested Ioniq 5, the Limited with a $51,100 starting price. Rear-wheel drive (RWD)is standard on all trim levels with all-wheel-drive (AWD) available on SE and SEL for an additional $3,500 and $3,900 on the Limited. Nineteen-inch wheels are standard on all trim levels, 20-inchers are optional.

Here's a few more Ioniq 5 numbers worth knowing: There are three different horsepower options for the vehicle. First, the base SE RWD gets 170-horsepower, RWD SE and SEL get 225-horsepower and opting for AWD jumps horsepower to 329. Most important is driving range where RWD can travel up to 303 miles on a single charge with AWD models have a 256-mile range. However, in our real-world driving with our AWD Limited test vehicle during our week of driving was just 201 miles necessitating frequent recharging stops.

EV driving mileage is reduced in cold weather driving conditions and in extremely hot climates like here in Arizona where I did my testing with actual temperatures above 100∞ and Max Air selected on the vehicle’s climate control setting.

On the plus side, Ioniq 5 has one of the fastest recharge times of all electric vehicles with the ability to charge from 10 to 80 percent in just 20 minutes using a 350-Kwh charger. That’s on par with both Porsche and Audi. When plugged into a 240-volt outlet like the kind that common household appliances use, otherwise known as a Level 2 outlet, the car can complete a full charge in about 7 hours. Owners get 2 years of unlimited 30-minute complimentary charging sessions via Electrify America charging stations, if you can locate one and assuming others aren’t plugged in requiring you to wait your turn in line.

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The Ioniq 5 is also equipped with Hyundai's V2L function to charge any electrical device. The system supplies up to 3.6 kW of power, and you can charge high-powered equipment or run electrical kitchen appliances using a converter. Hyundai has kindly included an outside power port so you can use V2L even when the vehicle is off.



Design wise, the Ioniq 5 is striking in appearance and to our eyes with a quirky, retro 1970s symmetry-breaking diagonal light line along the side panels. Most people I encountered during my testing thought the look to be weird but loved it and so did I.  Adding to the weirdness is an abundance of pixels that are simply everywhere on the vehicle inside and out. There’s a light bar that completely transcends the entire rear of the vehicle and is completely pixelated with small one-inch squares. Up front the daytime running lights and headlights are also square with white illumination that turn flashing orange when the turn signal is engaged.

Wheel arch cladding is also a bit strange with a slashing cyclone pattern that mimic’s the vehicle’s alloy wheel design. Lower body sill cladding is sculpted with five strakes matching both the front and rear lower body valences. Other pixels are located on the vehicle’s charging port door that you touch to open and when opened reveals more pixels that light up to indicate the level of completed charging status.

Inside, the Ioniq 5 is equally quirky and again with pixels abound starting with a string of them across the center of the steering wheel. They also show up on the door sill plus a long row of pixels on the door armrests.

The interior is pleasantly comfortable and roomy with ample seat adjustment to satisfy all sizes of drivers and passengers. The overall look is minimalist with twin 12-inch cluster screen that’s mostly void of traditional dials and switches. The gauge screen displays the vehicle’s speed on the left side and remaining range of driving miles on the right and are placed such that the steering wheel blocks their view. Drive selectable vehicle drive modes of Eco, Comfort, Sport and Snow are displayed between the two. Thankfully there is a head up display where that information is easily read unless you’re wearing polarized sunglasses.

Our tester came equipped with a driver assist system that worked exceptionally well controlling the vehicle with hands free steering, acceleration and braking for you. The system also allows you to pass and change lanes with the use of the turn directional signal. It’s very similar to Cadillac’s Super Cruise system. However, we found it didn’t work well because a slow response time that’s exceptionally long with the turn indicator flashing up to eight times before the vehicle even begins to respond. It’s easier and quicker to just change lanes yourself.

The lack of most physical switchgear brings its own difficulties with a few features that were hard to find and use especially while on-the-go. For example, the heated seat control void of any manual operating buttons is integrated into the screen for operation. It’s surprisingly difficult requiring a two-step operation by first having to press a “warmer” button on the lower instrument panel. That brings up a seat display on the screen to set up how you want the seats to heat. That same operation is also required for the heated steering wheel. It would have been much simpler to just put an on-off push button on the lower control panel for each function.

On the road we found acceleration to be eagerly quick from a stop along with ample power for passing or merging onto the highway. Acceleration from zero to 60 mph takes just 5 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 115 mph. The Ioniq 5 feels stable and well planted on highway curves and during quick cornering. There’s regenerative braking that’s smooth and unobtrusive.  

Overall, the Ioniq 5 is an impressive vehicle with much to like including exceptional driving dynamics, a roomy, comfortable cabin and we especially liked the retro futuristic design and styling. All trim levels have a long list of standard features and equipment that’s typical for Hyundai products. For now, at least, availability is extremely limited, and its unimpressive driving range could make it a deal breaker for those having longer range needs.

Vital Stats

2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited

Base Price: $54,500
Price as Tested: $55,920
Engine/Transmission: 320-horsepower dual electric motor with a liquid-cooled
Lithium-ion, 77.4 kWh battery pack with a single speed direct-drive automatic transmission.
EPA Fuel Economy: 110/87/98 – MPGe - City/Highway/Combined
Seating: 5

Crash Test Safety Ratings:
Neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has crash tested the 2022 Ioniq 5.

Where Built: Ulsan, South Korea

Competes With:
Ford Mustang Mach e
Kia EV6
Polestar 2
Tesla Model 3 and Y
Volkswagen iD4
Volvo XC40 and C40 recharge

Likes:
Really cool looking
Super quick recharging at Electrify America stations
Smooth, quiet ride and handling

Dislikes:
No wiper on rear hatch glass
Some operating controls are overly complicated
Unimpressive driving range could be a deal breaker