Review - Hyundai Ioniq 5

It’s known as the Hyundai Ioniq, and it’s a tremendously important car for Hyundai and a clear view into things to come from the name looking to usurp the electric vehicle throne from Tesla alongside its sister-car, the Kia EV6. 

While it remains a fairly early entry into the world of EVs, the problem for the Ioniq 5 is that its main competitor has enjoyed a very significant head-start, giving it familiarity that the Ioniq 5 hasn’t yet received. So, with that in mind, just how good is the Hyundai Ioniq 5, and how effectively has it caught up to the major players in the world of electrified motoring? Let’s find out. 

Starting Price: $71,900

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Hyundai Ioniq 5 (2WD EXTENDED RANGE EV) Specifications

For more details and other variants, check Hyundai Ioniq 5 car page.

How Much Does It Cost?

The Hyundai Ioniq range is being introduced to Australia in two model variants, with the entry-level Ioniq 5 front-wheel drive model being priced from $71,900, while the range-topping Ioniq all-wheel drive variant is priced from $75,900. 

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What Features Does the Hyundai Ioniq 5 Have?

Aside from its technologically-advanced powertrain, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 comes packaged with a number of key and luxury features. It rides on a set of 20-inch alloy wheels, and receives a set of LED head and tail lights, as well as a powered boot lift, keyless entry and start, a glass roof, dual-zone climate control, Eco leather upholstery with heated and ventilated front seats and heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel. 

Also included is a semi-autonomous parking assistant, remote parking assistant, ambient lighting package, a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display and a 12.3-inch infotainment system fitted with satellite navigation, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and an eight-speaker premium sound system from Bose, as well as a heap of active safety equipment that we’ll cover later in this review. 

Range Features: 

• 20-inch alloy wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres 

• LED head and tail lights 

• Adaptive cruise control 

• Glass roof with sunshade 

• 12.3-inch digital driver’s display 

• 12.3-inch infotainment system with sat-nav, Apple CarPlay & Android Auto 

• BOSE sound system 

• Surround-view camera 

• Front and rear-mounted parking sensors 

• Remote parking assistant 

• Eco leather upholstery 

• Heated and ventilated front seats with heated rear seats 

• Powered boot lift 

• Customisable ambient lighting 

• Dual-zone climate control 

• Heated steering wheel 

• Semi-autonomous parking assistant 

• Keyless entry & start 

Hyundai Ioniq 5 Colours

Is it Comfortable to Drive? 

First impressions while sitting behind the wheel and driving the Ioniq 5 are reserved for the somewhat elevated driving position that will no doubt appeal to fans of the high-riding compact SUV segment, as well as the tremendous amount of forward visibility on offer in the new design with a low-slung dashboard that doesn’t get in the way. This makes the Ioniq 5 immediately feel like a user-friendly vehicle to drive around town, and this sense of approachability and familiarity continues when you start driving. 

As you switch the Ioniq 5 into drive and put your foot on the accelerator, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the amount of push on offer. The two-wheel drive variant gets one electric motor while the all-wheel drive Ioniq gets a pair of electric motors that produce a massive amount of torque, which helps push you up to speed in a smooth, effortless manner. Around town, this means that the Ioniq 5 behaves flawlessly on the city streets and is superbly relaxing to drive on a school run or a commute to work. It also means that when you do need a heap of acceleration in a short burst, planting your right foot is returned with a surge of instant power to the wheels, and you’re likely to overtake anything in your path in a matter of seconds. Better still, the turning circle is impressively small, making it an easy car to maneuver and park in close quarters and perform three-point turns in a jiff. 

With an electric motor, there’s no traditional transmission, which means that the Ioniq 5 is extremely smooth as you pick up speed, with a powerful set of brakes to help the added weight from those batteries slow down. As per usual with electric vehicles, the Ioniq 5 offers regenerative braking, which captures energy lost during braking and feeds it back into the lithium-ion battery pack. This may take some getting used to for drivers new to EVs, however, once you’ve got it dialed, it means the Ioniq 5 can be driven the entirety of a journey with one pedal. The driver can adjust how aggressively the car slows down when the accelerator is lifted with the wheel-mounted pedals, adding a nice sense of adjustment to the overall driving experience. 

In terms of the suspension, the Ioniq 5 offers an impressively comfortable ride for the weight that it’s forced to lug around. While Hyundai famously fine-tunes its vehicles specifically for Australian roads, the Ioniq 5 has not received the same treatment, however, we could have been fooled into thinking the opposite. It remains extremely accommodating to bumps on the road and maintains a smooth, comfortable dynamic inside the cabin on longer journeys along rougher surfaces. 

As a complete package, then, the Ioniq 5 is undeniably impressive when it comes to overall driving ability and comfort. It retains all the user-friendly hallmarks we’ve come to associate with a manufacturer like Hyundai, while simultaneously feeling as though it’s from the future.

Is it Practical and Spacious? 

One of the best things about electric vehicles is that with significantly fewer mechanical parts to squeeze into the body of a vehicle, designers have more flexibility than designers might have permitted in the past. The Ioniq 5’s cabin is a testament to this, offering a huge amount of space packaged into a familiar-yet-futuristic design that welcomes friends and family into a fresh and unique interior. 

The driver and front passenger are treated to a minimalist, low-slung dashboard that houses the infotainment system and the digital driver’s display in a side-by-side manner which helps to rid the rest of the cabin from clutter and physical buttons. Things like the climate settings retain physical buttons, however, the rest of the front dash offers more storage options than anything else, which is a great thing for families. Most notably, there’s now a flat, empty area between the driver and front passenger made possible by the new floor design, which can accommodate a bag or backpack. 

These practical touches are almost endless, where in the front of the cabin, you’ll find large storage areas for drink bottles inside each of the doors, as well as a large sliding glove box, folding armrest with deep storage options, a set of cup holders as well as another storage area at the base of the dashboard. There’s a clear sense of space inside the Ioniq 5’s cabin, which offers the driver and front passenger a huge amount of headroom, with a new design that allows you to get more comfortable than the cabin of a traditional internal combustion vehicle. 

The good news keeps coming when you step into the rear of the cabin, which offers a massive amount of space for those seated in the second row. Not only will this keep kids and rapidly-growing teenagers happy, full-sized adults would have no problem stretching out and getting comfortable for long journeys, with a heap of headroom underneath that stunning glass roof. The rear seats are also able to slide forward if you’re looking to create more space in the boot. For those of you with children, the Ioniq 5’s rear seats receive a set of ISOFIX anchor points and top tether mounts, but they can be difficult to find at times, however, there’s enough space in the rear of the cabin that even the largest of child seats fit without the need to sacrifice legroom up front. 

In terms of cargo storage, the Ioniq 5 has a boot capacity rated at 593L in the front-wheel drive variant, while the all-wheel drive has a slightly smaller boot capacity of 560L, due to the second electric motor mounted at the rear. There is also a small amount of storage under the front bonnet for storing small items, although this is barely usable in the all-wheel drive variant. Interestingly, the all-wheel drive variant gets a vehicle-to-load power socket adaptor which converts the battery output to a usable power socket, which is a nice touch. 

All up, then, it’s clear that the Ioniq 5 is more than up for the task of dealing with a growing Australian family, and has the practicality credentials to prove it. 

Is it Safe? 

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has been awarded ANCAP’s maximum five star safety rating, achieving a score of 88 out of 100 for adult occupant protection, 87 for child occupant protection, 63 for vulnerable road user protection and 89 for its active safety assist technologies. 

As standard, all Ioniq models here in Australia are packaged with autonomous emergency braking and a collision avoidance assistant that can help with evasive steering, lane-changes and turns at intersections. This is in addition to blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alerts, parking collision avoidance, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, safe exit assist, a surround view camera with front and rear-mounted parking sensors and seven airbags around the cabin. 

In the context of safety, the Ioniq is impossible to fault due to the fact that Hyundai is packaging its full suite of safety equipment into the vehicle as standard. 

How Far Can the Ioniq 5 Drive on a Single Charge? 

Both the front and all-wheel drive Ioniq variants are powered by a 72.6kWh lithium-ion battery pack that translates to a range figure of 451km for the base model and 430km for its bigger all-wheel drive sibling. Keep in mind that these figures were tested on the stringent WLTP economy standard, which means the Ioniq 5 may have more real-world potential than advertised. This equates to an energy efficiency rating of 17.9kWh per 100km in the two-wheel drive model while the all-wheel drive variant consumes 19kWh per 100km. 

How Long Does it Take to Charge the Ioniq 5? 

The Ioniq 5 features 400 and 800-volt charging architecture which allows it to be fast-charged up to 350kW, depending on the electric charging station that you’re using. With a 350kW DC fast-charger, you’ll add 100km of real-world driving in just five-minutes, while the process of topping the battery up from 10 per cent to 80 per cent happens in just 17-minutes.  

A more realistic indication of its charging speeds, however, is with a 50kW DC fast-charger which takes just over one-hour for a 10-80% charge, while using a 10.5kW wall box at home brings this figure up to the six-hour mark, or around 10-hours with a 7kW wall box. 

Our Verdict: Is the Hyundai Ioniq 5 Worth it?

As a complete package, the Ioniq 5 is so impressive that you could quite easily fool yourself into thinking that Hyundai has been in the electric vehicle business for a decade or more. While the company may have been playing catch up with its major rival, it’s fair to say that Hyundai has well-and-truly caught up, and is setting the stage for a fierce battle as we move into the future. 

While it might be Hyundai’s first attempt at a pure electric vehicle, there’s few - if any - signs of this inexperience when you look at how the Ioniq drives, the curated cabin design and its overall practicality as a family-friendly pure electric crossover. For those reasons, we’d highly recommend adding the Ioniq to your shortlist, and on that note,  if you’re in the market for a new car, you can get a free quote and see how much OnlineAuto can save you on your next car, or call us on 1300 719 925

Five Specs You Need to Know

1. Five-year, unlimited KM warranty 

2. Battery and electric motors receive an eight-year, unlimited KM warranty 

3. 12-month/15,000km service intervals 

4. Five star ANCAP safety rating 

5. 451km range for two-wheel drive; 430km for all-wheel drive variant

Pros 

• Highly-efficient electric powertrain

• Space-age and futuristic design 

• Spacious cabin design 

• Innovative vehicle-to-load power socket  

Cons

• Batteries add significant weight 

• Unimpressive infotainment system 

• Pricier and less-established than Tesla alternative

OnlineAuto Rating: 9/10

Hyundai Ioniq 5 Competition