Hyundai’s Ioniq sub brand went all-electric in the 2022 model year with two distinct and compact body styles: a five-door hatchback and more traditional four-door sedan. Both are hoots to drive and pleasant segues into Electric Vehicle travel if new to the sport. Prior to 2022, Ioniq offered a gas-electric hybrid model and a plug-in hybrid choice, both now discontinued.
It’s all inspired by South Korea’s largest automaker’s Electric-Global Modular Platform upon which the Ioniq5 (the five-door hatch) and Ioniq6 (four-door sedan) rest and many future EV counterparts will share including future products from Kia and Genesis, both Hyundai Motor Group properties. Its skateboard type layout serves as a base, with the sizeable lithium-ion polymer battery pack situating between the axles, may be scaled up to accommodate mid-size and larger offerings.
Both Ioniq5 and Ioniq6 build from the ground up within this EV-specific Global Modular Platform, taking advantage of enhanced front-rear balance. Not all EVs choose this path. Some work within the parameters of an existing product’s internal combustion engine platform and carefully swap out the engine for a large battery pack and electric motors.
Our Ioniq5 tester included many of the trappings of a stereotypical EV with its ultra-aerodynamic build, low-slung profile/hood and no tail pipes out back (as EV technology renders them useless). Our tester’s wheel hub design borrows cues from a flat, black circular saw blade, teeth and all. Five narrow race lines adorn the lower edging of the four side doors. It’s a conversation starter when quietly tooling down the road.
Pop open the hood to admire the diminutive, covered storage bin and an assortment of fluids including blue windshield washer fluid and a pinkish coolant important for regulation of the lithium-ion battery pack. Active grille shutters built into the front grille also assist with the battery cooling process.
Little changes from the 2022 model year when Ioniq underwent its major second-generation redo and exterior metamorphosis. A new Gravity Gold Matte-finish joins the exterior color palate and an electronic seat belt reminder not found in 2022 is now standard in all trims. The biggest news resides with all-wheel-drive trims which increase the electric driving range from 256 miles to 266 when fully charged. Also, a battery heating system, very welcome in cold-weather climates such as Chicago now comes standard across all trims rather than just all-wheel drive editions.
Hyundai’s Ioniq5 circa 2023 has garnered numerous accolades, including one from the prestigious Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA). The Chicago-based, multifaceted organization voted Ioniq5 ‘Favorite Plug-In Vehicle’ during its annual Spring Rally at Road America in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin. It’s relatively low starting price, quick recharge time with compatible DC fast chargers and unique exterior all played into its success.
That MAMA boost helped propel Ioniq5 U.S. sales to 33,981 during 2023, a significant 48 percent jump from 2022. Overall, Hyundai enjoyed robust 2023 results in the U.S. topping the 800,000 plateau at 801,195 units.
Hyundai offers four Ioniq5 trims from which to choose: SE standard range, SE, SEL and top-tier Limited. Entry SE returns from 2022 as the sole trim offering two different battery sizes (standard range and extended range), with differing all electric travel ranges. Both SEL and Limited offer the larger, or extended battery capacities.
The SE standard range comes exclusively with rear-wheel drive. The SE with extended range battery includes rear-wheel drive standard, adding all-wheel drive (a 74-kilowatt front and 165-kilowatt rear motor) as a $3,500 option.
Within EV communities, all-wheel drive versions enjoy two electric/traction motors, one on the front axle and one on the rear. Hyundai’s rear-wheel drive Ioniq5 places the 168-kilowatt (225 horsepower) traction/electric motor on the rear axle.
The SEL offers extended range exclusively and the choice of rear-wheel or a $3,500 extra for all-wheel drive. Same holds true for the top-tier Limited trim although all-wheel drive tacks on $3,900 as larger 20-inch alloy wheel come standard.
Each Ioniq5 trim includes a plethora of standard equipment with scant few options. Our Limited test trim posted a $56,500 price tag with the only extra $210 worth of floor mats for a $58,005 bottom line including a $1,295 destination charge and delivering 266 EV miles when fully juiced. A rear-drive SE trim with the smaller 58 kwh battery pack starts at $41,450, representing the least expensive trim and delivering a smaller electric driving range of 202 miles.
For those seeking the maximum driving range within the Ioniq5 family, a rear-drive SE, SEL or Limited with the larger 77.4-kilowatt hour, $1,200-pound lithium-ion polymer battery pack generates 303 miles when fully charged.
These figures represent a significant leap forward from the first-generation Ioniq EV registering 124 miles of potential travel.
Limited trims include as standard fare: LED projector-type headlights, power folding side-view mirrors, silver-colored bumpers and side cladding, upgraded seating surfaces, eight-way power passenger seat, ventilated front seats, upgraded Bose stereo, heads-up windshield display, second row air conditioning vents and side door ambient interior lighting.
Another unique and highly effective perk, a Blind Spot View Monitor with live video feeds of side blind spot activities broadcast into the all-digital instrument panel when activating the turn signal stalk. Neither the Ford Mustang Mach E nor Volkswagen ID.4 (both high-volume EVs) offer this perk.
Inside, nicely raised front bucket seats assist entering and exiting. It’s welcome for those clocking in with three-score and more years of vintage. The absence of an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), vertical transmission floor hump and other components provides new-found inside leg room within a compact-sized vehicle that’s easily garage-able. Row two also enjoys enhanced leg comfort too thanks to the cabin’s flat floor.
A single-speed reduction gear device selects forward, reverse and park from a stalk stationed on the steering-column’s right side, sharing room with the above windshield wiper stalk. Twist forward for Drive, backward for Reverse, which seems counterintuitive since ‘’R” resides up stream of Neutral within a traditional floor-mounted shifter. Engaging Park requires a push inward of the stalk’s end.
This location opens up an uncharted volume of available space between front bucket seats as the arm rest can fold up and back welcoming a deep open space for stowing smaller-sized book packs, backpacks or other modern day carrying cases.
The widely rectangular, touch sensitive information screen design includes a relatively easy maneuverable format. For example, this 60-something curmudgeon skillfully updated the digital time from Eastern to Midwestern central time without ever referring to on-line or off-line manuals. Simple finger pecking through the menu and set-up screen proved painless with the correct time posted in less than two minutes.
This 32-inch-wide flat panorama visually dominates the dash, combining a left-side 12.3-inch digital instrument panel with a 12.3-inch multi-function map/audio and information area to the right. The far-left endcap includes a built-in audio speaker.
Below the screen, one finds an old school on/off/volume knob quickly adjusting sound and an up-down toggle for manually dancing though screen selections. Both are welcome as secondary means instead of pecking though the flat screen.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto interplays come standard, allowing Smartphone Apps and other stored info to play through the muti-function touch screen. Below the right-side screen, narrow horizontal air vents with a row of a half-dozen brushed aluminum push buttons below interacting with the screen. To the left, the electronic push start-stop button well out of reach of the steering column and multiple right-side stalks.
A welcome wireless charger invites all Smartphones to slide in flat along the lower portion of the central dash below dual cupholders. A green light illuminates to alert drivers to the successful in-use charging. Plenty of USB ports abound throughout the two rows.
Our Limited trim’s power hatch opens high enough as not to interfere one iota with my six-foot, one-inch frame. A look inside finds ample space for storage behind row two (27.2 cubic feet of space). Second row split bench seats fold flat onto cushions opening up 59.3 cubic feet of space, matching or exceeding those of conventional ICE hatchbacks.
Electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in electric vehicles all take advantage of regenerative braking, made possible through hydraulic booster technology. It’s a means of recycling and capturing kinetic energy created during the braking process for later reuse.
Finger-operated control pads behind the steering wheel (where past generations of ICE vehicles positioned manumatic gear shift paddles) provide multiple friction points. It’s not dissimilar to handbrakes found with two-wheel bicycles. Friction levels are tweakable through EV settings within the infotainment screen tutorial.
Lift the right foot off the accelerator and the added friction resistance coasts the vehicle to a halt in a relatively quick fashion depending upon the chosen friction setting. This technology helps increase electric ranges further than posted estimates and it’s easy to master.
When it comes time to charge up, a conventional Alternating Current (AC) household outlet, also known as a Level One, takes considerable time. The vehicle’s onboard charger (OBC) converts (or rectifies) AC from the wall socket to direct current (DC) for storage within the extended range lithium-ion polymer battery pack. During our testing, 15 hours of plug time using a Level One 120-volt outlet added about 50 miles of electric travel. Hyundai locates the plug-port hook up along the passenger side rear quarter panel.
When employing a Level Two (240-volt) AC charger, the 10.9 kw OBC helps fully charge in just over seven hours, easily accomplished overnight.
A 240-volt outlet is the same source supporting traditional washers and dryers. Different size/capacity OBCs populate EV choices on the road today. A 10.9 kw sized OBC ranks as one of the most potent available, cutting Level Two charging time significantly.
In Illinois, at-home kilowatt hour cost averages about fourteen cents, which is useful when approximating the cost of charging a battery pack. Using this price as a reference base with Hyundai’s 77.4-kilowatt hour battery pack, the approximate dollar amount to fully recharge when employing a Level 2 at-home charger reaches $10.84 (.14 x 77.4 kwh battery size) for approximately 266 miles of travel.
Commercially available DC Fast Chargers allow significantly quicker times by delivering DC current into the car’s lithium-ion DC battery pack and bypassing the OBC. However, DC charging price fluctuations add double or triple the dollar amount when compared to at home juicing.
When on the road, DC fast charging franchise outlets (Electrify America, EVGo and Charge Point are three primary examples) quicken the pace of EV recharging considerably when compared to Level 1 or 2 AC charging. Hyundai’s Ioniq5’s battery management system supports 350-kilowatt/800-volt DC fast charging, a maximum threshold for a majority of 2023 model year vehicles.
Ioniq5 can charge from 10 to 80 percent in approximately 22 minutes if all variables align and utilizing a top-rated a 350-kilowatt/800-volt DC fast charging plug port. Keep in mind not all DC Fast Charging networks offer a 350-kilowatt/800-volt option, with some supporting just 50 kilowatts. A DC fast charger rated at 50 kilowatts would require approximately 75 minutes to charge from near zero to 80 percent.
Ioniq5 rates as one of the more affordable EVs in America thanks to its compact, yet room size and smaller lithium-ion battery pack option. It’s also one of the best-selling EVs in the states sans a Tesla badge despite not qualifying for a $7,500 Treasury Department rebate/incentive some EVs qualify for during purchase under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Since Ioniq5 assembles in Hyundai’s home market of South Korea with battery pack materials sources largely outside the U.S., buyers at this point in time must forgo the tempting $7,500 carrot.
Don’t let that dissuade from at least sampling one at a nearby Hyundai dealer (if one’s in stock as this EV draws significant attention), as it continues to check off all the necessary qualifications as a clean-energy success. Keep in mind that while Ioniq5 doesn’t qualify for the $7,500 perk during purchase, it’s eligible during leasing. Work closely with a qualified/trusted institution as the rebate largely benefits the leasing company, who then bundles that $7,500 into the lease contract. The IRA’s $7,500 includes many twists and turns and continues evolving.
2023 Hyundai Ioniq5Price as tested: $58,005
Battery: 77.4-KWh Lithium-Ion Polymer
Electric Motor(s) Horsepower: 320
Electric Range: 266 miles
Wheelbase: 118.8 inches
Overall Length: 182.5 inches
Overall Height: 63.0 inches
Overall Width: 74.4 inches
Curb weight: 4,718 pounds
EV system warranty: 10-years/100,000 miles
Assembly: Ulsan, South Korea