By Ewan Kennedy, Marque Motoring
The Hyundai IONIQ 5 is a fully electric vehicle, that is it doesn’t work in tandem with a petrol or diesel engine.
It’s is currently available in one grade in Australia, with the option of a rear-wheel single motor layout or a dual motor (rear and front) AWD. We feel that other models may follow later, but Hyundai Australia won’t comment on this. Time will tell…
DRIVETRAIN
The IONIC 5 RWD has a 72.6 kWh electric motor mounted at the rear that produces 160kW of power and 350 Nm of torque with a listed WLTP range of 451 km.
The AWD version has motors at the front and rear with outputs of 225 kW and 605 Nm but less range, at 430 km. The shorter range is probably due to the testing method and may not happen in real life.
STYLING
The front of the car features two narrow glass strips, the top one with twin rectangular LED headlamps outside of orange turn indicators on either side and sensors and a camera in between.
There’s a full-width string of LED daytime running lights beneath while at the bottom there is a pair of air flap that opens when needed to provide cooling to the various pieces of componentry above.
On the side a diagonal crease runs from high in the front doors down to the base of the rear ones. The door handles sit flush against the doors and pop out when you unlock the car.
INTERIOR
Hyundai IONIQ 5 has a heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats and an adjustable centre console.
The front seats are 12-way power adjustable and come with a ‘Relaxion’ (zero gravity) mode. Which is good for lying back and having a rest on a long country trip. Especially if you’re driving at night and feel tired.
The IONIQ 5 has the very good rear legroom the sort that you get in a luxury vehicle. All seats are power adjustable with a memory function which can be set through the digital display screen.
A vision glass roof with a powered sunshade is standard in both models.
The charge point is at the right-rear of the car, with both AC and DC sockets. The cables are stored under the front bonnet and there’s a Vehicle to Load device which plugs into the car’s AC port at one end and a standard power plug at the other allowing for multiple uses including providing power to another electric vehicle.
Full charge through a standard domestic power point is upward of 24 hours. A home / office charging wallbox will reduce charging time to around six hours.
An ultra-fast charger can charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in about 18 minutes. It’s likely that in the not-too-distant future service stations will install these, and of course charge you to use them (excuse the joke). Thus, you can ‘refuel’ when you stop and have a light meal or simply walk around and stretch your legs.
INFOTAINMENT
The IONIQ 5 has two 12.3-inch screens embedded into a single panel. A digital instrument cluster in front of the driver and a Multimedia navigation unit in the centre.
There are three USB ports at the front and two more at the rear with 12-volt sockets at the front and another in the boot.
Wired-only Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility is standard as well as wireless smartphone charging. Sound is through a BOSE eight-speaker premium audio system.
Satellite navigation includes details of the closest charging stations and a driving radius on how far the battery will allow the car to reach.
SAFETY
Standard safety features include seven airbags; front and rear autonomous emergency braking; front and rear parking sensors; blind spot monitoring including camera coverage; lane departure warning; lane keep assist (which can be temporarily turned off; smart radar cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert; safe exit alert; rear seat occupant alert; driver inattention alert; and an interactive surround view monitor including a 360-degree overview; remote smart parking assist which allows the car to be moved remotely; and two IsoFix child seat mountings.
DRIVING
Pressing the unlock button on the key fob opens the door handles which sit flush against the sides of the car.
The driver’s seat is comfortable and supportive and the overall ambience of the interior sets the scene for an enjoyable travel experience. The driving position is fairly high.
The chunky steering wheel feels great but does tend to obstruct the driver’s view of the instrument panel and the gear selector.
We love driving electric vehicles at the best of times but the IONIQ 5 takes that enjoyment to an even higher level. It cruises effortlessly and with such a large amount of instant torque on offer it can accelerate sharply when needed.
Smart regeneration braking to extend range can be adjusted through steering wheel paddles including an i-Pedal feature which allows one-pedal driving.
There are three drive modes: Normal, Eco and Sport.
SUMMARY
No review of an EV can be complete without looking at the price / range equation. Electric vehicles are very expensive when compared to conventional vehicles, including hybrids. At $69,900 for the IONIQ 5 RWD and $77,500 for the AWD it sits at the higher end of the segment.
Its range of up to 450 kilometres makes it more practical than many of its competitors.
Standard warranty is five years with unlimited distance. There’s an eight-year, 160,000 km battery replacement warranty,
