Practical experience Hyundai Ioniq 5: how good is an ‘upmarket’ EV?

The design of the Ioniq 5 raises eyebrows, especially just after the presentation. People thought it was wonderful or terrible, without any real middle ground seeming possible. What makes the design extra special is the Rolls-Royce Phantom effect. In photos, the model appears relatively compact due to its traditional proportions, while the true nature of the beast only becomes clear when you place a ‘normal’ car next to it. The Ioniq 5 turns out to be a very large hatchback with its 4.6 meters in length, 1.89 meters in width and 1.60 meters in height.

There is a choice of several battery packs and motor versions, which have been slightly modified over the years. At the moment, buyers can choose a battery with 58 kWh or one with 77.4 kWh capacity, in the first years of construction the large battery was slightly smaller at 73 kWh. The first variant has 170 hp, but those who choose the larger battery pack will get just a little more with 229 hp. Anyone who opts for a four-wheel drive Ioniq 5 automatically gets 325 hp and with the absolute top model you use the doubler. This Ioniq 5 N delivers no less than 650 old-fashioned horsepower and has an even larger battery pack.

Practical ease of use Hyundai Ioniq 5

We already mentioned it, the Ioniq 5 is a big guy and that translates to a fairly spacious interior. “The car is big, especially inside. The wheelbase of 3 meters is particularly long, for example a Tesla Model 3 has a wheelbase of 288 cm. So there is always enough interior space for the occupants. There is plenty of headroom, even in the back,” writes the driver of an Ioniq 5 73 kWh Lounge.

“It’s fantastic!” exclaims another 73 kWh driver. “Comfort, light, space, etc. make it a living room feeling. Of course you have to like that, but it fits very well with how I use this car.” Someone else also likes to use a superlative. “Space is ridiculously large in the backseat. There is also plenty of space and storage bins in the front. The trunk is fine for us, with 527 liters and the option to stack some to the roof. We only use the frunk for the charging cable on holiday.” And if that space is too small, another driver points out a clever idea. “You can move the back seat a bit forward, so that the trunk becomes a lot more spacious.” The seating furniture is probably adequate without excelling, in any case users waste remarkably few words about it.

Road behavior and driving aids

Users are mostly positive about the handling of the Ioniq 5, although there is also criticism. Let’s start on a positive note: “This car is comfortable with a capital C,” writes a satisfied driver. “It is very quiet on board, the suspension and damping are soft, you hardly feel bumps and the car tends to lean around a bend. A little bit of the Citroën feeling. The car can go fast, but it doesn’t invite you to go fast.” Also ‘The car drives fantastic, solid with good road holding and you don’t have to make many steering corrections’ and ‘there are 19 inch wheels underneath and everything is smoothed out while it can still fly around corners quite well. Stability is top’ are quotes from satisfied drivers.

The chassis actually causes criticism from others. “Driving comfort is sometimes a little too comfortable, despite the low center of gravity of the car, you feel the car wobble slightly during rapid load changes (left/right),” writes the driver of a 2022 car. “In the new 2023 model year, Hyundai has equipped with Smart Frequency dampers, which will solve this phenomenon. The car has proven to be an excellent travel car on long journeys, including a recent weekend in Prague, with comfortable seats and peace/quiet in the car.”

Another rider is satisfied with the shortcomings. “We are also very satisfied in just over a year that we have been driving the car. Comfortable in terms of seating position, seats and suspension comfort, although I think you have to like the soft suspension and some moderate damping. That’s fine for us,” he concludes.

Range and consumption

The range that drivers can expect varies considerably, which is of course influenced by driving style and driving conditions. “Consumption varies greatly between 16 kWh/100km and 21 kWh/100km and mainly depends on driving style and type of road. Consumption is very reasonable up to about 105 km/h, but above that the size of the car and the associated air resistance will have an influence,” writes the driver of an Ioniq 5 73 kWh Lounge.

The next rider ends up slightly higher with the same version. “After 1,900 kilometers, consumption is on average 22 kWh/100 km. If you only drive on country roads, this will increase to 19 kWh/100 km and if you drive at 130 km/h, it will soon be 26 kWh/100 km. Not the most economical EV, but it could be worse,” he concludes.

The season also has an influence, notes this 73 kWh driver: “Mixed 80 km/h and highway (105 km/h) results in a consumption of 14.5-16 kWh. Range in summer between 450 and 510 km after charging and in practice between 400 and 460 km on a charge. Air conditioning use has little influence on consumption. In winter it is a lot worse. Despite the heat pump option, consumption increases very quickly to 17-20 kWh/100 kilometers when the heating is switched on, depending on the outside temperature.”

Irritations and disturbances

Now that we’re talking about consumption and range, several early drivers mention fast charging problems. The promised speeds of up to 230 kW are far from being achieved if the battery is too cold at the start of a charging session. After a software update at the end of 2022, the option to preheat the battery pack appeared.

Another problem that seems to occur sporadically is ‘zombie mode’, where the car cannot be put into gear. “On one occasion I was unable to put it in D position after loading. Tried everything such as resetting with a pen and finally succeeded,” writes an owner who experienced this. We also read both of the above problems among owners of the technically related Kia EV6. This does not apply to the two riders who were stranded with an empty 12V on-board battery, and one rider also reported irregularly recurring vibrations.

Apart from the above, Ioniq 5 drivers experience few problems, although it bothers many that there is no rear window wiper. “The argument that water will automatically blow off the window is not valid,” writes an owner who is experiencing this. “Even the drying installation of the car wash does not blow the rear window dry. If there is brine on the window in winter and it has rained a little, you have to drive on the exterior mirrors.” Even in the rainy autumn, the next owner will find such a wiper desirable. “I had already mentioned the lack of a windshield wiper on the rear window, but that is becoming increasingly annoying now that the weather is getting worse at this time of year…”

Owners of a Hyundai Ioniq 5 are therefore reasonably satisfied, but ‘early adopters’ certainly also see room for improvements. To be fair, the Koreans have already implemented most of these. What is unanimously appreciated is the interior design, the ambiance and the space. The chassis and the inadequate fast charging were not unanimously resolved. New Ioniq 5s come with improved shock absorbers, while the fast charging problem has also been solved in existing cars with a software update. That makes the main wish of drivers… a rear wiper.