- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
Perm Magnet, LI
- Engine Power
225kW, 350Nm
- Fuel
31h 0m chg, 430km range
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Red'n Gear
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2021)
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 review: First Australian drive
Should Tesla be quaking in its boots?
- Ground-up platform is fun, exciting and ergonomic
- Unforgettable styling, materials and build quality
- Powertrain and efficiency figures
- Others are faster, go further, and are cheaper
- Infotainment could be better
- Limited Australian availability means they're hard to get
Introduction
Hyundai is finally taking electric vehicles seriously.
The brand is quick to shout about the significance of its new Ioniq 5 – that christens Hyundai Motor Group's first dedicated EV platform – and why it takes inspiration from the brand's first concept car.
At first, the messaging feels like meaningless tripe for journalists to devour, but there's actually some depth beneath the buzzwords and nostalgia. The 1974 Hyundai Pony Coupe was a radically styled, Italian designed, rear-wheel-drive car that shook the stands at the Turin international motor show.
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Aside from the obvious styling cues shared between old and new, there's the fact both cars are groundbreaking for their era. Both represent a new dawn for the brand. With the old car, it was Hyundai's introduction as a vehicle mass producer, and now it's Hyundai's entry into, dedicated, ground-up electric vehicles.
Sounds like history is repeating itself, then, and that there's substance to the whimsical and emotive claim.
The 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the first of many electric vehicles from Hyundai Motor Group to use its new, dedicated Electric Global Modular Platform, or E-GMP. It was made with a clean-sheet approach, free from the shackles of internal combustion underpinnings that burden its current electric Ioniq small car and Kona small SUV.
It's our first taste of what a full-bore EV from the South Korean auto conglomerate looks and feels like.
Due to a raw material shortage affecting the car industry as a whole, Hyundai Australia has only managed to secure an initial batch of 400 cars for our market. In turn, it's also decided to sell those 400 Ioniq 5s directly to customers – circumventing traditional dealerships – to better manage customer expectations and wait times.
It's why there are just two highly specified 'launch' versions of the Ioniq 5 available now, as Hyundai claims that's all the early adopters want. To make things even easier to understand, both launch versions of the Ioniq 5 feature the same level of equipment, battery size and charging capability, with just the number of electric motors, power, and range differing between the pair.
Things start with the rear-wheel-drive 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 priced from $71,900 before on-roads, or about $76,000 drive-away before any state-based government incentives. It features a single electric motor that produces 160kW and 350Nm with a claimed range of 451km.
For the Australian first drive, we were provided with the more expensive 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 all-wheel drive. Its price starts from $75,900 before on-roads, or around $81,391 square on your driveway in New South Wales. It uses a dual-motor set-up consisting of rear 155kW/350Nm and front 70kW/255Nm motors, together creating a system output of 225kW and 605Nm while offering 430km of range.
Both cars look essentially the same inside and out, featuring the same glass roof, fancy 20-inch 'fractal' aero wheels, pixel LED lighting, and internal colour trim offerings.
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If either is out of reach, Hyundai has suggested that a sub-$70K Ioniq 5 may be on the cards for Australia soon.
Key details | 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 AWD |
Price (MSRP) | $75,900 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Lucid Blue |
Options | N/A |
Price as tested | $75,900 plus on-road costs |
Rivals | Tesla Model 3 | Hyundai Kona | Polestar 2 |
Inside
Hyundai's clean-sheet design approach means the Ioniq 5 was created without the need for internal combustion engine nuances. Provisions for fuel tanks and lines, tailshafts, gearboxes and the like have all been deleted to better improve packaging.
This new thinking is best seen in the Ioniq 5's huge 3000mm wheelbase. Not only are the tyres farther apart than an eight-seat Hyundai Palisade, but are also literally placed at all four corners, in turn creating unusual amounts of interior space.
Opening the door reveals a large, airy cabin complete with a flat floor and uniquely proportioned dashboard. Whereas most other cars have a lower section of cabin that surrounds the footwell areas and divides the space, the Ioniq 5 does completely the opposite. The lower section of its dashboard is open and free, so if the roof were higher, or I were shorter, I could easily walk through it perpendicularly.
A sliding centre console moves fore and aft to better service each row of seating. Speaking of which, even the rear 60/40 split three-seat bench is electrically adjustable and with its own memory setting, which makes the Ioniq 5 hard to get uncomfortable in.
In fact, it appears it's been Hyundai's mission to make it as comfortable as possible. The front seats feature a gimmicky 'zero gravity' mode that at the press (twice) of one button become flat and prop up your calves. Instead of deliberating the conundrum of suspending yourself as your electric car charges, I instead found myself out of the car, and in search of a beverage, when it was on charge.
I tried to operate the system while driving, which the car politely declined. More seriously, however, the second row of seating is equally as comfortable and spacious as the first, but with more relevant solutions for today's problems. That includes pop-up sun blinds in its doors, stacks of power points including a 240-volt domestic socket, and heaps of storage for your kids.
In the boot you'll find 527L of storage space with five guests, or 1587L with the second row folded. Under the boot floor lies a small and shallow storage area with room for a small tyre repair kit, shoes, and a laptop at best.
In the under-bonnet area, storage space differs between rear- and all-wheel-drive versions. Our Ioniq 5 AWD has a 24L under-bonnet storage tub, or just enough for some charging gear and the 'vehicle to load' 240V adaptor with domestic socket that comes with the car. If you go for a rear-wheel-drive Ioniq 5, you'll receive a 57L front storage tub instead, which brings its total cargo capacity up to 1644L.
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 AWD | |
Seats | Five |
Boot volume | 527L seats up / 1587L seats folded |
Length | 4635mm |
Width | 1890mm |
Height | 1647mm |
Wheelbase | 3000mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Despite sounding high-tech, the Hyundai Ioniq 5's infotainment system feels rudimentary in ways. Up front, there are two 12.3-inch displays – a first for Hyundai – that are integrated flush behind a glass cover. The binnacle-less set-up looks great and feels on track with the car's vision, but also happens to be burdened with legacy software from yesteryear.
The interface feels identical to an internal combustion car, which will divide the crowd. Personally, I'm all for ergonomics and not reinventing the wheel, so the fact the Hyundai Ioniq 5 feels familiar to internal combustion heathens means it has merit. However, it appears future thinkers are drawn to the infotainment power and configurability found in Tesla's portrait display, which the Ioniq 5 can't match.
Another jab landed on the chiselled jaw of the Ioniq 5 is that Hyundai's Blue Link smartphone app, available overseas, doesn't work in Australia. That means all the fun and interesting electric car things you could do from your phone – like preconditioning the cabin, planning your route via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, or simply checking charge – are not possible.
Blue Link technology should arrive in due course, however, with a spokesperson from Hyundai saying it's "actively working on a plan to bring Blue Link technology to Australia, not just on the Ioniq 5, but across the broader Hyundai range".
All cars come with a factory-fitted Bose eight-speaker audio system with a dedicated amplifier. It sounds fantastic, with its brightness and largeness proof that some clever audio engineers took a different approach.
Not only is the cabin's shape totally different to a regular petrol or diesel car, but also eerily silent too. The speakers are placed in the right positions, and in line with the overall cabin's comfort, with the execution well-considered.
Safety and Technology
As a fully electric car, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is brimming with technology.
On top of the usual automatic braking and blind-spot warning systems, it's the first Hyundai ever to feature evasive steering assist, junction crossing assist and perpendicular braking protection.
It means the car will help prevent accidents at tricky intersections and can assist during emergency steering efforts. However, the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 has not been officially tested locally by ANCAP or internationally by NCAP.
Hyundai does claim it's the first "mainstream brand" to offer a vehicle with an 800-volt electrical architecture. This high-power circuitry is a new thing – previously only found on the Porsche Taycan – and comes with the future-proof benefit of fast charging capability.
When fed direct current (DC) from a 350 or 400-volt ultra-rapid charger, the Ioniq 5 can 'invert' power up to 800 volts. That means within five minutes it'll have received enough charge to travel 100km. If left for another 17 minutes, it'll have 344km of real-world range, or have gone from 10 to 80 per cent charge in that time.
Admittedly, there are no 400-volt chargers in Australia currently, but that will change soon enough. Using a 50kW DC fast charger, the same 10–80 per cent recharge time blows out to 61min 42sec.
When fed alternating current (AC) from a professionally installed wall box at your home, energy flow bottlenecks to the limit of its AC system, which is 10.5kW. Crude math of 72.6kWh/10.5kWh (battery capacity/delivery rate) yields an approximate flat-to-80 per cent charge time of around six hours and six minutes.
Using the provided emergency 240-volt charger, with the best power source, results in a flat to 100 per cent charge time of around 31 hours. As the brand states, consider this an emergency option, or modern-day jumper cables.
In terms of efficiency, the vehicle returned a power-usage figure of 19kWh/100km, identical to the claim, thus enabling a range of 430km. During the loan, it was driven evenly across free-flowing highways, deep within Sydney's inner-city grind, and out far in the suburbs toward the north-west.
It was also enjoyed thoroughly one evening on a good road, which saw its efficiency figure jump as high as 25kWh/100km. After 150km of more sedate driving, that figure had dropped close to the claim.
Considering all Australian Hyundai Ioniq 5s wear grippier and range-reducing 20-inch Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres, the idea of a future model with 19-inch low-resistance rubber means it'll be able to go even further.
So would driving it more sedately 24/7, which comes with longer-term ownership.
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 AWD | |
ANCAP rating | Untested |
Value for Money
Most will line the Hyundai Ioniq 5 up against the Tesla Model 3. That's at least until the US brand's Model Y arrives early in 2022.
An entry-level Tesla Model 3 costs $66,972 before any state-government-based incentives. That's nearly $10,000 cheaper than an entry-level rear-wheel-drive Hyundai Ioniq 5, which starts from $71,900 before on-roads, or around $75,000 drive-away.
The Long Range Model 3 is nearly the same as the more expensive Ioniq 5 all-wheel drive as tested. The American alternative costs $78,837 and the Hyundai about $80,000, both drive-away and before any state incentives.
The Long Range Tesla will go approximately 150km further per charge and is nearly a whole second faster to 100km/h than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 AWD, which will be enough of a factor for one type of buyer. The rest, however, need to consider the car more deeply, and whether there's value in packaging, quality of excitation, room for children, and even what the product says about you.
Personally, I'd say the price premium at the entry level is worth it, and the range handicap with the all-wheel drive equally so, meaning the Hyundai Ioniq 5 represents fair value for money in the electric car space.
At a glance | 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 AWD |
Warranty | Five years, unlimited km Eight years or 160,000km EV battery warranty |
Service intervals | 12 months / 15,000km |
Servicing costs | $660 (3 years) | $1684 (5 years) |
Energy cons. (claimed) | 19kWh/100km |
Energy cons. (on test) | 19kWh/100km |
Battery size | 72.6kWh |
Driving
It's easy to get caught up in the idea that electric vehicles lack soul and individuality.
However, it's clear that the efforts of the world's best and largest car companies debunk those ideas. Cars like the Porsche Taycan instantly come to mind, as the calibration and numerous mechanical efforts there – including a rear-mounted two-speed transmission – all create a car that's fun, engaging and exciting to drive.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 demonstrates similar thinking, albeit in a different way. After setting off via the twist-actuated column shifter – one that's impervious to accidental neutral selections at intersections – everything feels natural. The steering ratio is long and with many turns lock-to-lock, unlike a Tesla Model 3 that's rapid and swift with even the smallest inputs.
After the Hyundai's steering has sunk in, and you've started to fiddle with the simple yet dedicated climate-control buttons, the experience doesn't feel alien. Even moping about town, it's easy to appreciate the quality of the platform. Extracurricular road testing with a friend's Tesla Model 3 revealed the Hyundai to be quieter, smoother, and in turn feeling more sophisticated.
That's before you begin to explore its engaging and fun character. When pressed through a string of good bends, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 will torque-vector its way around its 2100kg mass, seemingly shaking 500kg off along the way and rewarding the driver in return.
Underneath this layer of clever programming are some smart mechanical changes, like an 'integrated drive unit' that sees its regular constant-velocity joint (CV joint), hub and bearing combined into one unit, as per the Hyundai i20 World Rally Car. The brand claims its motorsport forays are empowering fun-to-drive road cars, and there's some proof.
Another system is a smart Disconnect Actuator System (DAS) that uses clutches to uncouple the front axle at will. Of course, this system only features on all-wheel-drive models given rear-wheel-drive models lack a front power unit. The ability to lay clever programming here gives engineers another way to play, no doubt.
Then there's the braking system, which in sport mode does Porsche-like things of keeping a consistent and firm brake pedal while recovering energy at the same time. To draw a long bow, you can save the planet (a tiny bit) while conducting dynamic driving.
Speaking of which, we timed a 0-100km/h run at 5.3sec, close to the official claimed time of 5.2sec. Performance is great off the mark but fizzles early, meaning in real-world, roll-on situations, an entry-level Tesla Model 3 feels faster and offers more to sustain its brutal acceleration.
Unlike some others in the wider Hyundai range, the Ioniq 5 did not receive a localised suspension tune. General manager of product planning, Andrew Tuitahi, explained the product was thoroughly validated locally, where it clearly cut the mustard.
The ride quality is smooth and compliant around town, while having the depth to become firm and controlled while in the bends. Hyundai's choice of single-setting dampers is refreshing, as it's still possible to get a vehicle's suspension right in one go.
The cabin is also properly insulated and quiet, and with a refreshing amount of build quality making the experience feel premium. If there's any negative, the car will demonstrate some slight rippling through its body after hitting steep, consistent ruts at pace. I believe it could be alleviated with a smaller and more efficient 19-inch tyre package, which the brand has alluded to possibly introducing to the range soon.
On the flipside, all Australian launch versions feature a performance tyre package complete with stunning 20-inch 'fractal' design wheels and new Michelin Pilot Sport EV rubber. Coming at a trade-off of electric range, the grippier tyre certainly gives the car stacks of control and composure in all conditions.
Even though its front and rear motors regularly dispatch 605Nm worth of torque to the tyres, it never feels uncouth or as if there's any slip going on, making it easy to trust. If you like the idea of a family car that has some underlying good behaviour, but shows promise akin to a hot hatch, then you're in the right place.
Key details | 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 AWD |
Engine | Dual electric motors |
Power (front/rear) | 70kW front, 155kW rear, 225kW combined |
Torque (front/rear) | 255Nm front, 350Nm rear, 605Nm combined |
Drive type | All-wheel drive |
Transmission | Single speed automatic |
Power to weight ratio | 107.1kW/t |
Weight (tare) | 2100kg |
Tow rating | 1600kg braked, 750kg unbraked |
Turning circle | 11.9m |
Conclusion
Hyundai's first effort at creating a ground-up electric car is a valiant one. There's no question it feels leagues ahead in terms of presentation, cabin space, build quality and drive when directly compared to a Nissan Leaf or entry-level Tesla Model 3. The price premium it wears is justifiable too.
However, if you're a shopper with a firm list of needs that's topped with performance and range, then you'll find the situation sticky. With the Tesla Model 3 Long Range costing $78K-ish drive-away with far more range and performance on offer, you can't argue the numbers.
But 430km is enough for me, and I believe most who are shopping for an electric vehicle. If you were one of the lucky few to secure one of the initial 400 vehicles so far, I'm jealous. You've made a great call, as I think it's the best electric car currently on sale in Australia.