The IONIQ 5 has already won a plethora of awards, and is the reigning world car of the year, world electric car of the year and world car design of the year, just to name a few. So, with that in mind, here is our hands on with the Hyundai IONIQ 5! The Hyundai IONIQ 5 is a large fully electric SUV which comes in two different battery configurations, that can give you up to 300 miles of range on a single charge.

Design

”Hyundai The IONIQ 5 is an incredibly impressive SUV for a number of reasons, but easily the most impressive thing about this SUV is its design. The design is based on the Hyundai 45 concept that was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2019, and unlike a lot of other vehicles, the IONIQ 5 very closely mirrors the concept, with its strong crease lines in the door, and angular proportions. We think the design is clean and modern, whilst equally standing out from the crowd without any trouble. The design is very minimalist and very forward thinking, including things like the flush door handles, whilst the pixels in the headlights and the rake of the rear windscreen reference the original Hyundai Pony, almost like modern take on the car that really helped to put Hyundai on the map! We think that is what makes the design of this so special, because it references the past whilst still being incredibly futuristic, it almost looks too good to be on the road.

Inside

Like the outside, the inside of the IONIQ 5 is visually very appealing, it takes the modern minimalist approach from the outside and incorporates it inside. The IONIQ 5 not only looks the part inside, but it benefits from a number of tactics used to make the interior feel light and airy, from the huge windows along the side, the long wheelbase that creates an immense amount of interior space and the use of light trim across the interior. Instead of black, the IONIQ 5 uses plenty of grey, as well as the white used around the screens, which helps them to blend in more to the dashboard. What’s more, in the model we tested, the centre console slides forward and backwards to create more space in the front or rear, depending on where you want it most.

”Hyundai In the back, the IONIQ 5’s size is most apparent, as leg and headroom are unlikely to be something that even the tallest person will struggle with, as the IONIQ has plenty, which isn’t a surprise given that it is almost as long as a Santa Fe. The boot is equally as big, with room for at least four large suitcases.

Features

The IONIQ 5 is not short on features, in fact there is very few features it doesn’t have. For starters, as standard, the IONIQ 5 comes with the incredible pixel style LED lighting on the outside, that really helps to make the IONIQ 5 distinctive, and the model we tested came with ambient lighting, which really makes the interior a special place to be at night. The IONIQ 5 also comes with a variety of features that make the interior a more comfortable place to be, including heated steering wheel and heated front seats (in the ultimate model, the rear seats too).

”Hyundai The model we tested came with vehicle to load, which basically allows you to use your IONIQ 5 as a generator for anything from a kettle, to even another electric car! The IONIQ 5 we tested had a plug point under the rear seats, as well as a unit that can be plugged into the charging socket for the car. We were really blown away by this as it is a really unique feature that is only available on a few other models.

How it Drives

The IONIQ 5 is set up to be a very relaxing vehicle to be in, for a start, it comes with a soft suspension that helps it glide over just about anything on the road without you really noticing. This means that on dual carriageways and motorways, it just glides along without you really noticing and even on twisty roads, you aren’t thrown around the cabin, it is very confident and planted on the road. As you’d expect with the IONIQ 5 being all electric, the instant torque makes acceleration very quick, but again the IONIQ 5 feels planted on the road, which makes you feel confident at higher speeds.

Generally, the easiest way to describe the driving experience of the IONIQ 5 is relaxed, due to all of the previously mentioned factors, the IONIQ 5 can do just about anything without feeling laboured, which makes the IONIQ 5 incredibly versatile, regardless of where you find yourself.

Verdict

The IONIQ 5 has won a lot of awards, which means that going into this expectations were already high, however in absolutely every category, the IONIQ 5 impresses, and having tested the IONIQ 5 ourselves, all of its accolades are more than justified!

HANDS ON: Mazda 2 Hybrid

HANDS ON: Hyundai IONIQ 5

HANDS ON: MG HS Plug-In

HANDS ON: Volvo C40 Recharge

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