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I test drove Hyundai Ioniq 5 SEL RWD (short review)

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I wanted to see how I liked the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 SEL RWD as my EDD is not until mid May, so maybe get into a new car sooner. I very much liked the styling. As a matter of fact, I like the overall looks better than the model Y. Seat covers are very nice design, and very comfortable. I liked the 2 separate 12" dash screens, with the speedometer directly behind the steering wheel. Tremendous amount of headroom.

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I drove the non-glass roof version. You have to upgrade to highest level (Limited) to get glass roof like the Y. Car had good acceleration, and was quiet. It had some features not available on the Y, such as side view mirror, blind spot detection, and had an almost perfect view through rear view mirror - much better than Y.

Frunk had almost zero space to put anything but perhaps the portable charger/cable in there. Also, rear cargo space was visually smaller than the Y. Rear seats are on tracks so you can move them forward or back, and also have recline adjustment (nice feature). The at-home charger supplied with the Ioniq is just 115v, with no option available.

Meaning you must buy your own 220v charger, which I saw online, priced around $400 - $500. Hyundai does give you 2 years free charging at Electrify America, but there are hardly any in my area, the closest being about 30 minutes away.

That was enough to rule out buying the Ioniq 5. Imagine taking a trip and having to rely on chargers that are not abundant, and I have read are often inoperable. Another minus is setting regenerative braking. It must be set each time you start the car - it doesn't stay in the mode when it was turned of - big negative. Sticker price was around $47k. I asked the salesman if they sell at msrp and he said they add $3k to sticker, plus $799 dealer fee. I later called another dealer under the same ownership, and they add $1,799 to sticker, plus dealer fee - a $1,200 savings. SEL models come with 19" wheels, while Limited has 20".

I asked my CPA about getting the $7,500 rebate, and he said I would qualify for part of it based on last years tax return, but didn't know if I could get remaining balance the following year. I thought I read that you could, so if anyone knows for sure, please leave a comment below. The dealer knew nothing about the rebate except that it is $7,500. Considering the rebate, the price of the car comes out to around $42k which I feel is a great deal on this car, if you are willing to put up with charging headaches. And our gov't. in all its wisdom, does not offer an instant rebate, therefore making you pay tax on that $7,500 rebate. I think we will be seeing a lot of these on the road soon. They have really just started to deliver them, so limited availability at this time, but they're on their way.

It will be good for Tesla to have some real competition, especially at this price point, which Tesla cannot touch. One last thing... paint colors. They have a nice variety of colors available. I'm so tired of seeing the same Tesla
colors, year in - year out. Hyundai does offer the top level trim Limited model with full glass roof (with retractable electric cover) , ventilated seats, AWD, and a lot more, but those are priced at around $55k or more and reflect a more direct comparison to the model Y. But minus $7,500.

I hope this review is helpful to those considering an Ioniq 5.

“Hyundai Ioniq 5 NE white (6).jpg” by Damian B Oh is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.
 
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My wife has owned ID.4 for two months now.. EA has been 3/3.. solid 100% in all attempts.

Thats three time. Too small of a sample. EA works majority of the time(say 90-95%) but it’s the random failures that are frustrating. There’s no shade, you have to call customer support, you have to move to a new stall, payment fails or charging fails to initiate. I’ve used them 2-3 dozen times since I had free EA charging with the ID.4 and at first didn’t want to install a home charger (and then with the Mach-E I was driving on longer 200 mile road trips every weekend). The failure rate of Tesla supercharging is probably under 1%

This video at 4:30min is exactly the type of random problem you will hit if you use EA enough. Watch the multiple problems they hit over the few minutes.

 
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When I take a 2K road trip.. I get on a plane. Why the hell would I want to be in a car for that long.

There. You have my experience. Ok?

This. I'm heading to La Quinta this week to play PGA West. I could spend 9 hours each way (18 hours total) driving the 550 miles (each way) - or toss my clubs on the plane and get there in 73 minutes without havving to charge anything but a beer at the airport bar. Definitely wont miss traffic through LA.
 
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Its almost like you guys have forgotten that your EV doesn't need to do absolutely everything. My Model Y was definitely not meant to do absolutely everything. And as long it does 99% of the stuff I need it to do on a daily basis then it's a fully justified purchase. And you know what I do 99% of the time? Drive less than 100 miles in a single day or 300 miles in a single weekend. After almost a full year of ownership and 14,000 miles of driving.. I've done 99% of my EV charging at home in my garage.
Just understand that the vast majority of drivers in the US don't care about that crap. And the average commute in the US is still only around 30 miles a day.
Agreed - that's a frustration I have when I see people complaining that they can't use an EV to tow their boat. Well, you can't use a Corolla or even a Caravan to tow a boat either yet people never say those cars are worthless. They're just worthless for the times you need to tow a boat. (As an aside, we pay the marina $120 twice a year to pick up and drop off our boat. I figure we pay for that by not filling a truck up about twice),

Where it does come into play is for the people who can't charge at home and for the occasional road trip. There are people who live in apartments, or have older homes with 100A service for whom home charging isn't feasible. The absence of fast charging essentially makes and EV a nonstarter for these folks.

There are also plenty of people who drive 15 miles to work but once or twice a year want/need to drive 500 miles. Expecting people to rent a car for those occasions is a tough sell. Even beyond this is perception. It's not logical but a whole lot of people like the idea of being able to take a road trip, even if they can't.

The more charging networks, the better. EV chargers should be as common as gas stations in the next 10 years.. and Im rooting for EA.. just like Im rooting for Superchargers and everybody else who wants to build a charger. The more the merrier!
Yes - completely agree!
Thats three time. Too small of a sample. EA works majority of the time(say 90-95%) but it’s the random failures that are frustrating. There’s no shade, you have to call customer support, you have to move to a new stall, payment fails or charging fails to initiate. I’ve used them 2-3 dozen times since I had free EA charging with the ID.4 and at first didn’t want to install a home charger (and then with the Mach-E I was driving on longer 200 mile road trips every weekend). The failure rate of Tesla supercharging is probably under 1%

This video at 4:30min is exactly the type of random problem you will hit if you use EA enough. Watch the multiple problems they hit over the few minutes.

Very true - it only takes a few random failures to completely sour you. Think about it - if you got a diesel car and went to a station to fill up and you never know if the pump will work or take your credit card. Would you go back or just avoid that station completely? No imagine it's the only diesel station in town. Would you get a diesel car or a gasoline car?

If you're on a road trip and already taking extra time to charge then you have to spend even more time because once in a while the charging stations don't work a '95% success rate' is meaningless to you.
 
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Very true - it only takes a few random failures to completely sour you. Think about it - if you got a diesel car and went to a station to fill up and you never know if the pump will work or take your credit card. Would you go back or just avoid that station completely? No imagine it's the only diesel station in town. Would you get a diesel car or a gasoline car?

If you're on a road trip and already taking extra time to charge then you have to spend even more time because once in a while the charging stations don't work a '95% success rate' is meaningless to you.

I disagree here. As that's the entire point of apps like Plugshare.

I can pull out my phone, open an app and check in a few seconds to see if a specific charger has been reported as having problems, or has recently been used successfully. Many of the 3rd party charging apps also have the same ability to show when they were last used.. and when they are actively being used.
 
Thats my only real gripe with the Ioniq5. Its much more expensive than I figured a Hyundai EV would be. You basically start at $47K for the 77kWh RWD version and the interior looks really cheap in that model. SEL trim is the most popular.. but if Im getting rid of my Model Y for a Hyundai then I want the fully loaded version and you are talking over $55K. At that point, might as well keep the Tesla. Even without considering the Supercharger network.. the depreciation on the Model Y alone still makes it a better buy IMO.

If the Hyundai were $10K cheaper.. I"d be trading my Model Y for it right now.
Yea, you must be like me and have always viewed Hyundai as a 3rd/4th rate car. In the 90’s and early 00’s Hyundai was crap. Today they are an amazing company putting out quality cars. I never thought that they would be this successful, especially Kia!
 
The Limited is the best trim and best value but it has one major flaw - the 20” wheels that hurt range. This guy bought the Ioniq 5 I gave up (moved deposit to a Limited arriving in March/April) so I could afford my Model Y last week.


Now he is selling it because he can’t get more than 225 miles of range (which still beats EPA highway estimates). I’m easily getting 270 (on the Y) on the same highways and driving the same speeds. I’ve pinged him and asked about his setting, driving style, etc. He’s owned hybrids before too. We all suspect as the Norwegian winter race has shown… AWD and RWD don’t matter as much as the larger 20” wheels.

You have to downgrade the Limited wheels (which look sharp) to the lower trims get an acceptable range.
 
@voxel To be fair, downsizing wheels on Teslas is very worthwhile too in my experience (S P85 21" -> 19", M3P 20" -> 18"). We did so more for rim protection than efficiency, but it does seem to help efficiency too, as well as ride and handling (given same or better tires).

The excessively huge wheel trend is industry-wide. 🙁

Edit: I'm fine with car makers offering big diameter wheels for those who want them. I just don't like it when getting a higher trim level requires getting bigger diameter wheels with no functional benefit (smaller would still clear the brakes).
 
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I disagree here. As that's the entire point of apps like Plugshare.

I can pull out my phone, open an app and check in a few seconds to see if a specific charger has been reported as having problems, or has recently been used successfully. Many of the 3rd party charging apps also have the same ability to show when they were last used.. and when they are actively being used.
That's part of the problem. you shouldn't need to pull out Plugshare to figure out if a given charging station is working or not, and with the relative paucity of chargers having one 'off line' is not insignificant.

Go back to my gas station example - how often do you think "I'd better check to see if the pumps at station X are working," or "I'd better call station Y to see if they have fuel?" Never. Why is it acceptable for an EV? If anything the infrastructure should be more reliable.
 
Thats my only real gripe with the Ioniq5. Its much more expensive than I figured a Hyundai EV would be. You basically start at $47K for the 77kWh RWD version and the interior looks really cheap in that model. SEL trim is the most popular.. but if Im getting rid of my Model Y for a Hyundai then I want the fully loaded version and you are talking over $55K. At that point, might as well keep the Tesla. Even without considering the Supercharger network.. the depreciation on the Model Y alone still makes it a better buy IMO.

If the Hyundai were $10K cheaper.. I"d be trading my Model Y for it right now.
You're not factoring in the 7500 EV federal tax incentive. It's a $17.5k + tax price delta. (or more for MYP)
 
I picked up my Tesla Y less than a month ago. The interior is rather disappointing and spartan, too dark and inconvenient that everything needs to go to the monitor, in particular when you are driving.
Most concerning, sudden jerking when setting the cruise control, a major safety hazard.
Tesla needs good competition, the company culture is rather arrogant, in my view with total non-human touches and lack of customer services, in general, when compared to MB or BMW.
One note, I heard that Ioniq takes only 15 minutes to recharge to 80% but Tesla takes 45 minutes. Very much behind the curve, if accurate.
Thanks for your info.
Did you do a test drive? I failed to see how the interior would be a surprise if you did a test drive, at least in terms of the minimalist styling and color. Workmanship is another story.

The sudden jerking with cruise control is most likely user error. It's smooth to engage and disengage IF you do it correctly.

Comparing a 14-year old company with a 140-year old one... fair!

I hope you don't believe everything you hear. I'm sure if you're charging a Tesla at home on a 120v outlet, it'll take 45 hours.
 
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That's part of the problem. you shouldn't need to pull out Plugshare to figure out if a given charging station is working or not, and with the relative paucity of chargers having one 'off line' is not insignificant.

Go back to my gas station example - how often do you think "I'd better check to see if the pumps at station X are working," or "I'd better call station Y to see if they have fuel?" Never. Why is it acceptable for an EV? If anything the infrastructure should be more reliable.
Tesla Superchargers are currently the best option for fast charging. But - to be fair, those also have occasional problems. I just looked at a few Superchargers around me and saw quite a few non-op reports and checkins. if you’re on a road trip - how do you locate chargers in a Tesla?
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Tesla Superchargers are currently the best option for fast charging. But - to be fair, those also have occasional problems. I just looked at a few Superchargers around me and saw quite a few non-op reports and checkins. if you’re on a road trip - how do you locate chargers in a Tesla?
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Really? 2020? And I go where the car tells me to go. No need to search.
 
Really? 2020? And I go where the car tells me to go. No need to search.
that was just one I pulled up. since it triggered you - here’s the San Bruno supercharger checkins. And - it’s just software that tells you where to charge. ABRP does the same for me in other EVs (even in Teslas). 😘

8EE70F3B-6112-425A-88E2-9CB6954F4E26.jpeg
 
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