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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.

EF32A1DA-08ED-400C-A129-A259CC874FE8.jpeg


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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Nice review. Yeah the charging network is Tesla's secret weapon, and I think it will only increase in value since it looks to me like the non-tesla carmakers are ramping up electric vehicles faster than the country is building non-tesla charging stations.

Location is also crucial for charging. If your car only has ~200 miles real-world practical range, and the Electrify-America station is 30 miles away... you now have a 140-mile range car. Not great.
 
I looked very hard at the Ioniq 5. Even had a deposit but ended up cancelling it.

Pros for Ioniq 5 (IMO):
- Price
- Ride (much smoother, yet decent handler, even on a 20" wheel)
- Vent seat
- 360 view camera
- Exterior (I like this slightly more than the Y)
- Blind spot monitoring system
- HUD
- Multiple regen modes
- VTL (super useful for camping, you have 110v 1.5kwh)

But at the end of the day, these features for the Y has won:
- Range
- Autopilot & FSD (I realize it's flaws but I still like it)
- Ability to do full OTA (Hyundai's is very limited)
- Larger interior volume (we intend to camp a lot)
- Supercharger network
- Sharper handling
- Better built-in navigation (Hyundai's suck big time, but they do support Android Auto and Apple Carplay)
- Front console (Ioniq 5 has almost nothing in front - hard to organize small stuff)
- That rear window from Ioniq 5 collects dirty materials fast! It really needs a wiper.

Although I chose the Model Y, Ioniq 5 was pretty good. I expect EV6 will be quite decent as well.
 
From this 70mph range test, it would seem that the Ioniq's freeway autopilot is pretty good. It even does lane changes for you without you having to shell out $12k for FSD.

I think overall, the biggest thing for lots of people is price. The Ioniq Limited RWD is more than $15k cheaper if tax incentives are considered, and the real-world range is not that much different than the Y. Of course, the Y has much better performance and all the other stuff you mentioned.
 
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.
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.
The $7,500 is a tax credit, not a rebate, you don't get the money back technically, It is only valid for the year you bought the car, it does not carry over. The legislation that would of made it carry over was not passed.
You need to have owed $7,500 in Federal taxes before all deductions and credits (aka tax liability) to get the full use out of it. If your liability was only $4,000 in Federal taxes then you will only be using $4000 and lose the remaining $3,500. You do NOT get the $3,500 as a refund.
Say you had 2 kids, you got a $6,600 refundable tax credit for them(if you didn't get any Advanced Care Credits), and your tax liability was $8000 in Federal Taxes. The $7500 will drop that $8000 to $500, then the $6600 would drop to $6100(6600-500) and you would get a refund of $6100.

Electrify America is a nightmare. I've never had a good experience with them, especially not with the VW ID.4.

You are lucky your dealers are only marking up by $1200. The smallest markup here is $5000 with many dealers wanting $10,000 for the Limited. Its ridiculous. I love both the EV6 and Ioniq 5 but I'm not going to pay almost $10,000 more than a Model Y.
 
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If you purchase a new plug-in or electric vehicle it may qualify for all or part of the $7500 federal tax credit. You may be able to increase your taxable income for the current tax year so that you can take full advantage of the $7500 tax credit by doing a Roth conversion on a portion of your IRA account or Roll Over IRA account. Consult with your tax planner.
 
Here in Eugene, Or. the VW dealers sells Hyundai vehicles. The Ionig 5 AWD is offered at>

MSRP$51,010 Market Adjusted Price

lCollege Grad Offer : $400 on select Hyundai modelsDetails-$400Financing Offer : $500 and 2.5% on select Hyundai modelsDetails-$500First Responder Offer : $500 on select Hyundai modelsDetails-$500

At least that is what their web site says.....

 
I want to know more about this. Was it because it's a demo car? What setting did it use after restart?
Not a demo. As mtndrew1 said: "If it’s like other Hyundai/Kia EVs there are paddles to dial the regen up and down and after the car is turned off it reverts to its default setting." I owned a 2019 Kia Stinger that had that stupid start/stop button. You could turn it off when starting off,
but it defaults to the on position the next time you started it. Quite annoying.
Also - the drive mode selector seems to be an afterthought, as it is attached to the steering wheel
at lower left and looks horrible. This is where you push a button to go from Eco, normal, or sport modes.
You must step on the brake in order to shift into reverse, unlike the Y where if you are moving at less than
5 mph you can shift into reverse or drive without coming to a stop. Little things become apparent when you
drive the car, and keep in mind how the Y functions.
It may be because I am 6'4" tall, but when the steering column is adjusted (manual adjustment) to where I was
comfortable, the column is so "thick" I could not slide my right leg out of the car without placing it at an angle.
I do not see the reason for its girth, but I'm no engineer.
 
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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.
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.
Nice review. I also looked at Ioniq 5 and test drove the SEL version. I liked it but still will go with MY for the reason laid out by JohnB007. Comparing Ioniq 5 and Model Y is an apple/orange comparison. Tesla is far ahead in technology and have succeeded in the "proof of EV concept". Hyundai still has to prove itself. There were battery fires couple of years ago in Kona and were not well resolved. Charging is a big negative. The mark up from MSRP is a bummer. My dealer asked for $5K and I told him that I would not be interested if it was significantly reduced given that I have a Tesla coming soon. He came down to $1K in 5 minutes. Hated this "checking up with manager" crap in the legacy dealerships. Overall the finish and the ride of Ioniq 5 was pretty good. If one did not have a Tesla coming soon, Ioniq 5 is a good car to look at as an option. If the tax credit for Tesla happens, Tesla will still be better. My 2 cents
 
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I think its great that other manufacturers are starting to offer compelling EVs cause for many this is not Ioniq vs Y but Ioniq vs ICE Santa Fe. I like the Ioniq 5 looks in and out and wish our MY had a HUD, ventilated seats and some paint color variety - maybe the competition will pressure Tesla beyond their harsh, minimalist cost-saving stance. On the other side Hyundai, Ford, GM, VW etc really need to own making charging truly seamless - like incentivizing Shell or Chevron into putting 10 well maintained, map integrated 350kw Plug-n-Charge stalls at every single station.
 
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As I mentioned in the other thread.. I test drove the SE AWD, SEL RWD, and Limited AWD. I was able to hammer on the accelerator on local roads to test out the acceleration and one-pedal driving.

AWD = almost as fast as a Model Y, RWD = just slightly faster than an ID.4 but slower than a Mach-E.

The UI and physical controls are a bit crude and confusing - not like the easy to understand Mach-E controls and display. I watched the Ioniq 5 handoff video before my third test drive to fully understand the system. Supposedly Hyundai and Kia are moving to Nvidia Drive next model year. It will be a welcome upgrade. The current system is somewhere between Mach-E/Model Y and Toyota's 10 year old system.

The Ioniq 5 sits pretty low. Not Model 3 low but slightly lower than the crossover EVs like the Mach-E and Model Y. I consider it a sedan/hatchback. I would never drive it off pavemeny personally. The drive is smooth as others have mentioned and it feels/sounds like a well-sealed cabin.

Honestly, I would not buy anything but the Limited AWD. The 360 camera for such a fat/wide car is necessary (I argued that the Model Y needs one too), It also has premium audio, pano roof, 20" wheels, ventilated seats - which are all great upgrades

If you can not find a Limited RWD/AWD then the SEL AWD might be okay. Sadly, Limiteds are marked up quite a bit because of their rarity.
 
I think its great that other manufacturers are starting to offer compelling EVs cause for many this is not Ioniq vs Y but Ioniq vs ICE Santa Fe. I like the Ioniq 5 looks in and out and wish our MY had a HUD, ventilated seats and some paint color variety - maybe the competition will pressure Tesla beyond their harsh, minimalist cost-saving stance. On the other side Hyundai, Ford, GM, VW etc really need to own making charging truly seamless - like incentivizing Shell or Chevron into putting 10 well maintained, map integrated 350kw Plug-n-Charge stalls at every single station.

Hyundai, VW, BMW, Ford etc. own Ionity in Europe. They need to invest in EA in the same manner.


I just think there's more European government subsidies to compensate for the fact that EV charging is capital intensive and not (or borderline) profitable.