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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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I just bought an Ioniq 5 a few days ago, and the dealer added a 220v charger for no extra charge (a cheapie),
but it only charges at 16 amps, but better than nothing. I'll see how long it takes to charge, and if
it's too long, I'll upgrade.
Forgive me if I missed this in the preceeding 13 pages of this thread, but how about using a Tesla wall charger. Will an adaptor make it functional for the Hyundai?
 
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Forgive me if I missed this in the preceeding 13 pages of this thread, but how about using a Tesla wall charger. Will an adaptor make it functional for the Hyundai?
Yes - you can find adapters to convert the Tesla connector to a J1772 and for a plain wall connector it should work. Superchargers communicate with the car and will only work with Teslas that have an active account set up, so an adapter won't work with them.
 
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But the bolt has less range. To fill 300 range takes longer at 16 amp. I charge my MS at 24 amp most of the time but go to 30 or 40 when I empty the battery or need faster charge.
The total range only matters if you use the entire range. If you only drive 50 miles per day then you need to charge 50 miles x Wh/mi.

I had nothing but a 20A 220V socket for the first 2 months I had my MY and I made it just fine. You have to be more diligent about not letting it get low, but it's very possible for many people to make do with a lower amperage outlet.
 
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The total range only matters if you use the entire range. If you only drive 50 miles per day then you need to charge 50 miles x Wh/mi.

I had nothing but a 20A 220V socket for the first 2 months I had my MY and I made it just fine. You have to be more diligent about not letting it get low, but it's very possible for many people to make do with a lower amperage outlet.
My wall charger is the previous generation, installed in 2019 when I took delivery of my Model 3. Traded that a year later for my Model Y. Wall charger still going strong. I had an electrician install it on a 60 AMP circuit. The car restricts the charging current to 48 amps. I use the Tesla App to dial that down to 30 or 36 amps. At that amperage it is equivalent to the destination chargers I have used. I read the debate both ways on our forum concerning this, but dialing it down seems to have slowed the degradation of my battery pack.

We are considering our options for a second EV. My preference is Tesla, but the Hyundai/Kia cars are an alternative.