Thoughts after test driving Ioniq 5 from a Model 3 LR owner...

Hi everyone,

While this isn't a comprehensive review, it's some initial thoughts from a 15-minute test drive. For comparison, I drive a 2022 Model 3 Long Range.

On the weekend, I had the chance to test drive the Hyundai Ioniq 5. The weather was windy and snowy, not the best conditions, but living in Southwestern Ontario is reality.

We test drove the 2022 IONIQ 5 Preferred AWD Long Range. I was also shocked by the overall size. It is much bigger than the Model 3, and you sit much higher.

The AWD handles the blowing snow and winter conditions, including snowdrifts blowing on the roads. My wife and I were very impressed with the ride and comfort.

Here are a few things that I noted during the test drive.

• Depending on the steering wheel's position, it will block parts of the screen behind it.
• The screen is laggy (compared to my Model 3)
• The rear window does not have a wiper or spray nozzle for cleaning. Hyundai sales rep explains that the air will clean the back window. I know that marketing teaches the salespeople, but in all practicality, all the road dirt/snow/salt was very evident during our drive.
• To adjust the regen, you toggle the paddle shifters on the steering wheel. This is a quick way to change the amount of regen. The car would accelerate (a short jump of speed) accordingly to your choice. The first time the Ioniq 5 briefly accelerated when I squeezed the + paddle, it was a little unnerving.

Dealership experience

While I let my dealership know my intent was to only test drive, I got the full dealership experience once again. I've owned 16 cars and have plenty of dealership horror stories that all came rushing back. I've owned two Model 3's in the last three years, so I am more than happy about sitting at home and clicking on the website to order my car. Thank you very much.

The salesperson for our test drive was super nice and tried his hardest to make us feel welcome. His knowledge of the car was less than ideal, and he told us some wrong information about the vehicle. While it wasn't a big deal as I came in very educated about the product, this is where dealerships fail. They think they are still selling gas-powered cars to customers that know more about their product than they do. After the test drive was over, we had to sit through the sales pitch, meet the manager, etc. Since leaving the dealership on Saturday, I have received two emails and one text from them. All three messages told me how important my business is, etc. One email from the manager asked why we didn't buy a car during our visit.

Conclusion

While this vehicle is excellent in almost every way, it will not replace my Model 3, but it could be an ideal replacement for my wife's hybrid when the lease is up. It's not as fast as the Model 3 and doesn't have neck-crushing acceleration, and that's OK. It's still zippier than any comparable gas-powered SUV in its class.

I can see this selling well, and while I don't think it's a threat for the Model Y or Model 3 sales, I can see it eating into sales over the Ford Mach-E and Volkswagen ID.4

We are also going to test drive the Kia EV6 shortly.

 

[gagirl65]

I used to have a RWD Pony.

Hyundai Pony - Wikipedia

 

[SalisburySam]

The salesperson for our test drive was super nice and tried his hardest to make us feel welcome. His knowledge of the car was less than ideal, and he told us some wrong information about the vehicle. While it wasn't a big deal as I came in very educated about the product, this is where dealerships fail.

Thanks for the review...we also test drove an Ioniq5 recently as well and were quite impressed. Less impressive was the $5k dealer markup, and we opted to look elsewhere.

But back to the sales staff: many of us think those are the vehicle experts that will help guide us through familiarization towards purchase. That's not at all the case. Sales people are hired, promoted, and fired on their ability to quickly assess a prospect's likelihood of turning into a buyer now...and then making that happen. The role is to quickly assess personalities and influence them accordingly, more of a social than a technical skill set. They MAY know enough about the car to tout its benefits in sales-speak, but more is unnecessary for the job at hand. They need to close deals, not engage in lengthy chats about every facet of the car's uniqueness. One exception was the gentleman in his 20's or so who gave us our Polestar2 test drive. I had done my homework, but there was absolutely nothing he did not know about the vehicle we were actually driving, and how it differed from the other four on the lot, and the Volvo Recharge we test drove earlier at the same lot (different sales person). Very impressive. On the other hand, he didn't make the sale though not at all due to anything he did or didn't do.

As one example, recall that Ross Perot worked as a salesperson at IBM selling mainframes and becoming the top producer such that IBM actually cut his commission percentage due to the amount of money he was making...he supposedly met his annual quota in two weeks. He knew little about the guts or styling of the mainframes but he knew well and leveraged how to pick and discard the lookie-loos from the serious buyers and was relentless in influencing them to buy anything. Then came the add-ons like the very expensive software, maintenance agreements, limitless peripheral devices, and so on. This is what sales people are expected to do.

 

[Sandor]

It is sharp looking.

I'm getting Pontiac Aztek flashbacks

 

[Spalding]

Please report back once you've driven the Kia. Their new EV gets raves in the automotive press, but I've also heard consistently that the Kia dealership "experience" is still horrendous.

 

[Spalding]

Please report back again once you've driven the Kia. Their new EV gets great reviews, but people note consistently that the Kia dealership "experience" is still horrendous,

 

[Zer0t]

Please report back once you've driven the Kia. Their new EV gets raves in the automotive press, but I've also heard consistently that the Kia dealership "experience" is still horrendous.

We drove the Kia, it was great but the dealership experience made my wife say no. She really wanted it but felt that having to work with the dealer was gonna be too much. We’ve been fortunate when dealing with Tesla in Springfield, NJ, they’ve been top notch.

We were asked for 10k over and I laughed and thanked them and they immediately cut it half.

We currently haves MY perf, previously had a Raven S LR but wanted a smaller car for the two of us. We test drove the three, configured it and left. Luckily we deposited before the price increase. The hardest part was my wife deciding on what color she wanted. It’s really just too east to order one. I know Tesla is far from perfect but we continue to go back because handling everything on line and showing up and getting your car is so simple.

 

[Not That M3]

Considering all the teething issues I'm seeing in the Mach-E forums, I'm glad it's working out for you so far.

For me, I put a lot of weight on the software, thermal, and electrical design as they can make or break an EV. It's the difference between successful vs failed OTAs or successfully completing a trip vs getting stranded along the way. I just don't see the Mach-E as being strong enough in those areas. The feeling I get is they bit off more than they can chew.

I have a better feeling about Hyundai. They make solid cars and I don't get the feeling they're trying to 'outdo' Tesla even though they're obviously competing in the same market. Ford came out swinging and missed quite a few punches. Time will tell.

Ford hired a key innovator from Tesla recently for their EV division. It'll be interesting how this pans out in the next few years.

 

[Rootboy]

Walking into the dealership was a blast from 1980's.

As God as my witness, I will never ever step into a dealership again.

 

[Gutta420]

Since leaving the dealership on Saturday, I have received two emails and one text from them. All three messages told me how important my business is, etc. One email from the manager asked why we didn't buy a car during our visit.

And this is exactly why I don’t divulge my email or phone number to any dealership unless I am 100% going to buy. I’m still getting texts from an Audi dealership from 2 years ago.

 

[Fairchild]

I ordered a Model Y while waiting for the CYBRTRK.
Now I bought an Ioniq 5 while waiting for the Model Y.

Tesla: KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE REARVIEW MIRROR
OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR!!

 

[Jersey_guy_202]

I ordered a Model Y while waiting for the CYBRTRK.
Now I bought an Ioniq 5 while waiting for the Model Y.

Tesla: KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE REARVIEW MIRROR
OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR!!

How do you like Ioniq 5 so far? Do you think you will keep it for long term?

 

[mangrove79]

Pretty good review, thanks! I have to say, while the internal specs of any EV is important, I'll have to love the exterior look in order to make the decision to buy. Despite reviews online from professionals about how great the styling of the i5 is, I only find it bland. Actually, that's not the right word. It's more like Hyundai is trying very hard to make it futuristic, but ending up making it very non-distinct. If you look at the MY from all angles, you can see something that's very distinct. The front has the total-minimalist look without any grille, and no break in line anywhere. The backside has the unique silhouette of the panoramic sunroof that also is continuous, i.e. no break. The side profile is also very distinct with the trademark nosedive in the front and the fluid lines to the back. I can always recognize a MY from more than a quarter mile away. A i5 on the other hand, just looks like any other cross-over SUV, especially looking from the side.

 

[sleepydoc]

It's more like Hyundai is trying very hard to make it futuristic, but ending up making it very non-distinct.

My thought was it looks a lot like half of the other compact SUVs. 10 years ago it would have looked new and futuristic, now it just looks the same.

Ultimately beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? I've seen a lot of people who don't like the Y's styling. Personally I do, so that's all that matters for me.

 

[roblab]

You do realize that solar panels put out a very tiny amount of power per panel. I have 66 panels on my home and property, and they don't make enough to charge my car in a whole day, nor in several days. ONE solar panel puts out 12 volts, and will barely keep your 12 volt battery charged, so this talk of putting a solar panel on your car is silly. Unless the panel does not interfere with the aerodynamics of the car, you'll lose more than they're worth. You'd have to park your car in the sun, no shade, no parking garages, no home garage, no trees, no shading, with proper orientation to the sun (facing SSW) and proper tilt, none of which are viable if on a moving car. Are you going to park your car at all times so the sun can charge it? That's not easy.

What WORKS is to put all your panels either on the ground or on a roof, all aimed for optimum solar gain, all wired to a battery system to store that gain so you can use it AND power from the grid, to charge your car at night when you're not using it. THIIS IS WHY no one, as in NO ONE puts solar panels on a car, and probably never will. And if they do, it will be mainly for looks.

I'm looking forward to a solar panel option on the Tesla Model Y too...may be Tesla will come out with that soon, I hope

 

[Fairchild]

How do you like Ioniq 5 so far? Do you think you will keep it for long term?

My son is driving it down to me from NY. Had to go that far to avoid an exorbitant mark-up. These vehicles are flying off the lots.

A nice FAIR comparison

 

[Jersey_guy_202]

My son is driving it down to me from NY. Had to go that far to avoid an exorbitant mark-up. These vehicles are flying off the lots.

A nice FAIR comparison

Great! Please keep us posted on the feedback once you get it.

Sorry I don't watch biased Edmunds review

 

[Takumi]

THIIS IS WHY no one, as in NO ONE puts solar panels on a car, and probably never will. And if they do, it will be mainly for looks.

I think Aptera will want to talk to you...

 

[sleepydoc]

You do realize that solar panels put out a very tiny amount of power per panel. I have 66 panels on my home and property, and they don't make enough to charge my car in a whole day, nor in several days. ONE solar panel puts out 12 volts, and will barely keep your 12 volt battery charged, so this talk of putting a solar panel on your car is silly. Unless the panel does not interfere with the aerodynamics of the car, you'll lose more than they're worth. You'd have to park your car in the sun, no shade, no parking garages, no home garage, no trees, no shading, with proper orientation to the sun (facing SSW) and proper tilt, none of which are viable if on a moving car. Are you going to park your car at all times so the sun can charge it? That's not easy.

What WORKS is to put all your panels either on the ground or on a roof, all aimed for optimum solar gain, all wired to a battery system to store that gain so you can use it AND power from the grid, to charge your car at night when you're not using it. THIIS IS WHY no one, as in NO ONE puts solar panels on a car, and probably never will. And if they do, it will be mainly for looks.

What are you talking about? The average solar panel can put out well over 300 watts and typically operates at 36V. Voltage is irrelevant, though - that's why you have a voltage converter. FYI, the batteries that power your Tesla actually operate at 3 V.

It's not going to be enough to power the car, but it's not insignificant. Personally, I'd rather have an array of solar cells on the roof of my car than the panoramic sunroof. The sunroof just makes the car colder in the winter and hotter in the summer.

 

[Zer0t]

My son is driving it down to me from NY. Had to go that far to avoid an exorbitant mark-up. These vehicles are flying off the lots.

A nice FAIR comparison

Where in NY?

 

[Fairchild]

Islip