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

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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.

Ioniq 5 1.png


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Ioniq 5 3.png
 
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.
Except my 2012 Nissan LEAF has a small solar panel to trickle charge the 12v. But sure, no one.
 
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A nice FAIR comparison
A pretty good review of all of the important aspects, and mostly fair to both cars. The MY is 1.5 years old, but he does caveat that when comparing. The only thing that he should've caveated his price comparison is the dealer markups which by the time of his review is already in full swing. So that price comparison in favor of the i5 is kinda lame.
 
I work in the city so if I was interested I could take the LIRR out drive one home. I have a deposit in a may 22 M3. Getting antsy though and with the price increase they won’t let me buy an inventory car unless it’s an exact match without paying the price increase. Seems silly but we all know how Tesla does some odd things. Keeps us posted.
 
Very kind to share; did you happen to measure mpge/mi-per-wh etc. efficiency? According to fueleconomy.gov, comparing awd long range version of IONIQ-5 with Telsa-Y is pretty bad: tesla=122, ioniq=98 (mpge). Not even close. That alone speaks to quite an engineering gap.
 
Very kind to share; did you happen to measure mpge/mi-per-wh etc. efficiency? According to fueleconomy.gov, comparing awd long range version of IONIQ-5 with Telsa-Y is pretty bad: tesla=122, ioniq=98 (mpge). Not even close. That alone speaks to quite an engineering gap.
Maybe. On the Ioniq5 I could find the windshield defroster immediately, and I’m pretty sure that the button won’t change its location at the next firmware update. Yup, quite the engineering gap indeed.
 
For sure
The F-100 Lightning is 68
Very kind to share; did you happen to measure mpge/mi-per-wh etc. efficiency? According to fueleconomy.gov, comparing awd long range version of IONIQ-5 with Telsa-Y is pretty bad: tesla=122, ioniq=98 (mpge). Not even close. That alone speaks to quite an engineering gap.
And the MYP is 106 mpge

Let's look at this a little differently.

MY LR. $63,000
IONIQ 5. SEL $46,000.

Difference $17,000

Tax Credit. $ 7,500

The question???
How much electricity can you buy for $24,500??
 
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Tesla was at a pricing sweetspot before this recent price increase. I felt like a majority was willing to pay the premium/forgo the $7500 tax credit in order to get into a Tesla. The recent price increase has made the Mustang, Ioniq, EV6, ID4, etc all easier buys EVEN with $10k mark up.
I would have to agree for the most part, but I will never pay greasy dealership markups. If Ford / Kia / Hyundai came out and raised their prices $5k then I'd have no problem.. I would have paid 70k for our MME GT without question.
 
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To me it's all in the SUPERCHARGER network. Jaguar, Hyundai, Ford etc... probably have nicer interiors IMHO and I am not loyal to Tesla, though I have had good experiences at my local service center. (before the 3 and Y took over ) :)
But I need the superchargers if I want to travel, which I do. Long trip with my wife? We take her car as gas stations remove the worry of range etc.....and she does not like SCing for an hour.
 
I think it's a fair price for the Tech.

Frankly I like the looks of the ionic 5 better 5

I have a blue Ionic 5 SEL coming in next week from New York and I will post my impressions.

I also have an Ionic Limited on order For June delivery which I will probably have wrapped in glossy metallic vampire red. I'm tired of the dull colors on these new cars.

I still have a blue MYP on hold which I will may release for delivery when the time comes, if the market bears a resale. At present it does.

At the end of all this I should be able to decide which vehicle I actually want to keep. Darn, soon I'm going to need a car dealer's license, which I think kicks in after 5 sales a year.
 

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I’m just not sure why most reviewers compare MME, Ioniq, EV6, and ID4 but leave the MY out.. I think they all have positives over the MY but leaving it out seems like they have ab agenda and that’s annoying.
 
I’m just not sure why most reviewers compare MME, Ioniq, EV6, and ID4 but leave the MY out.. I think they all have positives over the MY but leaving it out seems like they have ab agenda and that’s annoying.
Could be because the cars are provided by manufacturer and maybe Tesla doesn't provide one? Not sure but I agree with you.
 
I’m just not sure why most reviewers compare MME, Ioniq, EV6, and ID4 but leave the MY out.. I think they all have positives over the MY but leaving it out seems like they have ab agenda and that’s annoying.
That's because they're reviewing for 2nd. The "winner" then gets to go against the 1st place holder.

#1 question I ask any of my friends and family who ask me which one to buy, before they even tell me what their choices are, is: Are you planning to go out of town with your car? If yes, then Tesla. If no, then pick the one that you like. Either the conversation stops there or I ask them more questions to help them realize what it is they are actually looking for.
 
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