2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 RWD Limited

 

I know what you're thinking. "Bruce is going to bash another EV." Au contraire mon ami. I may not be 100% sold on EVs but I can be honest about the vehicle. So the bottom line? Read on.

Let's start with the exterior. Regardless of what motivates the Ioniq 5 I think the styling is great. It's just different enough to stand out without being odd. Will it age well? Time will tell.

As always the big bugaboo with the Ioniq 5, and every  EV, is range and charging rate. Interestingly, Hyundai shows a range of the range on the instrument cluster. There is the EPA estimated range (318 miles), a maximum range and a minimum range. Like any vehicle the range depends on how you drive. Unlike gas engined vehicles you have to plan your trips around where charging stations are, and hope they work (in my experience there are often units that are out of commission).

Hyundai has adopted the Tesla charging plug (NACS) that allows faster charging (an adapter is provided so you can use the other system). This allows you to charge your Ioniq 5 in 30-45 minutes. The downside is you'll often be the lone "other" at a Tesla charging station. I kind of felt like a Gnu at a lion's watering hole; the looks I got from the Tesla owners was not friendly. And the Tesla charging station near me was next to the dumpster for a Golden Corral. 

I was pleased with the ride of the Ioniq 5. The test Ioniq 5, a Limited, weighed in at a hefty 4,557 lbs., yet it didn't feel heavy in ride or handling. 

Yes the interior is nice. I can not wait for the white trend to go away. 

The Ioniq 5 has a combination of normal Hyundai displays and techie stuff. I like more tactile stuff but I've watched techie folks in their EVs and they seem to love it. 

The Ioniq 5 is just about the right size for me. It will seat 5 (in a pinch), it's just over 15' long, and there is up to 58.5 cubic feet of storage with the rear seat folded down. The front trunk (frunk) has only 0.85 cu. ft. of storage. Towing is not recommended.

I'm still not completely sold on EVs. There are some very nice ones including the Ioniq 5, and they all are getting better range-wise. Just changing motive power doesn't lessen the number of vehicles on the road though. Yes EVs pollute less (or different) but they are not at zero.

I could accept an EV for local driving if, and this is a big if, I had a home charger, and if I was sure of the electric grid. My wife asked someone with an EV how they would charge their car in a power outage. Their answer was "I'd drive my other (gas-engined) car." 

But if you're in the market for an EV I think you should check out an Ioniq 5. The Ioniq 5 RWD Limited is $54,300, a SE Standard Range starts at $42,600. Prices are from hyundaiusa.com.