Hyundai Ioniq 5 First Impressions (Interview)
Tesla is the dominant EV manufacturer in the world. Currently, there does not appear to be a challenger and Tesla continues to innovate rapidly. Tesla has been so successful that the other auto manufacturers have been attempting to keep up and mostly not succeeding. At the same time, at the level of individual EVs, there have been some interesting vehicles released that are garnering attention and selling. One of these is the Hyundai Ioniq 5. If you read online articles or watch YouTube video reviews, there seems to be something of a consensus that the Ioniq 5 is apparently well-made, comfortable, designed aesthetically, and it provides enough range and performance.
For these reasons, when Darrell, who runs the YouTube channel Nukem384, mentioned that his father was going to purchase one, interviewing him about it and how his father likes it was a natural fit. (He previously provided many details about becoming a two-Tesla and solar power household a while back.)
You have two Teslas — why did your father decide to purchase the Ioniq 5?
He actually didn’t like the styling of the Model Y, so he went for the Ioniq 5 because it was about the same size and charging isn’t an issue since they have home charging.
Did you consult with him before he bought the Ioniq 5 and go with him when he picked it up?
Yeah, we talked about what EVs would work for them and the Ioniq 5 seemed to be the best fit. I did. We drove about 250 miles each way in my Model Y to pick up the car from the dealership. Charging for both cars was easy coming back. The particular Electrify America station he charged at on the way back worked perfectly fine.
What are his first impressions of it, and if you have driven it too, how does it compare with the Model 3 and Model Y?
He likes the car. It’s a perfect fit for him since he’s not a car enthusiast. The car drives real smooth and isn’t crazy powerful (they have a RWD variant). So it’s perfect for them to get from point A to B and zero out pollution getting there (they have solar at home).
My impressions of the car are that it is great for the mass general public. If you aren’t a car enthusiast and don’t care about 0-60 times, coming out of corners hard and being able to stop on a dime, then something like the Ioniq 5 might be for you. The seats are comfortable, the drive is really smooth and a bit floaty, the car feels solid (no squeaks and not too loud inside), and having two 12.3-inch screens is nice to be able to see everything. And let’s not forget it’s quite a bit cheaper too, even with markup. If you hunt though, you can find dealers that will sell you the car at MSRP, so that’ll save you even more.
Was there a tax credit available for the Ioniq 5, and if so, what was it?
It was when he took delivery of the car. So they will be able to take advantage of the full $7.5k credit in 2022. Unfortunately, with the new IRA act, I don’t know how much you’d get (if any) if you took delivery today.
What is the Ioniq’s official range, and has it held up in real world driving so far?
The RWD variant they have is EPA rated at 303 miles. I would say Hyundai has done a pretty good job of being conservative with their EPA estimates. He can get about 285 miles on a full charge if they were going on a trip somewhere.
Does the car come with its own charger, and if so, how long does it take for a full charge?
I thought this was a bit interesting of Hyundai. The car does have a mobile charger, but it’s only a 120v and unlike Tesla, you can’t switch out adapters to get a level 2 plug. So they ended up buying a Grizzl-e EVSE for their home. It plugs right into your NEMA 14-50 outlet, and at 40 amps, will charge at about 38 miles per hour of charging. So if we were to do that math, it’d take you just about 8 hours to fully charge the battery from 0%-100% (but don’t do that!).
Does it have any self-driving features?
The Ioniq 5 does have a lane assist type feature like Tesla’s basic AP. We have not tested it though.
Would he recommend it to others who are interested in buying an EV?
Definitely! It’s a great EV with tons of good features and a real competitor to the Tesla Model Y if you don’t care about performance. Options are always good in the EV market and this car should get a hard look if you’re looking elsewhere from Tesla.
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