Road Test: 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5

Road Test: 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5

The Shaking Things Up EV

Hyundai, along with its siblings Kia and Genesis, has some of the best-designed vehicles on the road. The 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 is one EV that blurs the traditional look of a sedan, crossover and hatchback. For a car that has been on sale for almost a year, it is still pointed to with a “What is that?” look. Saying that the Ioniq 5 is “redefining the electric mobility lifestyle for a new generation of eco-savvy customers,” Hyundai had better deliver. They did.

Head-turning Exterior Design

The 2022 Ioniq 5 looks like no other all-electric compact crossover, staying far away from sharp edges, and clunky nose scoops and grilles. Without those features, the Ioniq 5 has a sleek and far-forward design. With minimal front and rear overhangs, the seamless clamshell hood has a clean look, closing to a slit where the rectangular projector LED lights peek out from the far edges of the curved nose. This futuristic look with LED accent lighting is so different that it isn’t so much daring, but more of a relief that someone finally broke the mold.

The sides reveal crisp lines and an Origami-type crease, with a geometric triangle on the doors that begins at the A-pillar and culminates at the 45-degree angled C-pillar. The LED tail lights replicate the rectangular design of the headlights, and add a light bar running the full width of the auto-open hands-free lift gate. The large, bold and unique 20-inch wheels make a serious statement of strength, which Hyundai says are a “parametric pixel design (that is) visually interesting and aerodynamically efficient.”

The distinctive rear end features a horizontal light band with a small square pattern and a dominant I-O-N-I-Q-5. The power lift gate is sleek and smooth, unencumbered by a wiper on its sloping glass.

The 2022 Ioniq 5 comes in three trim levels, SE, SEL and Limited; and six exterior colors, Atlas White, Cyber Grey Metallic, Phantom Black Pearl, Digital Teal Pearl, Lucid Blue Pearl and Shooting Star Gray Matte.

Clean Fleet Report drove the highly optioned Limited AWD painted in Lucid Blue with silver trim along the fenders, front and rear lower fascias. Body color flush automatic pop-out door handles and power heated exterior mirrors were accented by a narrow black strip along the lower doors and a slim strip that connected the headlights. The privacy, solar and laminated acoustic glass and the panoramic fixed-glass solar sunroof completed the sleek look.

Modern, Spacious Interior

The 2022 Ioniq 5 is built on Hyundai’s all-new dedicated EV-only platform, which will see service for future EVs from Hyundai, plus models from sibling brands Kia and Genesis. The Ioniq 5 has a completely flat floor and provides spacious leg, shoulder and head room for all five occupants. Hyundai calls this its Smart Living Room concept. A traditional center console has been reimagined as a Universal Island that is moveable and incorporates cup holders and charge ports. The flat floor allows the console to slide 5.5-inches so, in its most rearward position, front occupants can slide across the seats to exit the vehicle from either side. If you ever get pinned in a parking lot by an inconsiderate driver, this feature would come in handy. Interior color options are Black Monotone, and two-tone Dark Pebble Gray/Dove Gray and Dark Teal/Dove Gray.

Sustainability is the interior theme where the seats, headliner, door panels and flooring are made from eco-friendly, sustainably sourced materials such as recycled plastic and plant-based or natural wool yarns. In the top Limited trim level the front seats were covered in leatherette (an artificial leather material) and were 8-way power adjustable, heated and ventilated. The memory driver’s seat is fully reclining, with a power knee rest, while both front seats have power lumbar. To set a relaxing mood, try the soothing 64-color ambient lighting.

Wide second row access led to the comfortable rear seats that offered ample head and leg room and side window shades. The split 60/40 rear bench seat slides and reclines, producing 59.3-inches of cargo space when folded down. Without an engine up front there is a front trunk, or frunk, for stashing small items. The panoramic fixed-glass roof has a power sunshade.

The low slung dash has dual 12.3-inch horizontal color screens that are standard on all trim levels, with one for the digital instruments and the other for the infotainment system. In the Limited, sounds came from an 8-speaker Bose premium audio system with AM/FM/SiriusXM, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The Bluetooth connection works for up-to two devices, while the car also features front and rear USB power and data ports and wireless phone charging. The Hyundai voice recognition worked well to control phone, radio, navigation and other vehicle functions.

We were impressed with the speed of the touchscreen but also that Hyundai has included physical buttons, switches and even a volume knob, which are completely deleted on many EVs we drive. The screen allowed for icons to be rearranged, and it split vertically into two for navigation and audio.

The Hyundai Blue Link app provides access to vehicle systems including remote start and remote charging, and the Digital Key provides extra convenience and safety. The Homelink equipped auto-dimming rear view mirror is an integrated transceiver (a transmitter and receiver) that can be programmed to activate radio frequency (RF) devices such as garage doors, estate/community gates, entry door locks, home/office lighting, security systems or other RF devices.

Additional convenience features on the Ioniq 5 include rain sensing wipers, tilt and telescoping heated steering wheel, dual automatic climate control, auto hold and adaptive cruise control.

Powering-up

The 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 comes with either rear-wheel drive (RWD) with one motor or all-wheel drive (AWD) with two motors.

RWD: Standard Range

• 220 miles driving range
• 58 kilowatt-hour (kWh) lithium-ion polymer battery
• Single 125 kW electric motor
• 168 horsepower
• 258 pound-feet of torque

RWD: SE, SEL and Limited

• 303 miles driving range
• 77.4 kWh Lithium-ion Polymer battery
• Single 168 kW electric motor
• 225 horsepower
• 258 pound-feet of torque

AWD: SE, SEL and Limited

• 256 miles of driving range
• 77.4 kWh Lithium-ion Polymer battery
• Dual electric motors. 74 kW (front) + 165 kW (rear)
• 320 horsepower
• 446 pound-feet of torque

Charging

The Ioniq 5 has a 10.9 kW onboard charger that can charge at 400 volts, but can also go up-to 800 volts and use a 350 kW fast charger. The 77.4 kWh lithium-ion battery has pre-heating and a heat pump Winter Mode that can be set on the touchscreen. New for the 2023 Ioniq 5, which will especially be of interest to those in cold climates, is the introduction of a Battery Conditioning setting that will improve charging and performance as it will heat the battery to the optimal charging temperature.

The Ioinq 5 can be trickle-charged with a 120V common wall plug, but expect replenish times to be long and slow. The best bet for owners will be to install a Level 2, 240V home charger that will take the battery from 10% to 100% charge in 6.43 hours. When in a time crunch, you can add 10% to 80% in 18 minutes on a DC Fast Charger if charging at 350 kW. To make it easier to use the fast charging, from the date of purchasing, Ioniq 5 owners will receive unlimited 30-minute charging sessions for two years at any of Electrified America’s 800+ stations.

For even more convenience, the Ioniq 5 has Vehicle-to-Load (V2L), where power can flow out of the battery and charge e-bikes, camping and outdoor equipment, run your office while traveling, and even be an electricity source during a power outage.

The charging process has a few helpful features such as three ways to open and close the charge door, indicator charge status lights, and one that at first seemed weird, but later was relied upon. When successfully inserting the charge handle, a female voice, out of nowhere, announces “Charging Started.”

Silent Cruising

The Ioniq 5 is quick off the line with 0-60 times around five seconds, which is plenty fast to get up to freeway speeds. While it is not designed or marketed as a performance EV, it easily will handle all daily driving needs and provide some fun at the same time. The handling on the all-wheel drive model we drove, with the Michelin Primacy Tour all-season tires, planted the Ioniq 5 solidly with a confident feel when cornering and minor body roll when taking the most aggressive corners.

There are four driver-selectable drive modes of Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow, accessed through a button on the steering wheel. We didn’t encounter any snow-covered roadways, but did use Eco and Normal for highway cruising and Sport for a bit of fun. Overall, in 242 miles of cruising around Southern California, we averaged 3.5 miles per kilowatt hour, which is respectable. During our in-town driving when utilizing the maximum regenerative braking setting and seemingly hitting every red light, the average was 4.0 miles; using i-Pedal in stop-and-go traffic is where the most efficient driving will take place.

A very useful feature on the Ioniq 5 is one pedal and i-Pedal driving. Make sure to have the Hyundai dealer sales associate demonstrate how using and setting this regenerative braking technique will increase your electric efficiency, driving range and driving enjoyment.

Regenerative braking, which uses the electric motors (not the brakes) to slow the car, recharges the battery when slowing or coasting, converting kinetic energy into electric energy, which is stored in the battery. The degree of regenerative braking can be controlled by steering wheel paddles.

The Ioniq 5 has standard ABS and power-assisted ventilated front and rear solid discs. Handling and driving confidence was also aided by the standard electronic stability control, electronic brake-pressure distribution and brake assist.

Safety

The Ioiniq 5 comes with an extensive list of standard safety features, beginning with six airbags (front, side impact and side air curtain with rollover sensors). Hyundai’s SmartSense safety tech is robust with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including lane keep assist, blind spot detection, forward collision avoidance, and rear cross-traffic avoidance assist. Click the above link to learn about Hyundai’s safety suite. Other features are hill start assist, auto hold, a surround and blind view monitor with parking sensors, and a tire pressure monitoring system.

The color head-up display included augmented reality, where relevant information is projected onto the windshield, such as turn-by-turn navigation, speed, road hazards and advanced safety alerts of the Ioniq 5’s surroundings.

Pricing

The 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 comes in rear or all-wheel drive and three trim levels. These base prices include the mandatory $1,295 freight charge.

Rear Wheel Drive

•  SE Standard Range  $41,245
•  SE                             $45,295
•  SEL                           $47,545
•  Limited                      $52,235

All-Wheel Drive

•  SE                             $48,795
•  SEL                            $51,045
•  Limited                      $56,295

Observations: 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5

The Ioniq 5 is recognized as being one of the best electric vehicles, and is the first of a full line-up of Hyundai electric vehicles coming soon. The Ioniq 5 competes with the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model Y, Chevrolet Bolt and Bolt EUV and will qualify for a HOV sticker.

The Ioniq 5 is a pleasure to drive and look at, comes with extensive driver safety systems and an excellent warranty. Request to take a lengthy test drive when visiting your local Hyundai dealer to get a feel for the Ioniq 5 in town and on the highway. If like us, you will like it.

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Story and photos by John Faulkner.

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The Hyundai Ioniq 5 Competitors Landscape:

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Disclosure:

Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.

Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and diesels. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.