The IONIQ 5: Hyundai’s Spaceship. The electric future presented by Hyundai.
Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 is a car that’s completely different from what we’re used to. It’s futuristic and renewing. I was surprised by how many people turned their heads to keep the car in sight. This futuristic SUV is “special”, a concept car that didn’t stay a concept. I’m not going to say it’s ugly but It took me a few days to get used to it. Once you’ve accepted its appearance, it’s a car to enjoy. The IONIQ 5 is a blocky car from the chassis, up to the design of the front lights, everything is built like a cube.
Some cool outer-space-features
First of all the door handles disappear into the door when the car is locked and appear when you unlock it. The charging valve can be opened with a single touch and also with a button on the car key. The car is also equipped with a lot of cameras for 360° views and blind spots.
By the way, did you know the roof is covered in solar panels? Hyundai says that the solar panels can add up to 2.000km/year (around 5-6km per day) of additional range if it's driven in sunny environments. So probably not Belgium.
Another cool feature is RSPA (Remote Smart Parking Assist). You can park the car with the key. Wait. What!? Yes, you can use the car key as a remote control to park the car when you’re standing outside. It’s very cool to show off to your friends or just to random people but it takes some time for the car to do its thing. I don't think I’d use it very often but it’s a very cool gimmick.
The IONIQ 5 has another great feature, the vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology. Hyundai has built an adaptor that you simply plug into the charging port and transform into a plug like you have at home. It has a capacity of 3.6 kW, so it’s not just for your phone to charge. I needed to test this feature and decided to make a smoothie. Want to see the result? just click the word smoothie! You should be able to perfectly charge another EV for an emergency (drained battery) but keep in mind that this will take some time.
But how does this spaceship look on the inside?
On the inside, the futuristic features continue. The two 12.3-inch screens give the car a Mercedes-like feeling. It’s kind of minimalistic and there are no extremely popping details. The car has a very spacious feeling. With the adjustable middle console you can create the space you like the most. You can move it forward, so the console is in between the driver and the passenger but you can also set it back so there’s more free space in between the two front seats. Hyundai calls it the universal island.
About those seats, they’re completely electronic adjustable and even have a “relax” position. The seat is going almost completely flat so you can lay down, it’s amazing and yes I fell asleep when the car was charging. The seats in the back are also adjustable and heated.
The infotainment works great but the only thing we missed in a well-equipped car, was wireless CarPlay/Android auto. I think that this is something that needs to be a standard feature in cars nowadays. Hyundai has put all the controls into the infotainment system, the radio, the navigation, the heating and even the seat heating and cooling.
The IONIQ 5 comes with a head-up display. It’s very practical and didn’t bother me, even though a HUD easily bothers me when I’m driving, kinda an OCD thing. It shows you the directions where to go when the navigation is on, in AR (Augmented Reality). AR is also used for lane assist and safe distance warning.
This one came with the Bose premium sound system and the sound was AMAZING!
Hitting the Speed of light!
With its 306hp AWD this car accelerates very fast! And I mean VERY fast! A 73kWh battery that can take you 430km from home with fast charging should be good enough for most of us. For me, working with a lever to choose the driving mode was something new but I got used to it very fast.
The driver assist systems work as they should work. Everything is fluent and easy to use. The only thing I didn’t like and I will never like on any car, is the lane assist. Like: “Hello, I decide where to drive, not you, you four-wheeled machine”.
Once you drive this car for a longer time, you realize this car is built to be comfortable and believe me, Hyundai did an amazing job doing that. The IONIQ 5 is one of the smoothest and most relaxing cars I’ve driven in a while. And it’s good to see a manufacturer not trying to make a sporty car just for the sake of it.
Last but not least
This Korean spaceship is an amazing car, especially for its price class. The IONIQ 5 has a starting price of €45.999 (BE) and I think it’s worth the price. It was one of the most futuristic cars I’ve driven and to be honest one of the most comfortable cars as well.
KYBOGRFX
