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By Jonathan Crouch

Hyundai's IONIQ 5 EV will turn a few heads. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 84

Having shaken up the market with its very first IONIQ, Hyundai has done so again with this far more sophisticated IONIQ 5. This time round, the IONIQ is only an EV - and it's quite an arresting one, aimed at premium compact hatch and Crossover models typified by cars like Volkswagen's ID.4, Ford's Mustang MACH-E, the Polestar2 and this Hyundai's close cousin, the Kia EV6. You have to offer something interesting and different in that kind of company. The IONIQ 5 very definitely does.

Backgroundword count: 161

Exactly what has the EV automotive sector been lacking - apart from extended battery range? Here's my nomination: design character. Most family EVs are about as interesting to look at or sit in as a wet day at Brighton Beach: in lockdown. But this one, Hyundai's IONIQ 5, isn't. The name might ring a bell. The first IONIQ model was the first car to be available in hybrid, electric and plug-in forms - a Prius rival that went further. And this one aims to go further still, the founding member of Hyundai's new IONIQ EV sub-brand, a line-up that'll subsequently be bolstered by the IONIQ 6 (a mid-sized saloon) and the IONIQ 7 (a large SUV). This IONIQ 5 is less easy to pigeonhole, not least because of its arresting looks, penned by Luc Donckerwolke, the man behind who styled most modern era Lamborghinis. Larger than its predecessor, it's a family hatch with aggressive SUV overtones. And it makes a statement.

Driving Experienceword count: 309

The IONIQ 5 sits on the all-new E-GMP platform that Hyundai has created for its future EVs. As usual with an EV of this size, there's a choice of battery pack sizes and rear-driven electric outputs, with a token AWD model at the top of the range. The base 58kWh battery model has a single electric motor on the rear axle with 168bhp and 350Nm of torque. That delivers 238 miles of driving range and gets to 62mph in 8.5s. Step up to the improved top battery version - which now offers 77.4kWh - and the rear motor gets a boost in power to 215bhp, range increases to 315 miles and the 0-62mph sprint time improves to 7.3s. The top 77.4kWh AWD model adds an extra motor on the front axle, which boosts output to 301bhp and ups torque to 605Nm, slashing the 62mph sprint time to just 5.1s, though the drive range figure falls to 298 miles. On the move, drive dynamics are centred upon comfort; to that end, the brand has engineered the mass market's very first integrated drive axle, which combines the driveshafts and wheel bearings, benefitting comfort and handling stability. There's a 'Sport' driving mode button hanging from the steering wheel for those times you want to push on a bit, on the opposite side to the phallic-shaped gear selector. SUV-specific Michelin Pilot sport 4 tyres promise decent traction and the slippery shape aids cruising refinement. We've left the most desirable IONIQ 5 until last, the IONIQ 5 N, because it's an almost completely different proposition from its mainstream stablemates. It gets its own 84kWh battery and a power output that can be as much as 641bhp, allowing for 62mph from rest in just 3.4s. It's been designed for the track with a whole series of circuit-specific engineering features developed at the fearsome Nurbring Nordschleife.

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