5 STAR(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 82

Having shaken up the market with its very first IONIQ, Hyundai did so again with this far more sophisticated IONIQ 5 EV. In this usefully updated form, it's still quite an arresting-looking thing. And a car aimed at an EV mid-sized hatch and Crossover segment typified by cars like Volkswagen's ID.4, Ford's Explorer, 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.

Background word count: 179

Exactly what has the EV automotive sector been lacking - apart from extended battery range? Here's our 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. A decade or so back, the first combustion-era IONIQ model was the first car to be available in hybrid, electric and plug-in forms - a Prius rival that went further. This replacement EV design, originally launched in 2021, aimed to go further still, the founding member of Hyundai's IONIQ EV sub-brand, a line-up subsequently bolstered by the IONIQ 6 (a mid-sized saloon). Three years on in mid-2024, it received the package of mid-term updates that have created the car we'll be looking at here. As before, this IONIQ 5 is a difficult model to pigeonhole, not least because of its arresting looks, penned by Luc Donckerwolke, the man behind who styled most modern era Lamborghinis. It's a family hatch with aggressive SUV overtones. And it still makes quite a statement.

Driving Experience word count: 322

The IONIQ 5 sits on the 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 Standard Range battery model now offers 63kWh and has a single electric motor on the rear axle with 170PS and 350Nm of torque. That delivers 273 miles of driving range and gets to 62mph in 8.5s. Step up to the improved Long Range battery version - which now offers 84kWh - and the rear motor gets a boost in power to 228PS, range increases to 354 miles (or 320 miles in 'N Line'-spec) and the 0-62mph sprint time improves to 7.3s. The top 84kWh AWD model adds an extra motor on the front axle, which boosts output to 325PS and ups torque to 605Nm, slashing the 62mph sprint time to just 5.1s, though the drive range figure falls to a best of 307 miles. On the move, drive dynamics are still centred upon comfort; to that end, the brand 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 a 84kWh battery and a power output that can be as much as 650PS, 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 Nurburgring Nordschleife.