I don’t talk much about it here, but I’m in hog heaven watching the EV revolution unfold. New cars arriving one after the other that are actually new, not just the endlessly remodeled same-old, same-old. Yes, I was quite excited about the Tesla Model 3 when it arrived, and was tempted to get one just for the sheer hell of it. The Model Y is more practical if not quite as exciting. And of course there’s so many others that have arrived, although most haven’t quite stirred my soul so much yet. Until I saw this.
The new Hyundai Ioniq 5 is doing it for me. This is handsome, mostly original, has some terrific styling details, is the right format, size and configuration. Most of all, it’s not a “Crossover/CUV”, which frankly is a term that needs to increasingly die with cars that have zero off-road aspirations or abilities. The Ioniq is just the new format, here to stay: reasonably tall (63.3″), but no more than it needs to be.
It’s dimensions are similar with the obvious direct competition, like the Model Y, Mustang Mach E and VW ID.4, but it’s the best looking, to my eyes. And its long (118″) wheelbase and short overhangs maximizes interior space.
The interior is not only very roomy and attractive, but has no center console on the floor in the front! That alone is enough to make this my favorite EV so far. I hate center consoles. This is how it should be, and is, in my xB and van. Freedom to move feet around, when the cruise control is set. And the large headroom and foot room just add to a feeling of spaciousness and lack of constriction, a major priority for me.
And when—if— Hyundai’s autonomous features are complete, here’s the way to travel in comfort. For those of you still lamenting the death of the traditional sedan, it’s time to get over it and step up into business class. The sedan is truly dead, at least to me.
I’m not a fan of breathless YouTube videos, but this one does show a lot of its details much better than can be seen in the pictures.
My son Ted got the use of a Mustang Mach E for a week, and he and his GF drove down Thursday evening for an overnight stay before heading for the coast of northern Humboldt County coast. I had an opportunity to take it for a bit a of a drive on my favorite 20 minute loop out a curvy country highway with some nice long straights too. It was a terrific drive; the Mach E’s instant and seamless acceleration, like all EVs in it class, is of course highly compelling. As is one-pedal driving, which I love. That’s real progress; why should one have to move one’s foot to slow down and come to a stop? No good reason. But then I’m the guy who uses cruise control on even the shortest local drives. I like the idea of telling the car what to do, rather than have to use one’s limbs. I’d probably love Autopilot.
I’m not as much of a fan on the Mach E’s styling. A bit too overwrought to me, and it looks five years old compared to the Ioniq 5. The fake Mustang-esque grille is a turn off, and the hips over the rear wheels are a bit much for me. I get what Ford was trying to do, capture the muscle-car feel, but it’s not to my taste.
If you haven’t yet, make sure to check out Jim Klein’s review of the Mach E.
Meanwhile, I’ll spend a bit more time savoring the Ioniq 5.
Manspreading forever!
The outside is a lot larger than it looks in pictures. Not bothering with high ground clearance should keep the floor reasonably low, my beef with S/CUVs. Too bad for you rural snowbelters.
The local EV community in Richmond had an Earth Day display this past Saturday, and when we weren’t talking to interested parties (quite a few, by the way) the main topic of discussion was the upcoming models. It looks like the current technological chasm between Tesla and everybody else is definitely narrowing.
Since I got my Bolt (first four month impression: I have absolutely no interest in going back to an ICE vehicle for my daily driver) the wife has decided she really must have a Model 3. Happily, that’s 2-3 years away, and, as I keep telling her, she’s going to have a lot more in choices when her turn comes.
Whoulda thunk Hyundai and Kia would turn out to be the non-Tesla leaders in EV’s?
Idathunkit.
Several of my old students are working for Hyundai and they are really smart men and women.
I love the crisp lines, angular design…Giugiaro 2.0?
My thoughts exactly. I’m hoping they’ll make something similarly impressive, but one size smaller, externally (nearer Fiesta). That’s the thing with EVs – they appear to be very space efficient, for their size.
I think that Hyundai designers are some of the best / perhaps the best in the industry, at the moment.
That said, I’m also looking forward to the Tesla ‘model 2’ smaller car. Exciting times, though, as Paul says, with increasing competition bringing genuinely new vehicles. Some of the Chinese products are great, too.
This Ioniq 5 looks like a Mk7 Golf to me, which is no bad thing. I have a Mk7 but in any case I think this is a nice design. Certainly better than that Mustang Mach E.
I do not like the look of most all electric cars that I’ve seen so far. The retro Honda E and the Porsche Taycan are other exceptions to this.
I also am certainly not a fan of the ultra minimalist dashboards of the Telsas. Nothing worse than the giant iPad stuck on the dashboard look.
Is it really over six feet high? I thought it was about 63″ tall (just over five feet) but your number looks quite exact.
It’s super compelling, I’ve really liked the look of this since I first saw it a month or two ago. The initial pictures give them impression of something Golf-sized, I was surprised to see it being a (useful) chunk larger than that. Overall the styling is stunning, instantly recognizable once seen, fresh, and yet without being odd. Once again, less is more.
The next 2-4 yours will be extremely interesting with lots of new product that will make likely it far harder to make a decision if/when it comes time to get another EV or replace the current Model Y.
Which, by the way, has settled in to the household as “just another car” with no special attention or treatment either required or given. This all happened quicker than we thought it would and has turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
Just over 5 ft high according to the Hyundai web site.
74.4″ is the width. 63″ is the height. 74″ would be quite tall indeed for a crossover. Even larger CUVs like the Palisade and Traverse are only around 69-70″.
Oops. Typo. Will fix.
Jim, any chance you’ll do a write up on your ModelY experience soon? Apologies if you’ve done one and I missed it!
I haven’t done one in a while but am planning on one soon-ish. We’ve had it for almost seven months now but just turned 5,000 miles, more a function of staying home due to Covid than anything else. The last post was when I put the winter tires on with the peek underneath. We are back on regular tires now and I’m gathering data and stuff to not just have cold weather impressions. I did a (little bit of) compare and contrast in the Mustang Mach-E review that Paul linked, as far as things that I liked about it in relation to the Y.
Thanks! Looking forward to it.
There is one styling feature of CUV’s (or whatever they should be called) that I cannot understand, and that how the roof ends at about the center of the rear wheels, at which point the rear window slopes down to the rear. This feature kills a lot of what otherwise would be prime carrying capacity. If the roof would simply continue to the rear on the same level, and then have a vertical (or nearly so) rear window, there would be more luggage capacity (like your x-box). Why don’t more car companies do this?
Because apparently utility is out, styling is in… We own one such crossover. Wonderful touring vehicle. Not so great at carrying large square things.
Well, that and aerodynamics.
And the power tailgate hitting you in the breadbasket on the way up.
Although massive by comparison, the proportions of wheelbase to length are very close to those of the old BMC ADO16.
The Ioniq gives of a Gallic vibe. Like the Citroën Cactus with more modern edginess. Hyundai has come a long way from the bulbous early Santa Fe and Tiburon. I’m OK with the Mach E styling; it’s not great but Ford deserves some credit for using consistent design language for the Mustang brand. Though I question why they call it a Mustang, if they’re going to do so, it should look like one. And it does.
I love the Ioniq 5, I’ll confess that I was really smitten at first. I thought it looked like the old Lancia Delta Integrale, except it’s about an 7/6ths size model. Huge!
Like Syke said, I love my Bolt and also wouldn’t like to go back to fuel for daily. The quiet and acceleration are beyond what’s typical for little hatchbacks, even if it does sometimes show the corners cut for weight. When I drive ICE now, I can’t help but think about how much added complication there is.
Suggestion to anyone wanting to watch that video: the mute button is your friend.
There certainly is a limit as to how charming a British accent can be.
Even kryton?
It looks quite interesting. I have traditionally preferred softer forms to the sharp-edged school of design, but maybe I am ready for something new and different. Or maybe this car does sharp edges without an ugly face and without oddball “because we can” lines sculpted in random spots.
Is Kia going to come out with a version? It may provide a significantly different look.
Yes, the KIA EV6. And although I have generally preferred KIA styling over Hyundai’s, not so in this case.
In a prior age, Mr. Young and Successful there would have been confidently one-handing the steering wheel of a BMW 3 Series with his right hand on a manual transmission lever rather than that faux gold-plated coffee thermos, but it is 2021 and station wagons are now status symbols for the young as long as you don’t call them station wagons 🙂
I know the picture of the woman reclining in comfort is meant to evoke the posh and sleek first class sleeping berths of a transAtlantic Qatar Airways flight, but I can’t help but see an interstate highway rest area in the background instead. Someone should photoshop that into the background and see if it changes the vibe.
Snark aside, Hyundai did a good job advertising this in an upscale and trendy light. And this does look like a very well-executed vehicle. Lots of space, modern interior with a low dash and just enough style to avoid the startling austerity of a Model 3. Aside from a few bad surface details (the inexplicable horizontal strakes on the lower door for instance), it’s attractive on the outside as well. The exterior looks better in the video than in these marketing photos.
The Mustang Mach E, though, is not doing anything for me in concept. I think it’s the attempt to blend disparate worlds together–a performance powertrain and suspension tune paired with a practical vehicle type (crossover), with the result being an ugly aero blob . Place that EV performance in a real Mustang or in an Explorer and then we have something interesting
Another comment routed to the trash bin, along with several other legitimate comments from others.
What is this referencing?
It’s an odd bug that’s been happening for some time where immediately when you post a comment it simply doesn’t show up. There’s not much rhyme or reason to it, I think it must be some anti spam algorithm but it seems like 1 in 10 times I post it’ll get swallowed into the abyss, they usually get fished out though.
For some reason a significant number of comments are going into the trash, without any obvious reason. I keep fishing them out, but I’ve been up in the mountains and just got back.
We need a comment de-trasher.
When I saw the headline with the words Hyundai and “most attractive”, I groaned on the inside thinking this would be just another cookie cutter crossover with a gaudy oversize grille.
After seeing the pictures I was relieved to be proven wrong. The styling looks more SEAT than Citroën to me, but that is in the eye of the beholder.
By Dario Alvarez from Orense, España – MotosyCoches_2011_029_DSCN0051, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15668530
I’m really looking forward to seeing an Ioniq5 ‘in the metal’.
My first reaction was very positive, thinking that this should have been the ID4. But just as I think sometimes that the Golf has gotten too big over the years for its basic design theme, I wonder if the Ioniq5 looks so good because we’re thinking it’s 25% smaller than it actually is? Did VW reject this obvious (for them) approach for that reason? It will be interesting to see the ID4 and Ioniq5 side by side, and how they both play out in the marketplace.
Two things stand out for me. One is that the Hyundai seems more ambitious technologically than the VW. And secondly that while VW designed a car to very precisely target the huge ICE engine RAV4/HRV market, there is now an alternative (and less conservative) competitor entering the field. Either way, Toyota and Honda should be very worried.
On a side note, Sandy Munro seems to think that the MachE is the real Tesla competitor, and that VW has fallen short with their new platform. He also predicts that Chinese EV’s will start to eat almost everyone’s lunch in the near future. And that the ‘ICE Age’ for passenger vehicles will be over by 2028, with 70% of sales being EVs just 7 short years from now.
A very attractive vehicle. As you stated Paul, this is the current accepted architecture of passenger vehicles. The four door hatchback, varying in size. It makes a lot of sense, it can provide the most interior space without excessive length. It also provides the most flexibility of usage for passengers and cargo. The slope of the rear roof is the element that the stylists use to express “sporty-ness.” The Jag electric also has a fastback rear.
I was at the Ford dealer yesterday with my Flex, and saw the Mach E up close. I liked it, it was styled with a lot more traditional Va va Voom, probably as a way to lure in traditionalists. When I chose my Flex I didn’t even consider a conventional sedan. They just didn’t offer any advantage, though the enclosed luggage area offers more security and privacy for your cargo as well as a bit quieter cabin.
I’m curious about the availability. Although they can be ordered anywhere, Kia/Hyundai have been restricting plug-in dealer inventory to just a few states, mainly the west coast and northeast.
Indeed! Oversized center consoles have taken many cars off the table because I just don’t have enough room for my right leg. I’m 6’3″ with a true 34″ inseam, and I’m amazed that I drove a 95 Neon for 4 years in comfort, but even something like a Telluride is a pain in my right leg.
It’s very frustrating. I agree with Paul about the Ioniq 5’s design and potential…that interior picture has me more excited than I should be!
I am not a fan of modern cars or styling, but that Hyundai really is very attractive. Now if I could get it with steelies and dog dishes it’d be perfect
I’m not saying anything that hasn’t been said before, but I think it is a mistake for Ford to have called its electric crossover vehicle the Mustang Mach-E. In the long-run, I suspect that using the “Mustang” suffix will lead to the dilution of the Mustang name. Ford should have had enough confidence not to resort in using the Mustang name on its new product, and I say that as somebody who has an initial favorable impression of the Mach-E. However, I’m not particularly critical of Hyundai calling its vehicle the Ioniq 5. For one thing, comparing the Ioniq to the Ioniq 5 presents less of a contrast than comparing the Mustang to the Mustang Mach-E. And furthermore, the dilution of the Mustang name should always be guarded against given its status as (arguably) the most iconic nameplate among American consumers in all of automotive history; there is, of course, no similar consideration that Hyundai has to face on this score with its Ioniq model(s).
And while my knowledge of the auto industry pales in comparison to that of Paul and many of the other folks here at CC, I just do not believe that the sedan is dead or dying. To again compare Hyundai and Ford, the former company is continuing to manufacture sedans even though it recognizes that other types of vehicles will comprise a larger share of its profits and revenues. Ford, as we all know, has stopped selling sedans in North America because of their low profit margins. But again, I think that this is a big mistake because there are more factors than just profit margin to consider when deciding whether to drop an entire car model. Mid-size sedans and their compact counterparts still attract a segment of customers that aren’t looking for SUVs or CUVs; once these consumers become satisfied with the sedan they purchase, some of them will remain loyal and consider the much more profitable utility vehicles offered. The foreign automakers are fully aware of this fact, which is why they continue to sell a range of sedans in North America. And in a way, Ford is also aware of this, just not as it pertains to sedans: while the Fusion (which I believe was modestly profitable to the very end) was dropped in North America, Ford remains fully committed to the Mustang (which only produces modest profits based on what I read) because of the latter’s cult following and status as a piece of Americana.
Porsche is a sports car brand that mostly sells SUVs. They’re committed to sports cars, but they make money on other models. That’s what Ford wants. The traditional Mustang has gone from nearly 10 percent of the market to less than 1 percent. Diluting the brand isn’t a big risk, because the traditional Mustang isn’t in a big market. America’s most popular “sports car” now is the Jeep Wrangler. But the Mustang brand still is loved.
The ROK market likes sedans, so Hyundai and Kia have lots of models. But they don’t sell well in the states. The US built Sonata is a particular problem. The US boss of Hyundai was fired three years ago because Hyundai dealers were hip deep in unsold sedans.
Ford probably manufactured and sold Fusions at a profit. But that product has both a shelf life and an opportunity cost. The product can’t be manufactured indefinitely without capital investment, and that factory might be used to make a more popular product.
My problem with the latter argument is are each the crossovers/SUVs Ford is currently selling selling in more volume and/or at a greater profit than the Fusion was before the cancellation was announced? I get the argument but on anecdotal observation devoid of hard data their current lineup seems chock full of winners and losers even without the supposedly dead sedan weighing them down anymore.
Mercifully Jeep never turned the wrangler(CJ) into a ponycar when that segment was hot in the 60s, poor Mustang. Ford was more clever with their naming in the 60s and 70s when it came to “brand”, or at least they gave customers more credit that they’d recognize Mustangs, Broncos, Pintos were horse related(or Cougar Bobcat, Lynx were cats at LM dealers). Now you’ve got two horses of extremely different stripes called Mustang and oddly enough Bronco is back
I think though it’s possible to look at this simply as a Ford decision to make their first EV a Mustang-branded one. It’s potentially clever in the way that it targets Tesla Model Y with a known brand that already has cachet and a performance one at that.
There will be more Ford EV’s, and I’d bet there will be more Mustang EV models in the future too – specifically two door performance coupes. As Scampman notes, Porsche also decide to broaden their range and doesn’t appear to have suffered, likely because more traditional Porsche models are still being made and because all Porsche’s are still clearly performance vehicles.
I am not a Mustang guy. I don’t care about modern ‘stangs but I deeply appreciate the first era of the Fords. To me, it was brilliant to name the new electric Ford under the Mustang umbrella for two reasons: 1) Coupes sell horribly now. Why not build off the name when the segment it’s from withers away? 2) Sex equity. Electric vehicles can be perceived by the uneducated as nerdy. Never that with a Mustang.
To celebrate the opening of the new Busan Design Studio, Hyundai designers did a EV resto-mod to a 1975 Hyundai Pony, and I find the combination of the modern touches and the older angular style to evoke the new Ioniq. So maybe those saying Giugiaro aren’t too far off.
https://www.autoblog.com/2021/04/12/hyundai-pony-electric-restomod-ev/
I see no point to electric cars and will never own one. (Yes, I keep repeating that – but the electric car fanbois keep repeating how much they love having these useless vehicles shoved down the throat of the marketplace for no good reason.)
The most interesting thing about your comment is that it’s the same one you make every single time EVs are discussed here. You seem to want to (and actually do!) click on every post that has them, and yet, as someone named “just a car guy”, you find significantly less to talk about on a significantly lower percentage of non-EV posts. Hmmm.
I have a theory about you and it’s all starting to come together…
Guys like him make it their life’s goal to troll websites that have any stories on EVs or renewable energy. They are keyboard warriors and I can’t understand why. Don’t like an EV? Don’t buy one. So easy.
trollin’… trollin’… trollin’… RAWWWHIIIIIDDEEEE!!!!!
Nobody is shoving anything down your throat. If you don’t like EVs, then don’t buy one.
There will be gasoline powered cars on sale for at least another 20 years and used ones for many after that.
The USA is the world leader in EV technology. It’s leading the way. You should be happy about that. It was American engineers and workers who made it possible.
Those who bought Tesla stock in the beginning are now fantastically wealthy. The just declared fat profits, too. Those are American profits from American jobs, too. They go to largely American shareholders. It’s a huge win for America.
They do here in the EU with plans to phase out sales of IC vehicles in 9 years, this being driven by pure politics, not environmental considerations.
According to you, that is.
“Plans” or “Laws”? The EU as a governing body has enacted no such thing into law. In fact they are being pressed to do so by some of the countries that comprise it but have not made any pronouncements to that effect that I am aware of. Those countries pressing them in general have no significant auto manufacturing within their borders and none HQ’d there. Several makers though have said they don’t want to sell ICE vehicles anymore and are moving to have an all-EV capable range by around that date. I presume if the manufacturers are pushing for it, then those manufacturers see a market for them. There may well be some ICE adherents that won’t buy one, but there may well be some that would not buy an ICE car that may balance it out or in fact increase overall sales volumes.
The United Kingdom has in fact issued such an edict, but famously they left the EU recently.
Here’s my source as of six weeks ago. It’s possible things may have changed since then but it isn’t obvious to me.
https://europe.autonews.com/environmentemissions/eu-pressed-set-phase-out-date-combustion-engine-cars#:~:text=The%20UK%20government%20has%20said,10%20percent%20of%20overall%20sales.
All those Tesla owners with their hideously distended throats, moaning unintelligible warnings and regrets. It’s a nightmare! 🙂
This is the Gen 1 Golf of EVs. As fresh and appealing as the Giugiaro masterpiece was in 1974.
Not remotely appealing to me (I’d rather man an old WWII piston powered fighter plane than lounge in business class in a commercial airline) BUT I do think the styling is very attractive and I must concur with your opinion of center consoles as well(why don’t more manufacturers do it like this?). It’s Giugiaro looks are interesting given this is an EV, it seems like a better garage companion to the angular Tesla Cybertruck than any Tesla car.
Since we are all accustomed to the decade-long deluge of ugly vehicles, all someone had to do to shine like a new diamond was create a clean and tasteful shape. This is that vehicle. Finally.
Regardless of propulsion, I welcome this change of direction. This is one of the first real signs that makes me hopeful that I might enjoy looking at new cars on the road again in my lifetime.
I realize new, not retro, styling is a lot about what this article is about, but when, if ever, is VW going to sell its retro electric bus? CD says not until 2024, is it that complicated? Ive been waiting since 2017.
The Ioniq 5 might be the finest automobile design in years. There is at once, grace, minimalism, refined detail, luxury, economy and it looks incredible.
This might crack the brand snobbery about Hyundai. It also might be the first vehicle in a while which people of all (almost) all wealth tiers buy, regardless of their ability to afford vastly more. Like the MINI, the original Jeep Cherokee, the Prius and New Beetle did, they were bought by all demographics. Why? Design + function.
(And ps, agree fully, the Kia verson is dreary and not remotely as cool as the Ioniq and the Mustang is gorpy and overstyled).
Interesting interview on C&D
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a39735443/hyundai-design-sangyup-lee-future/
On “design honesty”
Lee said. “When you see pixel lamp, it’s a Hyundai.” While other automakers—namely BMW, Mercedes, and Audi—have included fake grilles on their EVs, Hyundai won’t as long as Lee is in charge.
On “EV design freedom and space utilization”
… with Lee promising “all of our Ioniq EVs will have the longest wheelbase in the market.”
Very smart guy