The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has made its North American debut. The retro-styled electric crossover comes on a new EV-specific platform from the brand, has a range target of nearly 500 km, and Canadian customers will be able to join a "pre-reservation program" to get their name on the list in the next few weeks for delivery starting in the fall.
The Ioniq 5 is styled like the 45 concept that the brand first showed off in 2019. Intended to evoke the original Hyundai Pony, the details are very much of the 21st century including the LED pixel lighting signature. The Ioniq 5 gets a 3,000-mm wheelbase, 10 mm longer than even the three-row Palisade SUV. Overall, it's 4,635 mm long, 355 mm shorter than Palisade for a more user-friendly footprint. It looks small in photos, but this is a large vehicle, and that's especially reflected in the interior where Hyundai says it offers "large-car-like interior space in a compact CUV." 3,015 L of passenger space or 770 L of cargo room behind the rear seat and 1,680 L with the seat folded.
Steer- and shift-by-wire along with the EV driveline allow for a flat floor. This means more legroom as well as more space for your feet to move around on a long drive. The centre console slides 140 mm and lets the driver get in and out from either side if parked in a tight space. The second row also reclines and slides fore and aft to maximise passenger and cargo space as needed.
Touchpoints in the interior use sustainable materials including recycled bottles, plant-based and real wool yarn, and eco-processed leather. Other unique features for the Ioniq 5 include a footrest and automatic recline for the driver's seat to turn into a business-class-like place to relax when you need a nap or are waiting for a charge.
Two battery packs will be offered in Canada: a standard 58 kWh and a larger 77.4 kWh. The standard-range model delivers an estimated 354 km of range and comes solely in rear-wheel drive. The larger pack can be had in dual-motor AWD with a top range estimate of 435 km or in RWD with 480 km, the model's highest range estimate. The single-motor models offer 225 hp and 258 lb-ft with the AWD vehicles getting 320 hp and 446 lb-ft, enough to take the crossover to 100 km/h in under five seconds.
The battery pack supports 400V and 800V fast-charging, and plugged into a 350-kW fast-charger can go from 10 to 80 per cent in as few as 18 minutes. Five minutes on such fast-chargers will add 100 km of range; with Level 2 chargers, the 10.9 kW onboard charger allows a full charge in just under seven hours.
Hyundai has also equipped the Ioniq 5 with Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) which allows up to 1.9 kW of power output to charge electric bikes, camping equipment, or even a stranded EV, as well as power any other household appliances, all using an adapter that plugs into the charge port. A conventional outlet under the rear seat is available to charge smaller items when on the move.
Tech on the Ioniq 5 includes a new augmented-reality head-up display that projects safety system information and nav information onto the roadway ahead. The CUV has a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system (with CarPlay and Android Auto) as well as a 12.3-inch hoodless digital dashboard. Safety systems include Hyundai's latest SmartSense driver assistance. It has smart cruise control with machine learning that accelerates-and brakes the way you do, forward collision avoidance, blind spot collision avoidance, attention warning, and high-beam assist. It's the first Hyundai to get the brand's "Highway Driving Assist 2" technology suite, which will maintain a set distance like adaptive cruise, but also centre the vehicle in its lane, guide the car around turns, and can help with certain lane changes as well.
Pricing for the new model has not yet been released, though it is expect soon, possibly when the pre-reservation program is launched "in the coming weeks." Sales are set to start in the fall, and the Ioniq 5 will be joined by more Ioniq models as Hyundai's electric brand expands.
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