Text by Tom Appel
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited AWD
Specs
Class: Compact crossover
Color: Cyber Gray
Seating Capacity: 5
Miles driven: 113
| CG Report Card | |
|---|---|
| Room and Comfort | A- |
| Power and Performance | B+ |
| Fit and Finish | B+ |
| Fuel Economy | A |
| Value | A- |
| Report-card grades are derived from a consensus of test-driver evaluations. All grades are versus other vehicles in the same class. Value grade is for specific trim level evaluated, and may not reflect Consumer Guide's impressions of the entire model lineup. | |
| Big & Tall Comfort | |
| Big Guy | A |
| Tall Guy | B+ |
| Big & Tall comfort ratings are for front seats only. "Big" rating based on male tester weighing approximately 350 pounds, "Tall" rating based on 6'6"-tall male tester. | |
| Drivetrain | |
| Engine Specs | 320-horsepower |
| Engine Type | Electric motors |
| Transmission | Automatic |
| Drive Wheels | AWD |
Battery capacity: 77 kWh
EPA-estimate MPGe: 90 city/113 hwy/101 combined
EPA-estimated driving range: 266 miles
Consumer Guide range estimate: (ideal conditions): 266+ miles
Charge-port location: Passenger-side rear fender
Snow performance: N/A
Base price: $56,500 (not including $1295 destination charge)
Options on test vehicle: Carpeted floor mats ($210)
Price as tested: $58,005
Pros and Cons
The great: Quick acceleration; generous level of standard equipment; fast-charging capability
The good: Good passenger and cargo room for the size; respectable driving range; striking styling inside and out; pleasant ride/handling balance
The not so good: Prices rise quickly as customers ascend through trim levels
Overview
There’s a lot of turmoil surrounding the purchase of an electric vehicle this year. The federal tax incentives once available for the purchase of an EV have become difficult to qualify for, and carmakers are inconsistently offering incentives that compensate buyers for the lost funds. Additionally, though leasing an EV can be a federal-incentive workaround—leased EVs need not be built in the U.S., and the battery materials need not be locally sourced—lenders have grown wary of leasing electric vehicles, as accurate residual values have become difficult to calculate.
That’s the downside of getting into an EV in 2024. Here’s the upside: There are some excellent electric vehicles on the market right now, and Consumer Guide just spent a week with one of them.
One of the first 50-state-available non-Tesla EVs, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 hasn’t changed much since its debut for the 2022 model year. Described as a crossover—we’ll accept hatchback—the spunky electric Hyundai boasts a clean, modern look, handsome and elegantly simple cabin layout, and rewarding driving dynamics. We’ll spare you the suspense, we think the Ioniq 5 is a great car. So much so, in fact, we named it to our 2024 Best Buy list. You can read our full review of the Ioniq 5 here. Today we’d like to share with you five cool things about the Ioniq 5—the kind of things that make putting up with the purchase headaches worth the effort.
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Five Cool Things about the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited
It’s Welcoming
Early electric vehicles—and before that early hybrid vehicles—were designed to look and feel different from cars and trucks with conventional powertrains. While this was likely a draw for early adopters, mainstream shoppers often found the transition into the new vehicles uncomfortable. Odd instrument panel graphics, strange transmission gear selectors, and generally overt design cues combined to create a foreign cabin atmosphere that for many seemed unwelcoming.
And while the Ioniq does employ and interesting gear selector, the rest of the cabin is a modern delight, featuring clean modern design, simple controls, and plenty of glass area for an open and airy feel. While the cabin materials are nothing special, the Ioniq interior is elegantly simple, and welcoming.
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It’s Accommodating
To look at the Ioniq 5, you might think it a smallish hatchback. Here at Consumer Guide, we categorize the vehicle as a compact crossover. Either way, it’s surprisingly roomy. This may surprise you: Despite the Ioniq 5’s generally tidy appearance, it boasts only slight less passenger space than Hyundai’s midsize 2-row Santa Fe crossover (107 cubic feet versus 112).
Large door openings front and rear allow for easy access to the cabin. And the flat floor—a characteristic common to EVs—allows for easy movement across the rear seat, and opens of footwell space. Adults will find plenty of long-drive stretch-out space in both seating rows, as well as plenty of headroom.
And while we’re on the topic of the cabin, it’s worth noting that Hyundai’s compact electric crossover is surprisingly quiet at highway speed.
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It’s Rewarding
Consumer Guide’s “dual-motor” AWD test vehicle is rated at a stout 320 horsepower, and per most published test drives, will reach 60 mph from a stop in less than five seconds. Not too long ago, that was Ferrari-performance territory. But it is the immediacy of the power delivery that impresses most. There is no lag between the moment a driver pushed down the acceleration and the vehicle moving forward. It is this responsiveness that helps make easy work of stop-and-go driving as well as highway-speed passing and merging.
The Ioniq 5 is also a sharp handler. Though not quite a sports car, the vehicle stays planted in corners, and boast strong-feeling brakes.
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It’s Efficient
Electric vehicle efficiency is typically measured using MPGe. For the curious, this metric allows for direct energy-consumption comparisons between gasoline- and electric-powered vehicles. MPGe—which stands for Miles Per Gallon Equivalent—is used by the EPA, and appears on the Monroney Label window sticker found on new vehicles. The Ioniq 5 AWD is EPA rated at a combined 101 MPGe.
For comparison, the similar size Ford Mustang Mach-E AWD is rated at 93, the Volkswagen ID.4 Pro AWD 99, and the AWD Toyota bZ4X 102. Note that our test Ioniq 5 is rated to travel 266 miles on a full battery charge, while the bZ4X is rated at just 222.
In Consumer Guide testing, the Ioniq 5 Generally exceeded its advertised range.
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It Looks Good
We typically avoid design reviews—at least as part of a test drive—but it is the consensus opinion that the Ioniq 5 not only looks good, it will look good ten years from now. The small EV’s crisp lines, simple detailing, and generous glass area work together to create a modern car that is free of the styling cliches that can age a new car too soon. Expect the Ioniq 5 to look fresh for a while.
Quick note: Apart from some minor equipment/trim level shuffling, the Ioniq 5 is unchanged for 2024.
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Pictures
(Click below for enlarged images)
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited: 5 Cool Things (Review with Prices and Specs)
