2023 Hyundai IONIQ5 | Hyundai’s most premium SUV yet! | First Drive Review | TURBOCHARGED

This, especially since the time Hyundai launched Indias first, electric SUV, the Kona that was 2019 though – and we are now in 2023 and Hyundai – has just launched the ionic 5, its most premium, offering in India yet and no prices for guessing its fully electric first things. First, the ionic files design is very unconventional, but in a very appealing manner, in fact, with this kind of boxy shape, this car looks like its straight out of a 1990s video game, and that makes it really eye catching. But more importantly, this design is inspired by Hyundais, first passenger vehicle. The pony, the ionic 5 is also the first product to be underpinned by Hyundais dedicated EV platform called the egmp. Its sharp lines and boxy shape make for a retro feel, as do the headlamps with their unique pixel design. Another very distinctive element are the lights on the front bumper that run along the cars width position just under the headlamps as they look unique when glowing a gloss. Black plastic panel replaces a traditional, Grille, also housing. The front camera for 360 Degree surround view the front bumper houses active flaps at the bottom, which Aid aerodynamics when closed and help in cooling pathway in components when opened. The AMX 5 looks striking from the sides thanks to the boxy design again and also the sharp diagonal crease on the doors. My personal favorite here, though, are the 20 inch alloy wheels that stand out with their design.

The ionic 5 is laid in ground clearance stands at 163 mm, which is the highest in Hyundai Indias, current lineup and thats. Something to say about this EV the rear end looks equally striking courtesy. The sharp line then also the pixel design of the tail lamps. I also like how the 255 section tires. Add lots of character, especially from the rear. The ionic 5 is thus easily the most distinctive looking SUV in the country, and you simply cannot mistake it for anything else. The Interiors of the ionic 5 again stand out just like the exterior design and they look very distinctive but, more importantly, theres a very classy and a premium Vibe inside here, something that youd usually expect in a luxury. Ev Hyundais design team has put in lots of efforts to ensure the interior standout with their clean spacious, look and soft lines. The choice of colors reflects this too, especially the beige theme and white panel housing, the two 12.3 inch screens, the steering wheel, is a new two spoke unit and looks very appealing, especially with its flat bottom. The drive selector lever is a stock on the steering column, while the parking brake is electric and these have eliminated the need to have a center console in front. This results in free space on the floor and adds to the ionic 5s unique feel you can also Slide the front armrest and storage space below it backwards, making for more space if needed in the front foot.

Well, on the other hand, the glove box is a sliding one, unlike the usual hinged units, the cabin overall feels very premium thanks to the Abundant use of leather and soft touch Plastics, adding to the ionic 5s appeal. Besides, with the switches, knobs and controls all have, a very polished feel the front seats in the I5, get a heating and ventilation function, whereas the rear seat gets a heating function, and that is in addition to an electric slide function and a manual recline function as Well, which helps in making the rear bench really comfortable. The seating arrangement makes for a lot of flexibility and convenience. Both front seats have more trash controls and can also be set to recline fully and have the ottoman, like extension rise up, which should make for excellent Comfort if waiting in the car. While the battery pack recharges the ionic 5 may look compact, but it boasts a wheelbase of 3000 mm, which has ensured the cabin is very spacious and legroom and nerum at the back are excellent. This, coupled with the comfortable seats and the rear seats recline, an electric sliding function, should make the ionic 5 well suited for family SUV, buyers too, and besides the boot, you also get storage space at the front under the hood, since there is no engine here. Music Windows always be on top of the features game in India and, of course, positioned as its most premium. Offering. The ionic 5 is loaded to the wheels with features and a host of technology and theres.

So much in here that Im really not able to decide which of these features is my favorite. Now, with these two 12.3 inch displays or This brilliant looking panoramic sunroof. Both displays boost excellent resolution in bright colors and, while the instrument cluster offers lots of information in some interesting formats, the infotainment screen is easy to use on the go theres. Also a host of functionalities inside including multiple USB ports at the front and rear. But all are the older type, A ports that do not support fast charging like the new age type c ones. I also like the ionic 5 sunroof as it is a single, fixed glass pane with no splits in between and even the action of the sun, shade. Opening is an interesting one, as the fabric is split in the center and retracts towards the front end rear ends of the roof. You also get an 8 speaker, Bose audio system and the notes have Chris spend the sound quality overall is very good. The ionic 5 also gets the latest in Hyundais Blue Link connected technology. Besides, integrating voice commands for Amazon, Alexa and Google Assistant, the ionic 5 also scores high. On the safety front, the SUV is equipped with level 2 Adas functions and also gets six airbags disc brakes on all four wheels and electric child lock, and also a virtual engine sound to alert pedestrians, considering that it is fully electric and thus a silent vehicle. Hyundai has only launched the rear wheel, drive version of the ionic 5 in India that uses a single electric motor powered by a 72.

6 kilowatt hour battery pack. Of course, this being rear wheel drive means that the ionic 5 should also be a lot of fun to drive because till date weve only seen front wheel, drive or all wheel drive electric cars in India. The outputs here are 217 PS and 350 newton meters decides, which the range per charge the claimed range as per Ari, is 631 kilometers, which is among the highest for any EV in India. Throttle responses are smooth and help in offering a predictable feel, which should also help drivers who are not used to driving EVS sport mode offers sharper responses, but even then the ionic 5 does not take off aggressively and accelerates in a linear manner. It also gets a set of paddle shifters like many new age EVS, which help in single pedal driving by dialing up the regenerative braking. While our Driving Experience was short, it did help in establishing the fact that the ionic 5s powertrain is clearly tuned for a smooth and comfortable driving EXP experience. The ionic 5 supports super fast charges of up to 350 kilowatt and that will charge the batteries from 10 to 80 in just 18 minutes, while of 150 kilowatt charger will do the same in 21 minutes. Of course, when you buy the ionic 5, you will also get a complimentary 11 kilowatt charger that will charge the batteries in just under 7 hours, which is quite cool. Charging port sits towards the rear and the access flap is a motorized one.

It also houses a set of pixel shaped, LED lights that tell you the charging status, which is again a nice touch and, interestingly Hyundai India is offering an 8 year or 1 lakh, 60 000 kilometer warranty on the battery pack, which should add further to peace of Mind the ionic 5 is also equipped with the vehicle to load feature which a lot of new age EVS get, and that means that you can use the ionic 5s power to charge or power a lot of other devices, including camping equipment and even electric bicycles and Scooters the ionic 5 can provide up to 3.6 kilowatts of power and an external adapter lets. You use the cars charging port to power larger devices, besides which you can use the ports inside to charge smaller devices like laptop computers when it comes to the Driving Experience. The ionic 5 feels like a polished and well mannered electric vehicle. It feels very confident from behind the wheel and throttle response is precise too. More importantly, though, despite 350 newton meters being sent to the rear wheels, acceleration is quick, but not overwhelming. Overall, the ionic 5s Dynamics does Echo the same feel as the powertrain, that of being set up to offer a comfortable experience, be it behind the wheel or as a passenger. Interestingly, though, Hyundai has only launched the rear wheel, drive version in India, which uses a single electric motor and not the more powerful, all wheel, drive version, and that should make it fun to drive too.

As you can switch ESP off in this one and have it go sideways, the suspension feels a little stiff, which means you do feel the thuds on bad roads, but it never gets really uncomfortable. You also feel body roll around corners when driving enthusiastically, but otherwise the ionic 5 feels very confident and planted around bends foreign. At the start, the EV space in India is evolving very rapidly and in fact, over the past one year itself, weve seen a host of new premium EVS get launched in the country and the ionic 5 here is the latest one to join that bandwagon. Well, more importantly, Hyundai is assembling the ionic 5 right here in India, which has allowed it to price it at 44.95, lakh rupees ex showroom, which is significantly lower than the Kia ev6, its own cousin, which also uses the same platform and powertrain. Now this SUV certainly seems well packaged to carve its own niche in this rapidly evolving and highly Dynamic space and, of course, as a package in terms of the design in terms of the powertrain.