2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 RWD 73kwh Premium Nutzerbewertung

Nutzerbewertung

Hyundai Ioniq 5 RWD 73kwh

I was looking to change my EGolf for something larger, with easier access & egress and more range and greater carrying capacity. I test drove the Peugeot e2008, Mercedes EQA and had previously driven the Lexus UX in its hybrid form so seriously considered the UX300e. The Ioniq 5 had been on my radar too but was initially over my budget. 

Mr Musk however, changed that. The Tesla price reduction in February caused an unsettling effect on the whole ev market. An Ioniq I had seen two weeks previously at £46k was suddenly reduced to £42k, a shade over budget but achievable.

I took a test drive and within 45 minutes decided to buy the vehicle. The buying experience was dire, disinterested sales staff, difficulties contacting the dealership and their general attitude almost deterred me. However I persisted and collected the car from Lookers Chester a few days later.

My initial impressions on the 35 mile mixed road’s journey home were generally good. 

The car was comfortable and very easy to drive. I tinkered with the regeneration modes & settings of which there are many and settled on “auto”, engaged by holding the - paddle for several seconds. I’ve stuck with this setting since, except in heavy traffic when I use I-Pedal, engaged by holding the + paddle for several seconds. My wife , who has Parkinson’s Disease and a leg tremor, uses the +paddle to actually brake making driving the Ioniq with a disability no problem at all. 

I soon discovered that the lane assist function is too intrusive particularly on minor roads & country lanes and I disable it by pressing and holding the icon on the steering wheel. Unfortunately it resets on every journey. 

The various drive modes, Sport, Normal & Eco are very different.

Sport is just too fast for a steady Eddie like me, although this mode gives the best steering feel. Normal is less quick off the mark but the steering is heavy.

I find Eco best all round, responsive steering, steady take off , sufficient power and I have averaged over 4 m/kWh over the 4000 miles I have driven the car. 

This car has more ding dongs than Leslie Philips, the various safety features all have alerts and apart from the intrusive lane assist are generally good. The blind spot warning is excellent and particularly helpful on motorways. The speed displayed however is not accurate. Relying on it would see you disqualified for speeding on your first long journey. Very disappointed with this. Better not to have a display than have an inaccurate one in my opinion. 

The rear view camera is amazing . An accurate grid to manoeuvre to, a red line to stop at, it can literally see around corners and will stop the car if a hazard is detected. It can also be permanently selected on the screen at any time from a physical button on the dash. A standout feature for me. 

I spent the first few days finding and changing the various settings which are hidden in sub menus. 

An example were the welcome mirrors. What’s that about? My car doesn’t have keyless entry , although you can press the single dot on the flush front door handle to unlock the car. The mirrors flipping open and closing when I was near the car just confused me. Had I locked it? OFF!

Reading the Premium 2022 specifications after my test drive I expected more features than I actually got. The perils of buying a car some distance from home after only a short test drive from an unhelpful dealer .

I expected keyless entry & ambient lighting and admittedly was disappointed when I discovered the lack of these features. I’m not sure if this was a chip shortage car? 

Within a few days I had an irreparable puncture in a rear tyre. Most annoying as the car was effectively new. I had problems sourcing a replacement, this took until the next day. Also the replacement, despite having all the right marking, was not quite the same as the original factory fits. It didn’t have the sound deadening foam insert. I could not source one which had. To be fair I don’t notice any additional road noise so perhaps a non issue. 

The seat belts are very poorly designed. The rears, despite having a silly tab sewn in to prevent it, rattle against one of the many hard plastic panels. The front stalks are the same, rattling against the seat when not in use. I have fitted self adhesive felt pads at various points to eliminate this. A simple solution Hyundai could so easily have implemented. 

The first time I charged the car at home was an experience. The bank of charging status LED’s are like a disco array at night, guaranteed to annoy the neighbours and attract unwanted attention. I stuck a piece of card over them until I could purchase a cover. EBay to the rescue. 

At first the lack of a rear wiper did not seem to be the issue so many reviews said it was. I was driving mainly in town, local roads not over 50mph. A wet window yes, but no visibility problems. Motorways however are a completely different issue. Over 50 mph the rear vortex causes the water to mist, making the window opaque with zero visibility within minutes. How this got through real world testing is a mystery. Using a RainX coating doesn’t really help either. If you will drive a lot of motorway miles then this is not the car for you. 

There are however a lot of positives with this car. I just love the unique styling and the fact you can drive for days without seeing another. The driving experience is relaxing, comfortable and visibility is excellent. The rear is almost limoesque in its comfort and proportions. 

Efficiency is very good. I’m impressed with the average 4.0m/kWh I have achieved since taking ownership 4000 miles ago. 

The car is very nimble for a two tonne lump, country driving is a breeze in any weather, highway cruising is serene and effortless. 

This RWD model has fast charging capabilities but no battery preconditioning making it quite variable. I have achieved 98kw on a Gridserve ABB but less than 40kw on the same charger type in different conditions. 

So, do I like the Ioniq 5? Yes, but it does have its design flaws. 

Be careful which model you buy. Don’t rely on Hyundai standard specifications if you can’t actually see the car before you buy. I can’t however see anyone being disappointed after purchasing one.