Living With The Hyundai IONIQ 5

The massive 72.6 kWh battery pack on the Hyundai IONIQ 5 takes away even the slightest of thought of range anxiety

The Hyundai IONIQ 5, a car that looks like a spaceship and drives like a heavy-weight low-slung champion. Being a motorcycle enthusiast, driving cars is an experience in itself but then getting to drive an EV for a little over 600 kms was actually impeccable. While I didn’t have the setup of charging an electric car at home, I relied on a paid fast charging network for this whole time and over the period I paid about ₹ 2350/- which brings the running costs down to less than ₹4/km. This was actually quite astonishing as the 60 kWh chargers would juice up the IONIQ within an hour!

The initial experience was a little bit confusing yet exciting. The moment I got inside the car, there was tremendous amount of space and I felt relaxed right away. But then anxiety kicked in as it felt a little too wide and the gear selector right behind the steering wheel took some time getting used to. “Easy to get in and out”, “super comfortable” and “the white feels very premium” were the first few sentences used by my family as they sat in the car. After hearing the price, which is almost half a crore on the road, they said it is a little high but definitely feels worthy. Coming from a cost-conscious family the Hyundai IONIQ 5 passed the test.

Now it was time to experience the immediate torque pull from the electric motor. With 3 modes to toggle from I stuck to the Normal mode for a good balance at the start. The car would literally lift off as soon as I would put my foot down and it got addictive! Immediate torque delivery is something I haven’t experienced. Some might say there is no soul, no feel in EVs but there is a rush, a storm that lies behind that silence and it is crazy. With 4 levels of regeneration and one with the an i-Pedal mode, the range anxiety never kicked in. Driving mostly in the city, sticking to level 3 or 2 for regeneration, the IONIQ would always go longer than the range prediction, surreal.

The electric rush is addictive, it is like a storm waiting to unleash behind the silence of an EV

There was however one big problem and that was finding a suitable parking for the Hyundai IONIQ 5. It is so wide and it turns a bit oddly, as even with a tighter steering input the turn is a little bit wider always. It took me about 2 days to get used to it but once you get the hang of such a wide car, driving normal cars becomes a task in itself. There was always a good side about this, the 360-degree camera is amazingly clear and one you slot in reverse, the mirrors tilt downwards letting you see the edge of the curb as well. It does miss out on an auto park feature which could have made parking a bit easier.

An attention seeker, the Hyundai IONIQ 5 is an iconic car because of the attention it grabs. Even when parked, the number of head turns it has received is just unaccountable. In the span of 5 days, I have had a total of 32 public interactions and yes I did keep a count of that. Everyone either stunned by the looks, or want to know how much is the range while some were dumbfounded to see a Hyundai logo upfront. Although I was enjoying everyone’s curiosity it had an ugly side too. I had to be super careful of the people coming close or trying to catch up just to get a glimpse of it. At signals some bikers stopped in front of the car just to click a picture with it. Too much attention is not good!

The wheelbase of the IONIQ 5 is almost 3000 mm making it susceptible to graze its underbelly but then again the 163 mm of ground clearance saves it somehow. It brushed only once that too on a very mischievous speed breaker. The 20-inch wheels with low profile tires transfer quite a bit of feedback during sharp undulations yet they look stupendous! Along with the matte paint of the car it is a sight to behold. Yet somehow I am concerned that the unique paint colour will be very difficult to fix and has to be taken care of. From the rear it looks like a car that has just come out from a movie or an anime, while there’s no Hyundai logo behind, people stay confused.

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 has its fair share of goods and bads, while it is a car to be driven or be driven in and it will leave everyone with a desire to be wishing for. The goods add up more as the vehicle to load function becomes super helpful while the rear seats can be controlled from the buttons on the passenger seat. The air conditioning however needs a bit more might but then ventilated seats do the job really well. The moving centre console is also quite useful and then there is the cabin space on offer which is undoubtedly good. The IONIQ 5 has all it takes to make a worthy EV over the ones double its price.