Why Indians are in love with this EV?

It’s been a year since Hyundai launched the IONIQ5 at Auto Expo on January 11th, 2023. Since then, it has been a hit in the Indian premium EV segment. In 2023, over 1,000 units of the IONIQ5 were sold in India, which is double of what Hyundai expected. The main reason behind its success is the competitive pricing. Hyundai assembles the IONIQ 5 at its Chennai plant, which is why it's comeptitively priced than its sibling, the Kia EV6. The latter follows the CBU route, while the former follows the CKD route. 

Now, let’s take a closer look at all the key highlights of the Hyundai IONIQ5 and try to understand why Indian consumers are in love with this EV.

BUILD & DESIGN

At first glance, you may get confused by the dimensions of the IONIQ5. Its appearance is not as tall, wide, and long as a traditional SUV but once you ingress, it will give you a feel of an SUV. The cabin is spacious, the seats are comfortable, plus the boot space is more than adequate. 

The IONIQ 5 is built on the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), which is a dedicated battery electric vehicle platform. This architecture focuses on four key points: Modularity, Performance, Reliability, and Usability.

The IONIQ 5 is very well built. It scored 5 out of 5 stars in the EURO NCAP crash test. The ultra high-strength steel structure surrounds the battery pack for maximum safety.

Hyundai has used sustainable materials to make the IONIQ 5 as eco-friendly as possible. For example, the leather used in the interior is dyed using flaxseed oil. The headlining and carpet fabrics include bio components, extracted from Sugarcane and Corn, and so on, making this electric Korean vehicle more sustainable. 

FEATURES

Exterior

The IONIQ 5 features a unique design for its headlamps and taillamps. Hyundai calls it 'Parametric' LED lights. It looks nice and creates a unique identity. The IONIQ5 gets 20-inches aerodynamic alloy wheels, which has Hyundai's 'Parametric Pixel' design on them. It also gets auto flush door handles.

Those handles pop out with a touch of the sensors built over them. Further, the integrated heated ORVMs does the job in all weathers. This vehicle has a powered tailgate but it doesn’t get a rear wiper, Hyundai says the air passing through the rear spoiler will wipe away everything on the rear windshield, but we are not sure, if it will do the job in India.

Interior

The infotainment screen is 12.3" big and it has Hyundai’s Blue Link connected car technology, which offers more than sixty features. It also has in-built Alexa. It also supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The infotainment system has a Bose-sourced 8-speakers surround sound system. The instrument cluster is a 12.3" screen, which shows all the relevant information. The front centre console is slideable, which also makes it easier for the rear passengers to access that compartment. 

As for capacity, it has a 57-litre frunk (front trunk), alongside the boot space of 586 litres.

NOTEWORTHY FEATURES

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 offers electrically adjustable seats (front and rear), dual-pane moonroof (Hyundai callls it 'Vision Roof'), Vehicle-to-load(V2L) feature, electric tailgate, smart regenerative braking system, etc. 

Besides that, it is worth-mentioning that this vehicle has only a tyre-puncture repair kit, as it misses out on a spare wheel.

MOTOR, BATTERY AND CHARGING

Powering this vehicle is a 160KW motor with a 72.6kWh lithium-ion battery with liquid cooling. It produces 214.5 hp of power and 350Nm of torque, which make the rear wheels spin. The Hyundai IONIQ 5’s claimed range is 631kms.

There are 3 charging options available: 

1. 11KW AC, which charges battery from 10% to 100% in 6 hours and 55 minutes.

2. 150KW DC, which charges the battery from 10% to 80% in 21 minutes.

3. 350KW DC, which charges the battery from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes.

An 11KW AC charger is supplied to you with the car and a portable 3.3KW AC charger comes bundled with the car too. The DC fast-charger is optional. 

SAFETY

For driving assistance, this vehicle has a Level-2 ADAS, which comprises rear cross-traffic collision warning, lane-keep assist, blind spot collision warning, adaptive cruise control, high-beam assist, automatic emergency braking, and so on.

The IONIQ 5 also gets six airbags, ABS, ESC, VSM, all four disc brakes, TPMS, a virtual engine sound system for pedestrian safety, and many more. 

VARIANTS

Hyundai has launched only one fully-loaded variant in India. It is available in three colors: Gravity Gold Matte, Midnight Black Pearl, and Optic White. The Hyundai IONIQ 5 is priced at Rs 45.95 lakh (ex-showroom).

CONCLUSION

We seek value for every rupee we spend and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 seems to live up to that- perhaps, making this electric offering more attractive to the buyers.