Hyundai Ioniq 5 test: the truth test about its range

Halfway between sedan, SUV … and retro-futuristic spaceship, Hyundai Ioniq 5 keeps rare promise on the automotive world: allow the public to register a quasi-style study. Like any divisive and attractive object, offering it to yourself unfortunately means breaking the bank. Subtracted bonus: € 37,600 in first prize with 178 hp and 58 kWh batteries, but € 57,900 in high version with second front engine, four-wheel drive, 306 hp and 72.6 kWh batteries. Hyundai confirms its move upmarket here with this new lineage (Ioniq 5 today, Ioniq 6 tomorrow), based on a dedicated electric platform also used by Kia (EV6 then EV7).

To moderate prices without restricting the radius of action, we have chosen the intermediate version, combining a large 72.6 kWh battery and a single engine driving the rear wheels (218 hp). As an Intuitive base finish, this Ioniq 5 is priced at € 46,800 with an already complete endowment (see details on next page) and takes advantage of the € 2,000 bonus allocated to electricity billed between € 45,000 and € 60,000. Our test Ioniq 5 finally refuses the optional 20-inch wheels, which drop the approved range from 481 km to 451 km. As a reminder, it is given at 384 km with the small battery, and at 460 km maximum for the 306 hp 4×4 version. It remains to be seen what it is in real life, by confronting this Ioniq 5 “long range” with our 249 km test course for electric cars.

What autonomy on the motorway?

After an endless full of electricity on a domestic socket (see the recharging chapter below), we leave our starting point with a battery charged to two-thirds of its capacity. Sufficient to cover the 109 km of motorway up to the Ionity fast charging station which, conversely, will break all speed records. The first kilometers at 130 km / h are swallowed with a smile at the wheel of this atypical car to the end of the commodos. Semi-high driving position, windshield descending low on a sleek dashboard, restful white displays on a white background, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 remains unique, not eccentric.

The excellent comfort of the large armchairs and the effective caulking of air and rolling noise are a second source of satisfaction … however slightly upset by the driving aids. First of all, there is this active lane keeping aid, which avoids steering oscillations when the motorway is straight but whose reactions become much more fanciful when cornering.

Lane change assistance also requires time to adapt: ​​when the pulse indicator is engaged, the management first refuses the steering and then accompanies it very (too) slowly, as evidenced by the numerous clicks of the reminder. flashing during the maneuver. We would have preferred the excellent Hyundai blind spot surveillance camera, which is only standard on the Creative top finish billed at € 50,000 excluding bonuses.

With 218 hp to move two tons, the acceleration is enough to stand up to the turbo diesel wagons at the start of the toll and the revivals appear effective after a truck has squatted the left lane. Honest performance, therefore, provided you do not expect Tesla Model 3-style “lightning” times… And consumption in all of this ? Correct, with 26.6 kWh per 100 km which would provide more than 270 km of range at 130 km / h real. A value in the segment average (230 km for the Volvo XC40, 311 km for the Volkswagen ID.4), but nothing disappointing compared to the usual performance of the brand: the small SUV Kona 64 kWh here came close to 290 km despite a lower capacity battery (64 kWh).

Values ​​calculated according to the percentage of battery consumed (here 40%) and its useful capacity (72.6 kWh)

What autonomy on the road? The first section of the secondary road takes place on a fast track where the qualities of the “5” remain. Once accustomed to the futuristic atmosphere, our gaze becomes less friendly on the materials used, often rigid and whose perceived quality does not really match the price claimed. A disappointment reinforced by noise from furniture, many

once the asphalt degrades: crackles near the big screen, banging of the rear seat belt buckles on the wheel arch trim, and slipping of the charging cables in the plastic bin under the boot floor no longer really evoke the high-end universe …

New Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric test It’s a shame because the rear-wheel drive can energize the exits of unplugged ESP turns, while the braking is easy to adjust, a rare quality for an electric car. On this point, the Ioniq offers four levels of regeneration

when decelerating, from the simple freewheel to keep the maximum momentum up to the I-pedal mode which eliminates the need to use the brake pedal to come to a complete stop (declining braking before stopping is also perfectly managed).

395 km

Values ​​calculated according to the percentage of battery consumed (here 35%) and its useful capacity (72.6 kWh)

What about recharging? Never, in the history of our electric autonomy tests, has a model been so hot and cold when it comes to refueling. In slow charging, the waiting times were close to eternity:

Hyundai Ioniq 5 recharge

With the Porsche Taycan, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 are the only electric vehicles to benefit from an 800 V architecture instead of 400 V. The Koreans even hold the record for maximum tolerated power, with 350 kW against 270 kW for the Porsche mentioned above. To date, no public terminal delivers so many! On the Ionity installation in the Vrigny area, the Ioniq therefore easily accepted the maximum flow of 220 kW and only required 15 minutes to raise the gauge from 26% to 80%. After dropping to 118 kW when an Audi Q4 e-tron was connected simultaneously, the power rose to 150 kW to gradually decline beyond 80%, thus preserving the life of the batteries (precisely: 128 kW at 80%, 81 kW at 85%, 43 kW at 90%). Ionity terminalAs energy is billed per time spent and not per kilowatt delivered, this speed is also an advantage in terms of cost: 23 minutes and € 18 billed to recover 52 kWh (i.e. approximately 280 km of autonomy on the road and 195 km on the motorway ) at the “full” price of € 0.79 / kW, Ionity network tariff without subscription. With the Kia recharge card billed at € 13 per month (free for the first year),

the price of this full would however have fallen to 6.70 €