Wonderful fun vehicle with a few "Year One" problems
There's a whole lot to love about our 2023 IONIQ 5. It still elicits a random smile from time to time - especially when one of us hasn't had the chance to drive it for a while! As someone who vividly remembers the 80's, the exterior styling is a bit retro and just... fun. The designers reached that key balance between just enough creases and lines to make it interesting but not too busy or weird. These vehicles have been out for a while now, but we still get the occasional questions in parking lots and elsewhere: "How do you like it?" "It looks great!" "How does it drive?" and so on.
The interior is amazingly roomy and comfortable, with plenty of headroom. I'm 6'3" with a long torso and short legs and I fit incredibly well in this vehicle. Ergonomics are well thought-out, though the wide bright touchscreen can be difficult to maneuver and the physical buttons are confusing. And this thing is quiet inside. Like, really quiet. Road noise is dampened by the specially-developed acoustic tires (which have other issues, see below). It's so quiet that the persistent rear hatch driver's side rattle becomes annoying on bumpy roads, though you wouldn't hear it in an ICE car.
And the IONIQ 5 is fast. Even in ECO mode! And even for an EV - this is our third and it is far quicker than any other. That instantaneous torque is addicting. Going back to a gas engine car seems rather... "retro," I guess. It's a very heavy vehicle with all that battery underneath, but it is extremely surefooted and steady, giving the driver lots of feedback and stability. I have massive range anxiety but the range on the IONIQ 5 is so far that even I don't get nervous at all. And the DC fast charging is amazing. We plug in at Costco to charge from ~20% to 80% and we time our visit so we're at the car just as it reaches 80% and move it away - like 20 minutes tops.
As for the first-year growing pains I mentioned, those ultra-quiet tires can become big thumpers when the glue holding the acoustic foam fails. The foam balls itself up inside the tire, which makes it out-of-balance. It happened on two of our four tires, and was fixed both times without charge. Some have experienced early failure of the 12V battery though ours is still functioning (I did go out and buy a portable charger and keep it in the "frunk" just in case), and we've become more than familiar with the acronym "ICCU" after several recalls and TSB's. And that persistent hatch rattle is so annoying. But I simply chalk these up as minor annoyances that require a dealer visit, and for me at least are typical of a first-year vehicle. But hey, I got to drive it as an early-adopter! I'll take the tradeoff.
TL;DR: The IONIQ 5 is awesome. Drive one. Buy one.
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