Test drove the Ioniq 5 ahead of my car's delivery: My takeaways

It will replace our BMW 5 Series G30, which I sold after just 11 months of ownership.

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Got a test drive of the Ioniq 5 today at Modi Hyundai Thane. They really made up for the bad experience I had posted about earlier. The whole experience this time was wonderful. The car was ready when we arrived at the showroom. I think it was the same car we had driven earlier. Matt Gold with the pebble grey interior. Anyway, we got in accompanied by a gentleman who knew a thing or two about the Ioniq 5. Great! So here we go.

The route I had chosen was a total of 7 kms within Thane city. We were highly concerned about the ground clearance of the car as we had recently sold our G30 5 series after just 11 months of ownership primarily because of the ground clearance issues. So, I specifically chose the route with real nasty speed breakers I knew of, ones that the 5 series would scrape on.

Cabin Feel

It feels very new-age and most certainly feels like a cabin of an EV given the vast amount of space you have inside and the flat floor. Also, because of the massive three-meter wheelbase. The lighter cabin colour also adds to the sense of airiness.

The cabin is silent. You don't hear a lot of the outside traffic and horns. The suspension sound was well damped and I didn't hear any of it on the inside during the drive. The seats were nice and supportive plus the vegan leather felt great! Visibility was good and the rear sunshades (which cover the glass area really well) helped keep the harsh sun rays out of the cabin. Three rear seat belts are available which are easy to use. This is one OCD we have as a family. Switchgear felt nice to use and had a sense of high quality. One thing missing was the lack of one-touch power windows for all four doors. The tyre noise was very low as well. The Michelin Pilot EV-specific tyres doing their job well.

The dashboard looks great! I rather like the white colour bezel of the display unit. I think it goes really well with the rest of the interior theme. The UI of the infotainment felt responsive, the graphics looked good and it was easy to read. I didn't use it extensively to really make an opinion on it though; time will tell. The steering wheel felt good to hold. The fabric on the horn pad looks really cool and I loved how it felt versus the plastic we generally see. Definitely a cool and useful touch. Steering buttons also felt nice to use and clicks were satisfying.

The Drive

It wasn't too easy and not too difficult to come to a comfortable driving position. The vertical display made it a bit challenging to adjust the steering rake and reach. In the end, I had to choose whether to see the full display or have the steering like I want it, and I choose the latter.

The Air conditioner felt like it'll work fine in hot temperatures. The cabin was chill and the cooled ventilated seats in the front worked like a charm. The seat was actually cooled in seconds. By the way, it has both bottom and backrest ventilation.

Now, the actual driving. The acceleration is very linear and as expected from an EV, with no lag and instant acceleration. Not pin you in the seat fast but reasonably fast so you can have fun with it once in while. You don't hear the motor mostly but put the foot down and it's audible in a really cool way. Loved the motor whine! The brakes were fine. Didn't have much feel and I think that's how it is in an EV so got to live with it, I guess. But, they work well and stop the car just fine.
Tried re-gen levels via paddle shifts. Works well. Steering feel is also good for me. It weighed up just fine for my taste and was butter smooth to turn. Visibility outside is good overall although the IRVM visibility does leave a lot to be desired.

Oh, and the Bose sound system does sound good. That's a big tick for me, personally.

Lastly, the ground clearance. The big decider. Happy to report that Ioniq did the entire route without scraping a single time. That was a big relief. Mind you, we had 4 people in the car. Not big guys but your average-built dudes. I can confidently say that the Ioniq 5 will take over most speed breakers you can throw at it. Hyundai increasing the Ioniq 5's GC by 20mm, especially for India has worked very well.

One Intriguing Observation

The car was at 100% when we left the showroom and was showing a range of 415 kms. When we returned after driving for 7 kms, the battery was at 96% and range at 394 kms. The 7 kms was with a heavy foot no doubt, but I was a bit surprised to see it drop so quickly.

My takeaway

The car felt good to drive, the power was sufficient, the steering feel was satisfactory and the brakes were powerful enough. The cabin was plush, modern and silent. AC cooled the cabin well and the infotainment looked cool. And, the car looks good in person! So, the deal is done. We are keeping the booking and getting an Ioniq 5.

Anything on delivery timelines?

For us hopefully, by May. A senior person related to the matter has informed us that Hyundai has started calling people who booked the car in December to get the finance ready for payment due soon. For the December guys, the deliveries are to begin from April onwards. For us, January booking guys, we should be getting ours by May or June.

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