The other electric vehicles in the comparison include the Volvo C40 Recharge and the dual motor version of the XC40 Recharge.

BHPian Ripcord09 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Volvo XC40 Recharge Single Motor

What you'll like:

• A sharply styled SUV. Volvo’s new designs sure are head-turners!
• Solid build & top-notch quality, inside out
• Quick performance will keep most owners happy. Well configurated one-pedal driving feature makes it very easy to drive in the city
• Real-world range should be ~350 km, which is enough for most users
• Excellent high-speed stability coupled with sorted handling. Mature ride quality at speed too
• Zero emissions, cheap running costs & green image will appeal to a lot of people
• Features such as panoramic sunroof, electric front seats with extendable seat bases, one-pedal driving, button-less starting procedure, air purifier etc.
• 5-star NCAP rating. Loaded with safety equipment such as 7 airbags, collision mitigation support (front & rear), lane keeping aid, blind spot information system, cross-traffic alert & more

What you won't:

• Rear seat comfort levels are mediocre. Raised floor & upright seatback. It’s best for just 2 & ingress / egress are tricky too
• The much quicker and better equipped dual motor version costs just ~Rs. 3 lakhs more
• Firm low speed ride. Liveable, but not plush in the city. You will feel the bad roads
• No drive modes and no adjustable regeneration means you cannot customise your drive experience
• Spare tyre is placed above the boot floor and eats into luggage space
• Missing features such as ventilated seats, head-up display, wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, 360-degree camera, full-size spare tyre (has a space saver tyre), premium sound system, Vehicle to Load etc.
• Small dealership and service network isn't a patch on its German competitors

First Drive Review

Volvo XC40 Recharge Dual Motor

Member Test Drive Review

BMW iX1

Launch & Ownership Review

Hyundai Ioniq 5

Review Link

Kia EV6

First Drive Review

Volvo C40 Recharge

What you'll like:

• Sharply styled crossover. Volvo’s designs sure are head-turners!
• Solid build & top-notch quality, inside out
• Powerful drivetrain with 402 BHP, 660 Nm and AWD gives it sportscar-like performance
• Zero emissions, cheap running costs & green image will appeal to a lot of people
• Real world range should be ~400 km, which is enough for most users
• Excellent high-speed stability coupled with sorted handling. Mature ride quality at speed too
• Loaded with features such as panoramic pixel technology headlamps, electric front seats with extendable seat bases, one-pedal driving, button-less starting procedure, air purifier, 13-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, etc.
• 5-star NCAP rating, top-notch safety kit & level 3 ADAS to keep you safe

What you won't:

• Rear seat comfort levels are mediocre. Raised floor & upright seatback. It’s best for just 2 & ingress / egress are tricky too, due to the sloping roofline
• Coupe-like rear styling can be polarising. Will divide opinions
• Poor rearward visibility due to the acutely-angled rear windscreen & C-pillar design
• Spare tyre is placed above the boot floor and eats into luggage space
• Missing features such as ventilated seats, head-up display, adjustable regenerative braking, wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, rear wiper, full-size spare tyre (has a space saver tyre) etc.
• Firm low speed ride. Liveable, but not plush in the city. You feel bad roads in the city
• Small dealership and service network isn't a patch on its German competitors

Review Link

Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say about the matter:

Voted for OTHERS

The BYD Seal with its all round brilliance + sheer value proposition blows all these cars out of the water. There really isn’t much left to debate about anymore, the car is just so damn competent in every which way. Add to this a sub 50L on road price, after CBU duties, and the BMWs and Volvos are ridiculously, hilariously overpriced. If I am shopping in this segment, my money is on the 550bhp Seal Performance variant and nothing else.

Here's what BHPian Hayek had to say about the matter:

Revealed preference - in this set, it is clearly STILL the Ioniq 5.

Why? I bought the car because it was fantastic to drive, very spacious and comfortable for 3 adults in the rear when chauffeur driven, and for its drool-worthy looks (far better than the Kia in my view). After nearly 7000 kms of ownership, all these positives remain. It has also been very economical to own and use so far - with just over ₹10,000 having been spent on charging it. I am also clear that it has far more than enough power for my use case in Bombay traffic - whether I am driving it on a weekend morning or one of our drivers is using it during the week. For a purely self used weekend “boy toy”, perhaps a 300 BHP + monster would have had incremental value. But as a family car, none of the more powerful vehicles help - and this strikes the perfect balance of power, comfort, refinement, looks and value for me.

Have not yet driven the BYD, but I have the feeling it would be more cramped in the rear than the Ioniq - and its smaller boot space would also be a material disadvantage on things like airport runs.

The iX1 and Volvos are smaller - ok for 2 adults and kids, not for a family with 4 adults and a nearly 6’ tall 16-year-old. And a 33% price premium for nearly the same car with worse looks makes the Kia unjustifiable in my view.

Here's what BHPian Kevinrevvz had to say about the matter:

Voted for others, I’d go for the BYD Seal.

BYD has offered a mind-blowing package in terms of quality, performance, range and driving dynamics. In my humble opinion, it’s the best overall EV on sale south of 1CR.

Let’s evaluate it across categories. Keep in mind that the flagship Seal Performance comes in at ₹53L ex-showroom.

Pros:

• Performance: 3.8s 0-100. Next cheapest EV that matches this metric: BMW i5 M60 (₹1.2CR)
• Real-world range: 500Km. Next cheapest EV that matches this metric: BMW i4 eDrive 40 (₹77.5L)
• Driving dynamics: Very well-balanced sport sedan. Handles much better than the electric crossovers in the segment.
• Build and Material quality: Put together really well and feels 90% as premium as the BMW 3 or i4.
• Longevity: The LFP Blade battery is well known for its reliability. Lasts upto 3000-4000 cycles compared to the NMC batteries used by other OEMs that last only upto 1000-2000 cycles. This enables you to charge the battery upto 100% more often with negligible degradation. BYD Taxis used in China report upto 80% Battery Health after 5L+ Km.

Cons:

• Brand Value: BYD doesn’t have the brand allure of a Western luxury brand.
• Ground Clearance: 145mm makes the car a dealbreaker for everyone but the most discerning of enthusiasts.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Jason Cammisa said it's so convincing that, if you put an everyday person in the car, he won't even know that it's not an ICE car.

GTO recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Other than the Chinese giants like BYD, it is Hyundai & Kia who are making big strides in Electric Cars. Drive their latest range & you'll know why. But that's a topic for another day.

This thread is to focus on the amazing execution of ICE-like engine & transmission sounds on the Ioniq 5 N. Yep, we have an existing thread on the car, but this level of sound execution really needs its own thread.

Jason Cammisa said it's so convincing that, if you put an everyday person in the car, he won't even know that it's not an ICE car. Really looking forward to cars like these. ~600 BHP on tap (comparable to the Ferrari Enzo), 0 - 100 in 3.5 seconds (faster than the Ferrari Enzo), zero tail pipe emissions & incredibly fun to drive, if the reviews are anything to go by. Luxury cars & Sports cars are going to find it increasingly difficult to justify their pricing.

Enjoy the sounds

• Video 1
• Video 2

Here's what BHPian electric_eel had to say on the matter:

I am not a big fan of EVs simulating ICEs. The engine noise, the power delivery pauses during shifts are all "bugs" in the ICE drive train that are being sold as "features" to get enthusiasts to convert to EVs.

However I think there might be a point to adding ICE like sound but not the gear shift pauses. Right now while driving, we look at the power meter to get an idea of how much energy is being consumed. The RPM like meter shows the extent of battery drain and is useful to see how efficiently one is driving. An audio feed back would save us from looking into the instrument cluster for this (which is a good thing). Reminds me of my old maruti zen where the drivers ear is the tachometer (or in this case power meter).

Here's what BHPian 14000rpm had to say on the matter:

Exactly what I said in the Ioniq thread.

The Ioniq 5 N indeed seems to add Fun to EV's. Frankly, what Hyundai has made with this car is what I was expecting from the Mustang Mach-E which has, sort of, gone dull.
However, the N is pretty pricey which could be challenge for volumes.

Fun Fact I discovered in the Camissa video - The former head of BMW M division, Albert Biermann, is the head of Hyundai R&D globally. He conveniently created 'N' as his next chapter from 'M'. Cheeky this.

Here's what BHPian Asoon had to say on the matter:

I have a very different and may be unpopular take on this, our generation and all the generations before were born in ICE era, so the engine grunt is music to us. 30/40 years down the line things will be very different, upcoming generation will not be conditioned to the music of exhaust.

Imagine how you feel if you enter from a AC room to room with large, noisy window cooler, thats what is going to happen to perception of ICE sounds (music to us) in next 30/40 years.

Here's what BHPian ferrarirules had to say on the matter:

What an implementation!! Sounds so real. I drive an EV and its a pleasure that EVs are silent and vibration free. But that is for daily use cars.

But when it comes to sports cars or performance cars, the sound is the essence. I have simple example - Formula E vs F1. The thrill of F1 is the high revving engines going through the motion, you cannot feel the same in the Formula E cars. I have followed the F1 era since mighty V10s to the somewhat muted V6s of today. There was such a hue and cry when V6 engines were introduced as spectators didn't feel as much thrill as before. So much so that F1 introduced rules specifically to make the engines noisier.

What makes a Lamborghini a Lamborghini or Ferrari a ferrari or Mclaren a Mclaren, the sound you hear when you take the car through the paces. An electric car like BYD Seal can do everything a M5 might be able to do but M5 will give you the theatre and Seal will just give you the thrill.

Recently there was a statement from Ferrari's CEO -

it’s going to roar just as loud as a combustion engine

That is what a Ferrari is. A muted Ferrari is not something that people want.

In summary, I think Hyundai is on the right track by replicating the years of feeling which enthusiasts have had when driving performance cars.

Here's what BHPian androdev had to say on the matter:

I think the road to mimic ICE cars won't go too far. The love of ICE sports cars is deeply rooted in our understanding of the beauty of intricate mechanical synchronisation - similar to a mechanical watch. EVs have to chart new roads and I'm sure we will figure out a way to make EVs also as endearing as old mechanical stuff. The more you democratise, the more it will lose the wow factor. Interesting times.

Here's what BHPian dhanushs had to say on the matter:

Umm.. Enthusiasts are enthusiasts for a reason. They are so deeply connected to their cars, and enjoy every sound of it. Atleast for me, when I'm in the 'Zone' with the sound of the engine revving up, I try to visualise whats happening inside the engine, from combustion to the crank to the transmission and to getting the raw power on the wheels! Every minute sound is corelated to the vehicle behaviour.

To get an enthusiastic following for the EV, they should be doing that, instead of mimicing an ICE car. Every enthusiast will love to know whats happening with their machines. EV Companies should be trying to show off sounds of haptics that showcase their Electric Car, like how when you are pedal to metal the electric motor spools up generating that insane torque, how the battery and the electrical systems are in total sync, how eddy currents are generated during regen etc..etc..

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Is it recommended to take the Delhi - Mumbai Expressway. I have heard its open till Vadodara however not sure about charging stations.

BHPian Alive2Drive recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I am scheduled to travel from Delhi to Indore and back to Delhi ( visiting Mahakaal and Omkareshwar Jyotirlingas) in June 2024.

Can someone suggest a good route where I will have apt charging infrastructure. Is it recommended to take the Delhi - Mumbai Expressway. I have heard its open till vadodara however not sure about charging stations.

I own a Hyundai Ioniq 5 with a feasible range of 450 kms. Any recommendation, past experience is highly appreciated.

Current route on plugshare shows this

Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say on the matter:

Driving on the expressway at a sustained 110-120kmph will drain your car’s battery in half of that ‘feasible’ figure. For reference, the 40kwh battery of my Nexon EV LR went from 100 to less than 20% in about 130km at those speeds.Charging infra on the expressway is inexistent post Dausa. You won’t make it to Ujjain/Indore. You’ll have to get off the expressway at least twice and find a place to charge. Or you will have to drive all the way with cruise set to 80kmph, and drive at the speed of the trucks. Net net, change your route (Gwalior-Shivpuri-Guna-Dewas), or take a petrol or diesel car.

If you are brave enough to treat this like an adventure, pls do a trail run on the expressway beforehand to Dausa to see what kind of range you are realistically getting. Don’t attempt this blindly.

Here's what BHPian mercedised had to say on the matter:

Come via Agra, Gwalior, Shivpuri, Guna, Biaora, Maksi, Ujjain (4 Lane all the way till Maksi then a good 2 Lane till Ujjain). You will find Hyundai service centers in almost all these cities except Biaora and Maksi. In case you need any help, I am from Indore, feel free to call me.

Here's what BHPian ferrarirules had to say on the matter:

This is absolutely do able in an Ioniq 5. The Delhi Mumbai expressway is up and running till Sawai Madhopur. There are 2 chargers (Voltic and IOCL) on the expressway till Dausa/Jaipur exit and there are many very near to Dausa exit (Tata Power, Voltpanda).

Given that you have a Ioniq 5 and you can go 400 km without a charge stop. You can directly go to Sawai Madhopur which 364 kms from Delhi. You can take a charge and food break there.

Post that you can take NH 148N which goes to Kota and then Ujjain. Sawai Madhopur to Ujjain is 388(via NH 148N) or 438 (via NH52) kms . You can take a small charging stops in Kota if you take the longer route.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

One area where Ionic 5 knocks BYD Seal out of the park is the regenerative breaking. After driving most of the EV’s in this segment, I can confidently say that Hyundai/Kia group have the best regen system in the industry.

BHPian chohan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I test drove BYD seal (Performance AWD)

Comparison with Hyundai Ioniq 5:

• Areas where BYD Seal scores over Hyundai ionic 5
• The driver cockpit cocoons you in a typical sedan-like fashion. For a sedan lover like me, it’s instantly appealing. While I wouldn’t say the interior elements are plusher than the Ioniq 5, the overall dark interiors with alcantara touches on the dash create a cozy vibe.
• The heads up display boasts impressive quality and has a nice projection
• While driving, the rear of the car isn’t as bouncy as the Ionic 5, perhaps it is a sedan trait. I haven’t driven the car at highway speeds but it should easily have better high speed dynamics owing to its shape and body style.

Areas where ionic 5 scores over BYD seal:

Sense of space: Besides the real difference in legroom, headroom and shoulder room, the overall sense of space is akin to the difference between a deluxe room and a suite. Although I personally prefer dark interiors, the feeling of spaciousness with the light interior in the Ioniq 5 has been a revelation.

Rear seat comfort: We all know that rear seat tuning is an engineering challenge for electric cars because of the battery pack sitting underneath. While both the cars have similar or lack of under thigh support, the Ionic 5 solves some part of that problem with the recline option on the rear seats. Reclining the seats is one way to attain that missing under thigh support.

Ride at city speeds: While I took a small test drive at city speeds. I felt the ride in BYD Seal has some firmness and road noise crept in more than the Ioniq 5. Hyundai on the other hand has a plusher ride while still having that underlying firmness of an electric car. However those massive 20 inch wheels take away some part of the plushness but still the ride quality i would prefer at city speeds.

Practicality: I have been a proponent of saloon body style since I owned my first car. From Linea T-jet to Skoda Octavia to BMW 3 series, it’s been all sedan for me but after clocking 15 thousand kilometres in Ioniq 5 over the past year, I can say that it’s difficult to beat the practicality of an SUV body style. The enhanced ground clearance and rear hatch let me do stuff I had never done in a Sedan.

The GAME CHANGER: One area where Ionic 5 knocks BYD Seal out of the park is the regenerative breaking. After driving most of the EV’s in this segment, I can confidently say that Hyundai/Kia group have the best regen system in the industry. From my short interaction with the BYD seal and explanation from the dealership agent, I believe that BYD seal has only two levels of regeneration which have to be activated from the screen while Ioniq 5 has pedal shifters on the steering wheel. There are limited avenues in an EV that let the driver customise his driving experience and flexible regenerative breaking is one of them. The level of customisation in Ionic 5 is exhaustive. Hell, even auto regen setting has different levels from mild auto to strong auto. Then the pedals to change to level 1,2 and 3 on the fly and then holding the left pedal to invoke maximum regen for as long as you hold it( like brake pedal) .I still believe there has to be more to the regenerative braking system of the BYD seal other than two simple settings. If someone has detailed knowledge should clear the doubt.

Additional observations:

• Throttle modulation is very similar to Ioniq 5’s. Both build speed gradually and lack outright punch.

• It’s very hard to believe this car could do 0-100 in under four seconds. Initial response from throttle is slow.

• Front doors are chunkier and have better thud in Ioniq 5.

• The rear of BYD Seal doesn’t bounce on speed breakers as much as Ioniq 5.

• Lack of heated rear seats is a bummer for north India. Folks have ridiculed Hyundai for providing heated rear seats in Ioniq 5 instead of ventilated seats but they miss the point. Heated seats is a way to reduce the usage of hot blower in winter. The difference is energy consumption is mind boggling. You could run heated seats all day with minimal impact on battery but the blower on other hand will suck battery like a maniac. I have used heated seats without feeling the need to use blower all winter. Thumbs up for this feature!

I will have another detailed test drive of BYD Seal as it’s hard to escape the sedan bug.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Usable battery capacity is ~ 70 KWh as gleaned from the internet.

BHPian BRZRKR recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My range figures at just under 10,000 KM with the Ioniq 5 :

100% AC, most convenience features on. Usable battery capacity is ~ 70 KWh as gleaned from the internet.

• City range : 450 to 550 km, 6.5 to 8 Km/KWh

Highway range :

• Limiter at 90 Kmph : ~ 425 Km, 6 Km/KWh
• Limiter at 120 Kmph : ~ 360 Km, 5 Km/ KWh

My longest trip interval : 360 Km (started at 100%, ended at 22%, limiter at 90 Kmph with a few short bursts of acceleration upto 130 Kmph for overtaking manoeuvres)

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The BYD seems to be an absolute value of money vehicle with around on road pricing as 36L approximately.

BHPian aamishdhingra recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hey Mates,

I am an absolute car guy and own three cars currently:

• 2019 Honda Civic ZX CVT
• 2022 i20 NLine DCT
• 2023 Audi Q5 Technology TFSI

We are currently two people driving in the house, Primarily me and my father with around a monthly running of 2000kms locally.

I recently sold off my 2021 Thar Diesel 4X4, which I drove for about 45k kms, and took it on an expedition to Zanskar - Leh where it broke down and instantaneously it made me decide to sell of the vehicle.

Now, we drove the BYD Atto 3, Fortuner, and the Ioniq 5.

The BYD seems to be an absolute value of money vehicle with around on road pricing as 36L approximately, the Ioniq being a luxury EV with an On road costing of around 47L, and Fortuner Petrol around 40L. These prices are on road, Delhi.

Now the dilemma is:

Although I have always loved the Fortuner for its road presence and its driving stance, I feel this might be the last opportunity to have my hands on the 2.7/2.8L engine (whether Petrol or Diesel) but is it worth spending 40L for the Petrol or 50L for the £4 variant?

Or I should just go in for the Atto 3, and cut down on my daily running costs and ease my pocket?

Looking in for some deep discussions!

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Nice garage!

Between the Fortuner & BYD Atto 3, go for the Fortuner only if you need its tough build, GC, touring capability and 4x4 (since you mentioned a Zanskar expedition). Else, for regular driving, I don't like the Fortuner at all (noisy, heavy steering, bumpy ride quality). And even if you need a 4x4 SUV, how long can you wait? The next-gen Fortuner, Endeavour, Kodiaq are all lined up for launch in the coming years. Tucson AWD might be worth a test-drive.

Take another drive in the Ioniq 5. I like it more than the Atto 3 as a personal car. Since you have the budget and are open to BYD EVs, I'd also recommend waiting for the BYD Seal whose bookings have already opened. It's going to give you sportscar-like acceleration.

Don't sell off cars just because of one breakdown! Most new cars today suffer niggles of some kind or the other. Saying this because I see a German SUV and a dual-clutch AT in your garage

Here's what BHPian One had to say on the matter:

Few views:

Engine sizes are coming down but I think across the board, power-weight ratios are actually increasing. And if we include EVs, they elevate acceleration to a different level. A Fortuner does not really feel sprightly with that engine size nor does it have a growl of a big engine.

The price differential between petrol and diesel (4x2) is probably overriden during resale. In fact you might lose money with the petrol and gain notional money with diesel resale. So monetarily, Petrol really not be a good choice. Also it misses on a lot of things - don't think it comes with features like UV cut glasses and its driveability is nowhere as fun as a diesel. A 2.7 as a car has nothing over a 2.8 and this includes the price (not cost) of the car even if in NCR for 5-7 years.

7 for those short trips with friends - yes and totally fun. Not the most comfortable choice for longer trips.

Here's what BHPian padmrajravi had to say on the matter:

The Ioniq 5 gets my vote. BYD does not have any sort of brand recall in India. EVs depreciate like mobile phones when a new version comes in and it is better to invest in an EV from a manufacturer with good brand recall in India. Fortuner petrol does not make sense anymore. The Hycross killed it. If you want a petrol Toyota, Hycross or Hyryder is the one to go for.

Here's what BHPian Vikram9193 had to say on the matter:

I would get the Ioniq 5, it has had so much acclaim globally for its design and tech. The Fortuner of course is the desi champion and can’t be discounted, but the Ioniq is in a different league.

Here's what BHPian jimmyjagga had to say on the matter:

I voted for Fortuner, if you want to keep the vehicle for its full life, i.e. 15 years, niggle free and be fully confident that it will not leave you stranded anywhere, ever then Fortuner is the right choice, plus a proper seven seater with abundance of luggage carrying capacity with RWD.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information

Excellent ride quality, no body roll, powerful performance with great handling on curvy roads.

BHPian Mallu recently shared this with other enthusiasts

I got my Ioniq 5 delivered on February 10 , from Hyundai franchisee Popular Hyundai, Ernakulam, after two weeks of making full payment to HMIL. I received 1.5 lakh discount applied for 2023 model and it took only a total of 3 weeks after booking. The delivery experience was good overall, even though the salesman missed explaining the menu controls and functions completely. I am still figuring out how to use some of the features like adaptive cruise control, since the control buttons placed in steering wheel seems not easily read. It may take several weeks of usage and need to sit with the user manual to understand its operations. It would be easily grasped if the salesman could brief all the operations while delivery. I got the vehicle delivery with odometer reading of 20 km, and I am still under 1000 km of usage.

The purchase status in Hyundai "cllicktobuy" portal is not getting updated on time which made me confused many times, and needed to call the company sales rep several times, including to see whether the payment is received or not. it is interesting to see that even after two weeks of getting delivery, the website shows the vehicle is not yet started transit from Chennai depot as of today!.

First trip to hills to check range:

I decided to check the real world range in Hi ranges of Kerala by taking a journey from Thodupuzha to Kanthalloor for a two day round trip of 300 km. I started from home at Thodupuzha with 100% charge using my 11KW charger which runs on 6KW solar plant. I reached my resort on a hill top in Kanthalloor after passing scenic tea plantations of Munnar, and Marayoor with 58% charge left, 151 km journey and estimated 298 km left to drive. A few kilometers of road to the resort was very bad and was like a mild off-road with heavy gutters which increased by heart beat and finally reached the hilltop without any underbody hits or body scratches.

The next day started to descend the hills and it took about 4 hours to get back to home at Thodupuzha with 41% charge left and estimated 196 km left to drive which is great and there is no scope of range anxiety. While downhills, I used regeneration level 3 and turned off AC for a total of about one hour in round trip during chilly tea plantations of Munnar.

Likes:

• Excellent ride quality, no body roll, powerful performance with great handling on curvy roads.
• Around 500 km of real world range which is excellent.

Dislikes:

• The AC vents in rear seems less effective and not enough cooling for rear passengers.
• It would be nice if the windshield and window glasses were heat resistant solar glass as seen in Kia EV6. The glasses get very hot in sunny days.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Car picks up speed very deceptively. In an ICE car like my X3, you know you are going fast due to the engine noise and the feel of the shifts.

BHPian Hayek recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Did another long highway drive last week. Had to go to Gujarat and decided to take the Ioniq 5. Charged up to 100% and the car showed a range of 578 km at start. Heavy traffic to work at BKC got range down to 561 km with 12 km of driving.

Started from BKC in the afternoon, and took 50 minutes to cover 27 km to Dahisar - but lost a lot of range, down to 475 km with 92% battery left. Picked up pace on the highway esp after the Bassein creek bridge, and covered the next 100 km in 1.5 hours, using a further 22% charge and 105 km range. The last stretch in Gujarat was even faster - 48 km in about 40 minutes, losing 11% charge and 75 km range. Overall used 41% charge to cover 185 km from home in almost 4 hours. The car showed 306 km residual range, and I decided to risk returning home without charging even though there were a couple of charging points shown on PlugShare in a 15 km radius.

The return journey started very early (around 530 am) with the aim of beating Bombay traffic on the Western Express Highway. Made good time till the Dahisar toll - covered 145 km in just over 2 hours with a 10 minute break. The faster average speed meant that I lost more charge though. Took 10 minutes to cross the toll naka, and even though we were in Bombay by 7:55 am, the rest of the journey was a crawl. It was 9:15 by the time I entered BKC where my driver met us, and 9:45 by the time he got home. The car had just 13% charge and showed a 57 km range by then - so used 46% charge on the return journey, probably due to higher average speeds (and top speeds) in the leg up to Dahisar and the crawl from Dahisar home (36 km from Dahisar home took 1 hour 50 minutes).

Driving was immensely pleasurable - where traffic was light, it was a pleasure letting the car follow lane markings around curves with just a finger on the wheel. The car picks up speed very deceptively. In an ICE car like my X3, you know you are going fast due to the engine noise and the feel of the shifts - here you just pick up speed and it’s only when the car started making a din at 120 kmph that I realised how fast I was going and dropped down below that.

Have covered 3650 km so far and used 524 units till my last top up to 80% which was 275 km ago. Overall power consumption based on MID is 14.4 units per 100 km, and per Fuelly is 6.4 km per kWh (viz 15.6 units per 100 km). The charge up to 100% saw about 8% higher units consumed per the charger than battery capacity - in charges to 80%, that is typically 3-4%.

Overall still having a great experience. 2 months, 3650 km - we have never had a car driven this much. Think usage will settle down now. Will keep you posted.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Also drove the Kia EV6 the previous evening for comparison.

BHPian shankar.balan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

We test-drove the Hyundai Ioniq 5 today. The Trident Hyundai folks came to give us the drive experience from Sankey Road. Appreciate their commitment.

The Ioniq, in comparison to the Kia EV6, is also a very worthy vehicle. With its 630 km claimed range and real-life 500 km range, I believe it is more than adequate for normal people and their road trips. I can go to Ooty or Madras or Coimbatore from Bangalore on a single charge. The styling of the Ioniq is also very ‘crossover’ with stylish-designer-futuristic-uber-cool-urban-suv-esque vibes.

There is no doubt about the fit and finish and finesse and quality overall. The feel of the vehicle both inside and out is extremely tactile and the touch screen is also highly responsive to me.

I enjoyed the drive very much. The suspension just eats up all the bumps and speed breakers and all the uneven patches of Bangalore’s finest. It is a well-engineered vehicle.

Having driven the Kia EV6 just last evening, everything about that vehicle is still fresh in my memory. The sports-wagon styling, the ‘visceral-atomic’ acceleration the phenomenal ‘stickiness’ and traction and the blistering performance on account of the AWD System, coupled with the Jet Fighter G Forces are the few things that stand out.

At 47-48 lakh on the Road, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a clear 20 lakh less expensive than the Kia EV6 and frankly, in a different way, looks quite as dramatic and is more or less equally capable.

The clincher though is that AWD in the Kia. One cannot get over that, once having experienced it.

There seems to be little doubt, going by the popular media, that EVs are a large part of our vehicular future. So I guess it is worth acquainting ourselves with the options and the constant development in this space.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I already have 2 vehicles in my garage (Innova Crysta ZX 2.8 AT and Mahindra Scorpio-N Z8L 4x4 AT), and this was going to be the 3rd one.

BHPian Lego28 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Prologue:

I want to share my Nightmare ordeal with the booking experience of Ioniq 5 directly from Hyundai and my frustration to the extent that I am planning to cancel the whole thing and look for alternatives. (Not that there are many, especially at this lucrative price.)

Also, would like to thank my local Hyundai Dealership, however helpless they are with the Ioniq 5 booking process, they are trying to guide and help me the best they can. The booking and payment process until dispatch to the dealership is solely in (HMIL) Hyundai India’s control.

The Story:

It all began with me heading to the Lamba Hyundai (Delhi) dealership right next to my office. Warm, knowledgeable and helpful staff, Took time to explain everything I had to ask and entertain me. Being new to EV, I had more than a few questions.

Showed 2 vehicles they had:

1st White TD vehicle, and 2nd gravity gold Matte Vehicle which was getting ready for delivery. Asked them for a test drive for the next morning at my home address, since approval from the home ministry was required before I even considered Ioniq 5.

I was also informed that the booking process is online and the parent company HMIL directly controls the allocation, dispatch etc. of the vehicle. Payments done also will be in HMIL’s account directly, and the dealership has little control over the same. But they will guide me the best they can with the booking etc. The reason according to the Dealer was that the vehicle being SKD/CKD is dispatched only on order.

The same day, I went on Hyundai’s booking portal and generated a quote for Ioniq. Promptly got a call from a Hyundai Employee who informed me she was calling directly from Hyundai India and looks after Ioniq customers only. On asking about the waiting period, I was told that the car could be made available within 7 days since the colour I am interested in (gravity gold Matte) is available in the Chennai plant and will be dispatched the same day I complete the booking and payment formalities. I asked for the VIN no or mfd. month of a vehicle, and was told that the same would be provided shortly.

The next morning, The TD car arrived at my home on time, the car was 7k run and in good condition. The TD experience was love at first drive for me and my wife. Look at an elaborate 30km+ TD. Immediately decided to go ahead with the booking.

Again, kudos to Lamba Hyundai, since I was booking the car in my company name, they sent a special team to my office for booking and loan processing along with a bank employee for loan document collection and guidance.

Now, this is where things started going downhill.

I added the iCare 50k kms package on the booking portal, costing 91K INR. But decided to opt against it. There is no option to remove iCare once you have added it, probably a bug. After discussing with the Hyundai Employee, the SA assured me he would get it removed from the quotation and Performa within 24 hours, which they did. I ignored this issue thinking it was a bug, got it in writing that iCare would be removed post-booking and clicked on pay now.

That is when I faced the 2nd glitch. Under net banking, there was no option for SBI- State Bank of India. Which is India’s largest bank. On informing the same Hyundai Employee, We were provided with the bank details of HMIL Chennai and an IMPS transfer was initiated.

Shared the payment receipt with my SA and with the Hyundai Employee and asked her to share the payment receipt and VIN/ manufacturing month of the vehicle. She told me she would do it shortly.

So much for automating and digitizing the booking process in the name of customer’s ease.

Anyway, this is where things got from bad to worse.

The next day, once my loan was approved, contacted the dealership and asked them for the manufacturing month and delivery within 7 days clause, I was informed that the car isn’t dispatched from Chennai before the full payment and takes up to 3-4 weeks for delivery after complete payment to HMIL. (Generic reply)

Called up the Hyundai Employee, and was assured that the vehicle would be dispatched shortly from Chennai as she has already started the KYC etc. process for dispatch. Told her to hold the dispatch till I shared the VIN/Manufacturing month, I was again told that it would be shared shortly. This is Day 3 of asking for the same. From an employee of Hyundai, nonetheless. Sent multiple reminders via call and WhatsApp, but was informed to wait.

The next day, no response from the Hyundai Employee. Around 1 pm, I finally lost my patience and told my dealership to hold the loan disbursement till I got information on car manufacturing. Got a call from the Hyundai Employee within minutes. Informed me that the manufacturing month is July, but they billed and assembled the car in October. Which I was okay with. On the dispatch front, she told me that the vehicle was parked with Capital Hyundai Noida.

Now That is where I started getting suspicious. And started asking questions. Words aren’t the same, but the gist of it is.

Q: The Noida dealership is not the Chennai plant, I was told that I would be dispatched a new car from Chennai.

A: Sir, this car was dispatched around Diwali and is at the dealership stockyard, it is a fresh vehicle.

Q: Why did you make me wait 4 days for info as simple as manufacturing month if you knew the vehicle was parked at a dealership nearby and sharing it with me when I decided to stop the loan disbursement?

A: (Deflected my question.)

Q: I wish to PDI this vehicle at the dealer stockyard and I am willing to visit the dealership today itself for a PDI. Is that okay?

A: I will have to ask the dealership. I have a few pictures of the vehicle shared by the dealership, let me share those. and we will deliver this within 2 days.

Q: Please do, I will then decide if it needs a PDI.

Shortly after, received pictures of the Vehicle. Attaching 1 picture which will make things clear. The car was parked next to the charging port. No protective plastics or anything anywhere. Which I am sure should be there if it had not undergone delivery PDI. Pic attached.

Luckily, I saw a brand new pre-delivery vehicle at Lamba Hyundai the other day and knew what a fresh vehicle should look like. White tape on pillars and edges, and alloy wheels had transparent plastic tape. Pic attached.

The car was in the Noida dealership Showroom from the Noida dealership yard from the Chennai plant within a few minutes, and I find it hard to believe that the Hyundai Employee did not know about it.

I called her back and subtly rejected the vehicle and pointed out the manipulation. The response was rather unpleasant.

Me: this looks like a display or TD vehicle and I will have to reject it. Please align me with a fresh one from the Chennai plant.

Hyundai Employee: Sir that will take 15-20 working days. (It changed from 7 days to 20 working days.)

Me: but, pre-booking you told me that you have stock at the Chennai plant and you can deliver the vehicle within 7 days.

Hyundai Employee: no sir, it will at least take 14 working days.

Me: please hold my booking. I will tell you what I decide. (I was in no mood to bicker)

Soon after, received a WhatsApp message, sharing the same which is self-explanatory.

Epilogue:

Now, I am in a dilemma to go ahead with the Loan and balance disbursement or cancel it and look elsewhere. I do not mind waiting for even a month as I already have 2 vehicles in my garage (Innova Crysta ZX 2.8 AT and Mahindra ScorpioN Z8L 4x4 AT), and this was going to be the 3rd one. Replacing my 2016 Crysta eventually down the line (Thank you NGT).

But my major concern now is, what if after disbursing the loan amount, they still invoice me the same Noida dealership display vehicle I rejected or something else like that? Since they are not telling me what month/VIN vehicle will be allotted to me it will be a challenge to reverse anything after being invoiced for the same. Especially, since I am buying the same in the company’s name.

I have everything which has happened to date in writing, but such manipulative and deceitful commitments directly from Hyundai India have left me in limbo. And has left a very bad taste. Also, not to mention the 25k cancellation penalty.

On a separate note, a special thanks to Lamba Hyundai SA and the complete Lamba team for being so helpful, warm and humble with us throughout the experience. This must be a rare occurrence, even for Team-BHP where the shady activity is being done by the parent company and the dealership is being applauded for being so helpful and dedicated, wish the dealership had more control and transparency over the booking process.

I hope it helps everyone else in making a well-informed decision when buying the Ioniq 5. And not to repeat the same mistakes I did.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.