Fantastic, practical, reliable, fun car.
My cars, for the previous 30 years, were Hondas, Civics & Fits. I liked their reliability and practicality. After we got a house with a garage, my wife and I decided we wanted our next car to be electric (since we could now charge it at home.) We read a variety of reviews, in particular the one in Car & Driver about the Ioniq 5, and got one.
It has exceeded our expectations in every way.
First, it is a very comfortable, roomy car, yet it is only 4 inches longer, 4 inches wider, and 4 inches taller than the Civic it replaced. The roominess is probably because the rear wheels are so far back (although that does make it a touch less maneuverable when trying to enter tight parking spaces; it’s a bit van-like in that regard.) It’s also very quiet; long highway drives are much more pleasant in a quiet car. The heated & cooled seats are excellent, and the self-driving features are nice on long drives, even if pretty useless in city driving. The kids don’t complain in the back seat any more. That alone is worth a lot!
Its performance is fantastic. 300+ hp with 4wd and high torque at all speeds, along with grippy handling and a mildly damped ride lead to a superb driving experience. If you appreciate a nimble, sporty car, you’ll love this thing.
The looks are very cool, to me, a child of the 80s who like its blocky lines and lack of curves that seem to be inescapable on modern cars. You do pay for the chunkier lines in reduced efficiency at highway speeds compared to a Tesla or Ioniq 6, but for us, driving primarily in Brooklyn, it’s worth it.
It’s not perfect. I wish it could turn a little tighter into parking spots, and it swings its nose out quite a bit when parallel parking (because of those rear wheels being so far back.) A rear windshield wiper was bizarrely not an option for it, and it could use it after a while of driving through rain and dirt. Driving it through some car washes can be a pain, because whenever you open a door, as a safety feature you can’t disable, it engages the parking brake, rather than leaving it in neutral. But those three items are really my only complaints.
It’s been reliable for the 14000 miles & two plus years we’ve had it. It’s a fantastic car!
Recommended
Verified Owner
