Hyundai - cool cars even without the "N" (and what is an Ioniq5??)

It feels odd that I think Hyundai has two of the neatest cars out there at the moment, and that doesn't even include ones with an "N" badge. To wit - I came out after work today and on either side of me were parket a new Santa Cruz in a pretty interesting pale green color. Looked stock except the owner had (presumably) replaced the OEM tires with some Falken Wildpeak A/Ts. Between the color and the tires it looked like it could be some tactical special forces vehicle if there was just a .50 cal mounted in the bed. But overall I really like the style of the Santa Cruz.

On the other side of me was something I didn't know existed - the Ioniq5. This thing truly looks cool, like some kid in the 1980s designed it and said "this is what cars will look like in 2022." Really neat retro-future features like the front and rear lights (for some reason the rears remind me of a delorean). And a really interesting paint, almost looks like a rough finish gunmetal color (but it was actually smooth). Reading up on it afterwards, seems to check a lot of boxes for power, features, and a reasonable price compared to a lot of EVs. Also interestingly, it's available in RWD only (are most EVs RWD or AWD? I assumed most were FWD or AWD, but never really thought about it. I also noticed inside it doesn't really have a conventional shifter console, but more of a "gap" there like a minivan to put a bag or something, perhaps. Not sure I like that or not, but reminded me of a 1970s bench seat car (but with buckets).

Anyhow, it's cool to see Hyundai making even more interesting things - much more interesting than what Honda and Toyota are putting out, IMO,

Also, if you look at it direct-side profile, it strongly resembles the shape of a Lancia Delta...in the form of the windows, c-pillar shape, overall silhouette, and "long-wheelbase on short body" look. In any case, it looks INFINITELY cooler than the fugly Tesla Model Y, IMO. 

The Ioniq 5 is pretty legit, 10-80% battery charge in under 30 minutes on a high speed charger, a range of around 300 miles, sub 5 second 0-60. I'd Berkeley with it. 

I was online looking at the Ioniq 5 earlier today, it is very cool!  Not sure I'm ready for an EV yet but if things keep going in this direction it will happen sooner than I thought!

I would say there's a fairly even distribution of RWD/AWD/FWD EVs...all the Leafs and Souls are FWD but most Teslas are RWD. Porsches, the niche brands, and higher-end Teslas are AWD.

Agreed. Also for consideration, the Kia EV6:

I also recently saw/read an internet rumor that there's a potential Ioniq 5 N in the works.

note both the ev6 and ioniq5 have wheelbase that is 4" longer than the telluride/palisade so they are not small.  118" wheelbase

I think Hyundai has been killing it lately. They have been towing Kia along for the ride too. But the Hyundai side of the company has been taking some wild design risks and mostly winning. The Santa Cruz (and the related Tuscon), Ioniq 5, and the Elantra/Veloster N are all cool looking, interesting vehicles. I dig the Kia K5 GT a bit more than the equivalent Sonata, but yeah, good stuff is coming out of there right now. Even dig that EV6! 

And then there's Genesis... their whole line is awesome right now. Got to check out a recent G90, and it was very, very impressive. 

When will a GRMer paint or wrap an Ioniq5 into the Lancia WRC Martini livery?!?

I saw a Kia EV6, live this weekend.  Impressive.  I only drove past it as it was sitting in a hotel parking lot but still cool looking in the brief view.  Was black on black.

kevinatfms said:

When will a GRMer paint or wrap an Ioniq5 into the Lancia WRC Martini livery?!?

Picked up elsewhere:

The wife's pathfinder was in desperate need of replacement, so we test drove every compact SUV hybrid on the market, and ended up taking home a Tuscon hybrid.  The value for the money was extremely hard to beat.. 

MrChaos said:

note both the ev6 and ioniq5 have wheelbase that is 4" longer than the telluride/palisade so they are not small.  118" wheelbase

But both are considerably shorter overall than the Telluride/Palisade, much less overhang.

EV6: 184.5 inches
Ioniq5: 182.5 inches
Telluride: 196.9 inches
Palisade: 196.1 inches
Delta Integrale: 153.5 inches

kevinatfms said:

When will a GRMer paint or wrap an Ioniq5 into the Lancia WRC Martini livery?!?

The first Martini Ioniq5 will happen pretty much immediately :) It's a very cool package, I want to get my hands on one.

I think you see a lot of RWD EVs because the packaging reasons for FWD are not as strong as they are for ICE vehicles, and there's a bunch of PITA engineering involved in making front wheels steer and pull without being unruly. Much easier to just stick the motor in the back, as it's not terribly large compared to all the support systems.

As for styling, Kia cribbed from the Stratos for the EV6. How you can make a wagon look like a 70's supercar, I don't know. But they did it. Nice work.

golfduke said:

The wife's pathfinder was in desperate need of replacement, so we test drove every compact SUV hybrid on the market, and ended up taking home a Tuscon hybrid.  The value for the money was extremely hard to beat.. 

 

 

Got another one!

In reply to bobzilla :

More disciples of The Gospel According to Bob. 

I have a strong preference for the Ioniq over the EV6, but apparently Hyundai doesn't sell EVs in most states, while Kia does sell here in Michigan. 

A big quibble I have with a lot of these cars is the flush-mount door handles, a la Tesla. They are just a really poor real-world solution in a world where these cars are constantly exposed to the elements, especially in Michigan with snow and ice. 

My BMW's charge port door doesn't get along with ice very well, I can only imagine what it would be like with auto-extend and -retract door handles. 

In reply to John Welsh :

they really should be sponsoring my racing efforts

In reply to Erich :

Are the handles powered or just flush? The Model S has powered ones that are asking for trouble, the 3/Y have manual flush ones that should be quite weather-tolerant. Almost exactly the same design as an E39 fuel filler cap. So it's possible to do flush without causing problems, and of course that's aerodynamically preferable. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

It depends on the trim, I believe. Hyundai and Kia offer both manual and powered versions. 

edit: I should add, my BMW has a powered latch for the charge port door that's troublesome, it would be far better if it were just a flip-open door like most gas cap covers. 

Powered door handles seem like a bad idea, but I guess my point is that flush does not necessarily mean they're powered. I think the 3 door handles work well. I haven't tried to see how the charge port deals with ice on that car, I can see it being potentially problematic in Michigan.

Saw my first Ioniq 5 IRL yesterday and I do like the styling, but unfortunately my other half thinks it's fugly.

It's surprisingly large, at least if you look at it from the driver's seat of a rental Corolla. And yes, as someone who owned an Integrale in the past, the resemblance is pretty noticeable.