It has been a long road for the electric car industry – focusing more on the luxury full-size spectrum, electric cars we’re falling into a category meant for the rich and famous. Now there is a whole slurry of electric vehicles up for grabs and Hyundai is next to add an electric car to their lineup.

The 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 is for sure something that is a little different. While electric cars try to go for a smooth, silky streamline design that has air flowing around its curves like a passionate love affair, the Ioniq 5 gives us a retro throwback to the 1980’s hatchbacks with a boxy style and era appropriated themed pixelated LED lighting details. In photos, the Ioniq 5 looks like it would be the same size of the Hyundai Tucson – but its not. Carrying an uncommonly long wheelbase the Ioniq 5 is huge, compared to the Volkswagen ID.4 or Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Starting just a hair under $40,000, the Ioniq 5 SE Standard Range is a decent bargain as it will get you 220-miles of range from a 225-horsepower powerplant. Opting up for the next SE trim gets you into the extended-range lithium-ion battery pack that can extend its range upward to 300-miles. Should one want the better half of quickness from the 320-horsepower, dual-motor configuration; be prepared to sacrifice 50-miles of range for 250-miles on an electric charge at an extra $3500.

Despite the appreciation we have for Tesla and their unwarranted need for speed and hyper-acceleration, down here in reality, that sort of thing isn’t necessary. The Ioniq 5 drives with a level of sensibility and responsibility. It maintains its electric car quickness for smooth, linear acceleration when the time calls upon the need for such speed, but around town it feels, well, normal. Feeling the need to impress the person in the car next to you that really doesn’t care how quick you are will sure show them the 4.5-seconds it takes to achieve 60-mph when utilizing the sport drive mode. Granted that number is from the all-wheel drive, dual-motor system that was equipped in our $55,920 Limited model. Which brings us to its drivability.

With our Ioniq 5 Limited being fitted with the large, over-sized 20-inch wheels that suited the cars overcompensating design didn’t affect the comfort levels one bit. Maintaining even composure, it manages to keep the unwarranted roughness out of sight and out of mind. Even feeling the need to be spirited in the corners, the chassis’ rigidness feels tight through the bends. The only drawback is the electric steering always feels more like its set to a comfort mode, despite setting the drive mode to sport making the Ioniq 5 feel less sporty than it can be.

The real surprise comes from its charging capabilities with its on board 697-volt battery pack and 350-kW DC fast-charging.

However, full disclosure, the side of town I live on doesn’t exactly cater to the idea of electric cars as they do lowriders, 24-inch spinner rims on a 20-year-old SUV and questionable activity from the corner gas station – so to find a DC fast-charging station to charge the Ioniq 5 in a claimed 18-minutes, we’d have to travel 30-miles across town to find one. So, in our world, where we need to utilize our offices 240-volt Level 2 charging station; it can take upward of 4 to 6-hours to charge from essentially what we’d consider half-a-tank. Furthermore, since our residence isn’t set up for a Level 2 charger, we must go the old fashion was with a Level 1, 110-volt outlet for our overnight charging. Unlike the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580, however, that would give us less than 10-miles in 10-hours; the Ioniq 5 caters to this reality. An overnight, 10-hour charge can add almost 30-miles of range – give or take. 

Stepping into the interior and there is a noticeable difference from the exterior – it doesn’t feel as dramatic as it should be. The vast open floor concept generates plentiful space with two identical 12.3-inch screens filling up much of the dash. All the controls have an orderly layout to them but is rudely interrupted by the lack of wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto as the cord needs to be plugged into the base of the dash.

To understand the size of the Ioniq 5, you must understand that its 118-inch wheelbase makes it one the longest wheelbase vehicles in Hyundai lineup, even passing the three-row, Hyundai Palisade’s 114-inch wheelbase. That doesn’t mean its necessarily bigger than the Palisade; overall the Palisade is 14-inch longer than the 182-inch long Ioniq 5’s. What this means however is a healthy sized back seat with massive rear doors that feel like we’re opening the door to a Maybach. And that also makes up for the insane amount of rear leg room that, should one get the single motor version, could be ideal for the perfect drive-share vehicle.

Overall, the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 is breaking through a shell of ordinary as electric cars become more, and more common. With a healthy range, quick charging, and a comfortable interior; we won’t be surprised to start seeing these on the road or even passing through on state-to-state road trips.