2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5

6/15/2021

Compact - EV-Hybrid - hatchback

Hyundai wants to bring back the days of affordable entry level vehicles with their new Ioniq 5. Can it make a statement big enough to win back its capital?

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From the company who brought you the famous Pony, comes Hyundai's newest addition to their EV stable, the Ioniq 5. Borrowing key aspects from their reimagined Pony concept from earlier this year, Hyundai has released their newest compact EV onto the world stage.

Podcast: Hyundai's Luxury Rise

Hyundai is now looking to expand upon their Ioniq nameplate, as they add the 5 to the stable. This is similar to what Toyota did with its Prius nameplate, as they too added different models onto that nameplate. And since the Ioniq nameplate is already known for energy efficiency, it made the choice easier to add onto this nameplate, rather than reviving the Pony name.

Being that the original Pony name is known for poor quality, Hyundai has decided against reviving this old name. But that doesn't mean they can't borrow some key aspects from the previous model for this new one. This can be seen if you take a close look between the two (2) models.

Up front the Ioniq 5 utilizes a dual box headlight setup attached to a simple mesh grille. This is similar to the concept Pony's front end and the original car. Add to this a simple bumper and any lack of character on the hood and the Ioniq 5 becomes the evolved sibling of the original product.

Out back the same can be said about the tail lights and the rear window, but that is where the old seems to stop. A new rear fin and some lower light louvres, make the Ioniq 5 more appealing to the eyes than the original. Although Hyundai didn't integrated their new bumper into the design properly, as this has made a stiff lower lip situation. Hopefully this will be fixed on the refresh.

Along the side is where Hyundai really stepped outside of the comfort zone, as they let Zorro add his market to the side of this new vehicle. This was a great addition as the Pony's side was rather bare and boring. Thank you Hyundai for making this design a bit more interesting to look at.

Rated: 2020 HyundaI Venue

All around the new addition to the Ioniq lineup is a great start to a new sub-brand for Hyundai. Let's just hope that they don't over do it like Toyota did. A sports and cross-trek model would be a great fit next for this sub-brand.

Everett J.
#autolooks

Front End: C-
    Good: Hard edges mixed with proper materials
    Bad: Flat sheet of a hood
Rear End: B-
    Good: Old school digital sign inspired tail lights
    Bad: Lower portion of the bumper does not flow
Side: C+
    Good: Zorro has marked his car
    Bad: Poor choice of window layout and accents
Overall Appeal: B+
    Good: Old School Pony inspired design gives it that retro appeal
    Bad: When you realize that appeal is of a Hyundai Pony