Hyundai has updated its Korean page in line with the main points about the long-awaited update of its popular Ioniq five EV, with only minor tweaks to the original design but with many new features inside.
We were expecting an update to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and an obvious facelift spotted in last year’s testing, with its popular ugly automaker camouflage covering the doors and bumpers.
Now the veil has been lifted over the update and. . . It looks pretty good. But with the update comes many new features, especially fixes for many of the various flaws of a perfect car in a different way.
Full details are available on Hyundai’s online page, but only in Korean. The U. S. The U. S. has not yet been updated with the new details, and everything we’re talking about here is in the Korean version, and possibly or would be. Possibly not in the U. S. version. We can believe that many of those changes will be postponed, but there will likely be differences in what will be offered in each market.
Exterior tweaks include new colours, some tweaks around the front fascia, adding more ‘pixel’ trend points and an external prestige indicator, as well as a larger rear spoiler above the rear window. Adjustments to the bumpers mean the car is now 20mm longer than the previous model.
The Korean edition of the car also receives some changes related to “virtual side mirrors,” which are virtual cameras located in the side mirrors, which are not available in the United States.
There are more external tweaks for the upgraded “N line” version, adding other bumpers, body-colored trim on the wheel arches and door panels, 20-inch wheels and N line badges.
The user experience has been enhanced with Hyundai’s “Digital Key 2”, which allows you to use your phone or Apple Watch to lock and unlock the vehicle. The Ioniq five also has sliding door locks (although they can only work with the key fob). Isn’t that the virtual key?)
And of course, the most important replacement on the outside is the addition of a rear windshield wiper. This was a big mistake in the original vehicle, which many owners and prospective buyers lamented was missing. The upgrade includes a windshield wiper in the rear. So you may not have to worry about the rear window getting dirty.
But the real changes come inside the car, and the biggest upgrade was the addition of around 7 kWh of battery, bringing the car to 84 kWh of capacity (up from 77. 4 kWh). Previously, the Ioniq 5 was rated at 4. 58 km (28. 5 miles). ) of diversity in Korea, and the battery increases that diversity to 48 and five km (301 miles).
We don’t yet have EPA diversity figures or whether Hyundai will retain some of that capability, but we can believe this update will increase EPA diversity from its existing 270 miles to somewhere in the 280-mile average.
Despite the larger battery, Hyundai says the Ioniq 5 has noticed a slight improvement in charging capacity and will still reach a speed of 10 to 80 per cent in 18 minutes, retaining what is the most productive fast-charging capability currently in existence.
Other mechanical tweaks include noise damping and improved vibration, allowing for a smoother ride and less engine and road noise.
Inside, many new features have been added. The guide wheel has been redesigned with four “pixel” lighting elements in the center that are used as speed signals or signals for the voice popularity formula, and it also has what’s called “manual detection. “What we assume is some kind of motive force monitoring function.
The sliding center console is slightly redesigned, with the addition of USB-C ports, relocation of the smartphone charger, and physical buttons for some used car functions, such as the seat heater/fan.
And for other functional tweaks inside, a button has been added in the boot to fold down the rear seats, making it less difficult to load giant parts into the car from the rear. And the glove box has been redesigned: it once looked like a “drawer” and now folds down like a typical glove box, an upgrade some might reluctantly make.
But perhaps the biggest visible internal replacement is in the software. The Ioniq five has access to Hyundai’s “Connected Car Navigation Cockpit” software (which stands for Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto), as well as. . . Live Updates!
This is new for the Ioniq 5, though it’s already available on the Ioniq 6 sedan. The updates will not only be for critical security/recovery updates, but also for software improvements.
In the end, all of this resulted in no value replacement in Korea, with the same base value of 52,400,000 Korean won (~$39,400). Therefore, we can expect the US base value, currently $41,800, to remain the same or close to the same when this update is available.
As for availability, no one knows. We will have to wait for a reaction from Hyundai on this.
The Ioniq five has temporarily become a favorite in the EV community. It’s a counterfeit vehicle with great specs, a smart value (especially if you lease it to gain access to U. S. tax credits). and sometimes satisfied customers.
A bigger battery? Yes.
Rear windshield wipers? Yes!
An interior redesign? YES!!!
I still can’t ask what this update tells us about the EV6 update. Given that it’s on the same platform, it’s reasonable to assume that it will also revel in battery failures. And the widely reported scenario related to the interior is that it will look a lot more like the EV9, which would be a huge improvement over the current conception of “are you sure it’s ready?”. If they give the car those parts plus (dare I say it) a rear windshield wiper, they might end up putting one in my garage.
Personally, I think it’s one of the most beautiful cars on the road today. While I’m a small car enthusiast, it’s pretty much the only SUV I like, basically because it’s still compact and also because the car’s design language is so forged and consistent. It seems quirky enough to be different, without being too extravagant.
As a result, it also sells incredibly well, even in the U. S. It is not available in the U. S. , despite being from a foreign automaker, which leads to disadvantages in terms of tax credits. As of 2023, it is the best-selling foreign-assembled electric vehicle in the U. S. The best-selling VW ID. 4 is from a foreign automaker, but it’s assembled in Tennessee. )
But those adjustments were also necessary. The lack of a particular rear windshield wiper was a glaring oversight, and OTA updates are such a vital feature that it took too long to spread to the rest of the industry. One of the first styles of the Tesla Model 3 is better today than it was in 2017, which can rarely be said about most cars, and the Ioniq Five has joined those ranks thanks to the addition of OTA upgrade capability.
So we’re hoping that the maximum of those tweaks will be made in the U. S. , and soon, because it’s already a wonderful car and those small tweaks will only make it even bigger.
Jameson has been driving cars since 2009 and has been writing about them and about blank energy for electrek. co since 2016.
You can contact him at jamie@electrek. co