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It feels like the future has arrived when behind the wheel of Hyundai’s all-electric Ioniq 5, the cool new EV that’s not a Tesla.

Story Harry Weller

HYUNDAI WAS EARLY TO THE EV party in Australia, compared with most car makers, launching electric versions of its Ioniq and Kona in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

While technically impressive, neither set the world alight from a design perspective, mainly because they were electrified versions of internal combustion models. But with the arrival of the all-new Ioniq 5, built on Hyundai’s dedicated Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), the South Korean car maker has delivered on the much-vaunted EV promise of freeing designers from internal combustion constraints.

With its low, wide stance, grille-less front end, aluminium clamshell bonnet, narrow LED headlights and futuristic detailing, the Ioniq 5 looks like a concept car that’s escaped from a motor show. That impression is reinforced the moment you approach it with key in hand, and its flush-fit door handles pop out to greet you.

The roomy, high-tech interior features sustainable eco-processed leather, materials made from recycled PET bottles, natural wool yarns and bio paint made with plant extracts. The absence of a driveshaft delivers a clean, flat floor, which in conjunction with the open-top sliding centre console enhances the refreshing sense of space. This is accentuated by a full-length sunroof and light interior trims, including the Mac-like colour palette of crisp twin screens that stretch halfway across the minimalist dash.

The shapely front bucket seats are electric, of course, with lower leg cushions that emerge from the seat base like those of an expensive home lounge. Rear passengers are generously catered for too, with electric seat adjustment, large windows with privacy glass and sun blinds.

The driving experience is superbly quiet, partly by dint of the hushed electric motors mounted front and rear, but also good isolation of wind and road noise. Performance in the dual-motor, all-wheel drive version we road tested proved hairraising, the Ioniq 5 piling on the pace with instantaneous, jaw-dropping urge. Pleasingly, it didn’t lose its composure at the first sight of a bend. But, while it can certainly be hustled decently hard between its 430km battery refills, the Ioniq 5 more ably fits the mode of quiet, comfortable and sophisticated newage transport. THE SPECS

PRICING • $71,900 BODY STYLE • Five-door hatch SEATING • 5 ENERGY CONSUMPTION • 17.4kWh/100km SAFETY • ANCAP 5-Star (2020) ENGINE TYPE • Dual front and rear mounted electric BATTERY • 72.6kWh liquid cooled lithium-ion (IVT) RANGE • 430km TRANSMISSION • Single speed DRIVE TYPE • All-wheel drive MAX. POWER: • 225kW MAX. TORQUE: • 605Nm 0–100KM/H: 5.2 seconds For more, visit hyundai.com.au