I have to admit that when I first saw this car in photos, I thought it looked stupid. I mean, as a Gen-Xer I liked the ‘80s vibe, but it was a shock in a sea of sleek futuristic Teslas and Mercedes. Its platform-mate the Kia EV6 had a more advanced aesthetic. However, after seeing and spending time with the IONIQ 5 in actual daylight – and moonlight – I’ve come to like it very much. It’s also a very nice to drive, so let’s get in the 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 5 Limited.
It gets its design honestly as it was based on Korea’s first mass-produced and exported car, the Hyundai Pony. A basic little compact hatchback that debuted in 1975 and held court through the ‘80s was styled by the maestro Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign. You might know some of his other work like the DeLorean DMC-12, Volkswagen Rabbit, BMW M1 and Lotus Esprit. He also designed the Geo Spectrum I drove in college, so maybe I deep-conscious the IONIQ 5’s forms.
Of course, this crossover’s style is considerably more advanced than the old Pony. It looks small in photos, but is tall and wide with a longer wheelbase than the full-size Palisade SUV. There’s more dimension too with square LED headlamps, origami side creases, and full-width pixilated taillights. Our Limited edition sports black 20-inch wheels, roof rails and panoramic glass. Swaths of corrugated silver along the rockers visually reduces the car’s height. It’s both retro and futuristic.
Interiors are essentially rolling lounges that bring peace and tranquility. Like a classic mini-van, you step in at a comfortable height, the floor is wide and flat and there’s good visibility all around. Hyundai stepped up with twin infotainment screens, wireless phone connections, and phone charging pad on the utility pod between front passengers. USBs are seemingly everywhere and there’s a 120v household outlet for second row voyagers.
Beyond technology that would have astounded this 1980s technophile, the IONIQ 5 impresses with luxuries like heated front and rear seats, heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, and Bose audio. Hi-Tex seating surfaces look and feel like leather, but are easily washable synthetic. There’s too much hard plastic on the doors and dash, but it looks good. Rear passengers can stretch their legs while reclining their seatbacks. Luggage capacity under the sloping hatch is a little tight, but split/fold rear seats enlarge it considerably to carry bicycles, COSTCO hauls, or your kids’ band instruments.
Twist the column knob and whir away with only a hint of motor whine and tire noise. It feels effortless with 320 horsepower and 446 lb.-ft. of torque, all driven to the road through dual-motor all-wheel-drive. Zip off 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds. Quite quick.
You probably care more about range and recharge times. In Limited trim with AWD, the IONIQ 5 claims 269 miles between charges. Typical of Hyundai, charging times are brief, allowing 10-80% in 20 minutes on a DC fast charger or about 7.5 hours on 240 volts at home. It’s now NACS-compatible for easy access to Tesla Superchargers, but you’ll need an adaptor for OG chargers like the one in my garage.
As for safety, everybody is protected by automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, lane keep assist, and rear cross traffic alert. Side exit assist keeps passengers from stepping into traffic. I really appreciate the car’s head-up display for speed, safety, and navigational aids, but I’d also love hands-off cruising. Can’t have everything!
As an ‘80s kid, I get all of the styling references and period vibe, but also appreciate how every inch of the IONIQ 5 amasses a car right for this decade. A base price of $35,000, or $50,815 for our luxurious Limited, puts it against the Chevy Equinox EV, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Nissan Leaf, Subaru Solterra, Toyota bZ and Tesla Model Y.
Storm Forward!
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