Florida Coalcracker Chronicles: Today - I Drove A Hyundai Ioniq 5

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Today - I Drove A Hyundai Ioniq 5 - Fully Electric Car

My red Tesla next to the gray Hyundai

The Hyundai is much taller - more roomy.

The Hyundai is a hatchback

EDITORS NOTE - Alan Hanstein reminded me - the Hyundai is eligible for a $7500 federal tax credit. Tesla do not get this tax credit anymore because they sold over the limit. That tax credit would make the Hyundai less expensive for the buyer. Harry.

Today I got an email from Werner Hyundai. I had told them at one time I was interested in their electric car. They had gotten a few in and asked if I would like to drive one. I emailed back saying - sure. We made an appointment for 1 PM. When I got there - I could not see any different looking cars in the lot. I went into the showroom - and one was on display. It is a very nice looking car - but more like a small SUV than a sports car. The salesperson - Daniela Reina - said they had two more in the back - and she would get one prepared for a demonstration ride.

The three cars they had were light gray - dark gray - and white. Two of them were in mid-trim level - the white one was limited trim - which meant a sun roof and more gadgets. I drove the light gray one. I will compare this car to my Tesla Model 3 Long Range - although the Hyundai felt bigger and taller more like the Tesla Model Y. The Ioniq was taller and easier to get into and out of. There was no stepping down - you easily slid in. Those were two features I like over my Tesla Model 3. It also had a softer ride than my Tesla - which has a tighter sports car suspension - like a BMW. Those are features old folks like. The seats are very comfortable and luxurious. It is a hatchback so you could put the back seats down and sleep there for short periods - not overnight.

The specifications you use for comparison are range and power - and of course - price. The Hyundai would be $60,000 out the door with tax and tag. The Hyundai has 225 horsepower and rear wheel drive. Its range is 303 miles.

Comparing apples to apples - My Tesla Model 3 LR - cost $56,000 out the door. My car has 450 horsepower! My Tesla range is 353 miles. My Tesla has two motors and all wheel drive.

The interiors are very different. Inside the Hyundai - it is more like a convention car with two separate screens - and controls and buttons all over the place. The Tesla is more spartan - almost all the controls are on one big screen in the middle. The Tesla dash is pretty bare. I did not go over all the different tech things. Both have auto pilot. I am used to the Tesla big screen - so now I like that. I could get used to the Hyundai way. Both cars are very quiet inside.

One of the main reason I bought a Tesla is they have their own supercharger network. Those chargers are exclusive to Tesla and they are all over the place. We use them on long trips. Both cars cost about 3 cents a mile of electricity when charged at home. The first 1000 miles on a Tesla Supercharger are free. After that you are billed on your Tesla bill - over the Internet. Hyundai gives you 2 years of free charging - I do not know what chargers you can use - not the Tesla chargers. In the future - there will be more and more places to charge. but the Tesla chargers are a big plus.

Both cars can be charged at home with a 110 volt AC plug or a 220 volt AC dryer type plug. The cheapest place to charge is at home - about 10 cents a KWH.

One major difference - if you want a Tesla like mine - it is a 7 month wait now. You can buy the Hyundai right off the showroom floor.