Hyundai Ioniq 5 2023 review: Dynamiq 2WD

The Dynamiq is the base model and will cost you $72,000, before on-road costs, which makes it a similar price to its rivals. The EV6 is $72,590 and the Model Y is $69,300, before on-road costs.

However, the Dynamiq is a well-specified entry model. You won't get inside and feel it's the base grade, and at this price point, I feel that is important. Your biggest worry will be finding one to buy as the supply isn't great at the moment.

The interior is the drawcard for me.

On the interior, expect to find items like dual 12.3-inch screens that headline the dashboard, dual-zone climate control, heated front seats with a mix of synthetic leather and linen trims, Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto and a head-up display as standard.

The exterior hosts some cool features, too, like full LED lights, flush auto door handles, 19-inch alloy wheels and 64-way adjustable ambient lighting in the cabin.

There's also a 'vehicle to load' capability, meaning there's a three-pin house plug port inside the car if you ever need to charge or power anything big on the go.

It features a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel.

This is a surprisingly practical family car with all passengers enjoying good head- and legroom. Front passengers enjoy the most storage and amenities but the back row isn't forgotten.

The front seats are wide and well-padded and I like their electric adjustment (including lumbar support).

That said, the wide windows create more chances of the sun hitting your eyes but the extendable sun visors make things more comfortable.

The ambient lighting enhances the overall ‘futuristic’ vibes and there are enough soft touchpoints throughout to satisfy the comfort seekers.

The storage options up front are very good. I fell in love with the sliding middle console and demonstrated it (to what I imagine was rapt attention) to every one of my passengers.

As to what purpose it serves, I'm not 100 per cent sure, but it's cool nonetheless.

There's a big cubby underneath the armrest that fit my handbag and houses the wireless charging pad and an additional two USB-A ports.

Other storage options include the large glove box drawer, two good-sized cupholders and a smaller tray inside of the armrest.

While the white trim made me a little nervous to let my six-year old loose inside, it creates an airy cabin space.

Plus, you get drink bottle holders in each door (front and back) and a strangely-shaped cubby underneath the multimedia USB-A port and 12-volt socket.

The low positioning of the multimedia port is an odd choice because while the car features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, they're a wired connection. The port is a little awkward to reach and you have a trailing cable in the cabin.

The 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system is responsive and easy to use. It was easy to connect my iPhone to and I like the built-in satellite navigation and the way you can pull the directions into the head-up display.

The 12.3-inch digital instrument panel is a bit boring to look at after a while and not customisable. The white display theme looks like a piece of paper stuck to the dash, so I switched over to the dark option. An improvement but not the best.

The boot is decently sized at 527L.

The back seat gets a couple of cupholders in the fold-down armrest, netted map pockets and two USB-A ports. There are also directional air vents on the B-pillars and reading lights overhead. The flat floor means middle seat passengers will have more comfort, too.

There are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the rear outboard seats plus three top tether anchor points across the back row.

The back seat is wide enough that you might be able to fit three child seats side-by-side if needed, and there's plenty of room for front passengers when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed.

My son found it easy to get in and out of most of the time but struggled to latch the rear door properly. He ended up having to slam it shut and that was a little annoying, for both of us, on the kiss and drop school run.

Another handy feature is the 57L frunk storage, which is bigger than most, and can hold all of your cables.

The boot is decently sized at 527L. The boot aperture is wide but sloped, which might make it difficult to fit big, bulky items. Otherwise, the level load space is great for the grocery run.

I enjoyed having the powered tailgate this week and the proximity opening feature, which is good, if a little slow.

For example, if you're approaching your vehicle from the rear and stop at the tailgate, the boot will automatically open without having to touch the key fob.

Another handy feature is the 57L frunk storage, which is bigger than most, and can hold all of your cables.

You don't get a spare wheel in this but you do get a puncture repair kit and that can also fit in the frunk.

The Dynamiq is a full EV and has a single electric motor with a maximum power output of 168kW and 350Nm of torque. That's eight kilowatts more than the 2022 version, meaning it delivers a decent kick when you put your foot down!

It is powered by a relatively large 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery, up 4.8kWh for 2023, and going from 0-100km/h can be achieved in a lively 7.3 seconds.

The Dynamiq is a full EV and has a single electric motor with a maximum power output of 168kW and 350Nm of torque.

The charging port is Type 2 (CCS Combo2) but most charging cables cost extra, which feels a bit cheeky considering the car's price tag.

The only cable this comes with is an emergency 'house plug' AC adapter that takes around 34 hours and 20 minutes for a full charge.

The onboard DC charger has up to 350kW of capacity and that means on a 50kW fast charger station, you can get from 10 per cent to full charge in approximately 73 minutes.

The charging port is Type 2 (CCS Combo2) but most charging cables cost extra, which feels a bit cheeky considering the car's price tag.

But it also means it can be plugged into a 350kW ultra-fast charging station and your charge time comes down to just 18 minutes! Some EVs can't actually accept those speeds, so this is great.

The official energy consumption is 17kWh/100km and my on-test figure was 18.3kWh.

It has an official driving range of 507km, up 26km over the 2022 version. That is better than some on the market, but I still suffered range anxiety.

It didn't help that my local fast charger seemed very popular and I had a moment of 'coasting in on fumes' to charge it up.

The only cable this comes with is an emergency ‘house plug’ AC adapter that takes around 34 hours and 20 minutes for a full charge.

This has a good list of safety features, with the following being standard: LED daytime running lights, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, 360-degree view reversing camera with dynamic guidelines, front and rear parking sensors, driver fatigue alert, and adaptive cruise control with stop/go function.

It has auto emergency braking with car, pedestrian and cyclist detection as well as junction turning assist, which is operational from 5.0-100km/h.

There are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the rear outboard seats plus three top tether anchor points across the back row.

I love seeing the blind-spot view monitor – which has a camera feed to the dashboard when you indicate. Great feature in the city!

The Ioniq 5 was awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2021. It only has seven airbags but that does include the newer front centre airbag.

There are three top tethers for child seats across the rear row, with ISOFIX mounts on the two outboard positions.