2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs Tesla Model Y

What's the difference?

I appreciate many aspects of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 Dynamiq. It looks nice inside and is well-specified for the price tag. I like the family-friendly storage options and space inside the cabin but don't always love how it handles on the open road. This is a city dweller and it handles well in that environment. I would like a longer driving range for a family car but this is still better than average.

My son made a game of changing the ambient lighting to match his mood for the day and thought the inside looked nice. He isn't a fan of the exterior design, though, and gives it a 7/10.

One thing is for sure, it’s definitely a performance car, but not as we know it.

This version of the Tesla Model Y is the ultimate tech gadget on four wheels. It’s incredibly fast, has unbelievable, unnerving handling, and importantly what seems to be the best software in the business. Coming in significantly cheaper than its European performance EV rivals, it doesn’t even seem like bad value.

But. Enthusiasts be warned. There is an element of drama missing here, the Model Y is almost too good at attacking the road, there’s no roaring feedback or imperfections for you to correct, and for this reason alone, even if it’s the future, I don’t think it’s going to be for everyone.

The Ioniq 5 is a medium SUV but only in its 4635mm length. Otherwise, it's 1890mm width and 1605mm height creates a roomy cabin space.

The 2023 model doesn't see much change, if any, to the previous iteration. The exterior features the pixel-LED lights the Ioniq has become known for and there's an interesting design element with the stepped and squared LED headlights.

I like the way the external body panelling has been styled – it's sharp and different, immediately setting this EV apart on the road.

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

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

If you’ve seen one Tesla, you’ve pretty much seen them all, with the Model Y Performance doing little to set itself apart from the rest of the range.

It’s all part of Tesla’s minimalist Silicon Valley aesthetic. Like various models of iPhone, the changes between models are meant to be felt and not seen.

The Uberturbine wheels are of course a highlight, really filling the arches compared to the standard hub cab-wearing ones which ship on the standard Model Y, but they are also the only option on the Performance, too bad if you’re not a fan of matt black.

On the inside there are no surprises, either. The same minimalist aesthetic applies, as usual to a fault.

I feel like I’m sitting in the Apple Store, with just a big floating tablet being the main decoration.

Our car had the wood-look trim option, which is the most preferable option of the two. I found the white plastic fill alternative a bit cheap-feeling during my test of the standard Model Y.

I think the minimalism of the Model Y’s cabin will help it age well, but as I usually complain about these Tesla cabins. There’s no dash cluster or even a head-up display which feels like a bit of a usability blunder. Who wants to look at a centre display for critical information on the car?

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 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.

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 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.

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 Model Y feels much bigger than the Model 3 so it will definitely hit the sweet spot for people who wanted a Tesla but found the Model 3 too cramped for a family.

Everywhere feels expanded, especially headroom, and the minimalist design leaves room for big door pockets and the flat floor leaves room for extra large stowage areas under the centre console.

I especially like the way the dual wireless chargers integrate with the design here.

There are a few hidden hard plastics, but Tesla has put soft-touch and padded surfaces in all the right areas.

The seats are reasonably comfortable, but I’m not sure how the synthetic leather trim will age in the Australian sun particularly as there’s no way to cover the big panoramic sunroof.

Not everyone has a garage. Interestingly though the car does have a cabin overheat protection function, which automatically starts the air conditioning should the cabin exceed a certain temperature.

Still, there are a lot of months in the year our brutal sun will be cooking the interior.

If you’ve read any of my Tesla reviews before, you’ll know I’m not a huge fan of the need to control pretty much all of the car's key functions through the central touchscreen.

It feels like a shame to complain about this, because the software is truly beautiful, and Tesla backs it with powerful computer hardware to keep the screen fast and responsive.

But having no dash cluster feels like a bit of a design-over-usability trait, especially when you go to adjust some of this car’s settings on the fly.

This is a far cry from an affordable EV. Forget your MG ZS EVs, BYD Atto 3s and even base Teslas, because the Model Y Performance is in a different league when it comes to price and ability.

To give you an idea, the entry-point Model Y tends to float around $70,000 once you add on-road costs, sometimes slightly more. This Performance version takes a massive hike to nearly $100,000, before on-road costs, and the example we drove for this test totalled $108,031.

The trouble with the Performance version is it’s so expensive it doesn’t qualify for electric car rebates, and in fact attracts luxury car tax instead, pushing the price ever higher.

To add insult to injury, there’s not even a whole lot on the outside of this car to tip you off it costs nearly $40,000 more than the entry-level version, with the main hint being the 21-inch 'Uberturbine' wheels.

If you look even more closely you might notice it rides a little lower than the standard car, has bigger brakes, and a little carbon-fibre lip spoiler attached to the tailgate.

Most of the changes are under the skin, including an alternate suspension tune, second motor on the front axle, and a lot of additional power.

Tesla, famously shy about sharing specifics, only gives a 0-100km/h sprint time, which improves from 6.9 to 3.7 seconds for the Performance.

The battery is larger, too, boosting range from 455km on the base Model Y to 514km.

On the inside expect the standard Tesla stuff, like synthetic leather interior trim, the huge 15-inch centre tablet screen with integrated nav and always online connectivity, dual wireless chargers, and a panoramic sunroof.

The whole look and feel is super slick, as always, but is notably missing Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Tesla is hoping you’ll use built-in versions of all your favourite apps. Too bad if you use one which isn’t offered.

LED headlights, performance tyres, and a power tailgate add to the gear list, but interestingly there’s no V2L - one key feature still missing from the Tesla brand, and something which adds a slight advantage to its rivals from Kia and Hyundai.

Of course, the software is the biggest sell. As though to prove Tesla is a software company first and a car brand second, the software in this car is by far the best on the market.

It’s super slick, and offers the most feature packed and functional app. It’s stuff like this which is hard to go back from, and is still keeping Teslas feeling more futuristic than most electric rivals.

It’s worth noting: even at this inflated price, the Model Y Performance still seems like decent value given how quick it is.

The only comparisons, cars like the Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron GT, and BMW iX cost more, with the exception of the Kia EV6 GT which is similarly priced and offers similar specs and features.

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.

Tesla, always mysterious when it comes to hard specs, does not offer official power and torque figures for any of its models. Just the ever-impressive 0-100km/h sprint times.

However, looking at documentation the brand has officially filed in China (where the Model Y for our market is built) reveals specs of 220kW/440Nm for the rear motor, and 137kW/219Nm for the front motor, placing it pretty far up there in the EV performance charts.

It’s not just raw power, either. The Model Y performance also scores a lowered ride, bigger brakes, impressive torque vectoring software to keep everything under control, and interestingly, what Tesla tells us is a new suspension tune (even newer than the set-up we tested when the Model Y first arrived in Australia in late 2022.)

It’s all very impressive-sounding, but does it work? Read on to find out.

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.

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 Model Y Performance has an official, WLTP-rated consumption number of 15.4kWh/100km, which grants the car a 514km driving range.

Few EVs manage to get over the 500km range mark, so this fact alone is pretty impressive.

In our testing the car returned a higher figure of 18.7kWh/100km, reducing range to the mid-400s on a full charge.

We only had the car for three days, so I expect, like the standard Model Y, it would be possible to get close to the official number with a longer-term test.

When it comes to charging, the Model Y can hit an impressive 250kW on a fast DC charger, allowing a charge time of around half an hour on a compatible unit. Expect more like an hour and a half on a more common 50kW unit.

Meanwhile the slow AC charger will hit a peak of 11kW, allowing the Model Y to charge from 10 per cent in more like seven hours. Still, adding roughly 75km of range an hour is worth it for longer stays at shopping centres or the like.

Interestingly, the Model Y doesn’t offer V2L, that is - the ability to power devices from its charging port. It seems to be one key piece of EV equipment missing from its spec list.

It's an easy car to drive but it does feel more at home in an urban environment than on the open road. There's a pleasant sense of power if you do have to overtake while still feeling like there's a well to plumb.

The motor noise is super quiet but you can get some wind and road noise at higher speeds. The cabin is still nice to be in, though.

Following a ride and handling retune for 2023, the ride comfort is generally good but when you hit higher speeds there's a lot of vibration and shuddering felt through the seats and steering wheel which lessens the comfort factor. My husband observed you wouldn't enjoy a longer road trip in the Ioniq 5.

It can also feel a bit unsure of itself at higher speeds, and too floaty for my liking.

I turned off the assertive lane keeping aids at these times because it chipped away at your confidence with what the car was doing. More confirmation this is a city-dweller.

You can customise the regen braking from levels 0-4. Zero being the lowest and the 'iPedal' being the highest.

The iPedal is responsive enough in an urban setting but I still prefer using the brake, so I kept it at level 3. I also kept the car in ECO mode, which I usually find makes the driving a bit anaemic, but not in this instance.

The Ioniq 5 has a 12m turning circle and you can feel that in a tight car park but the parking sensors and fantastic 360-degree view camera system makes it an easy car to park. I love how clear the camera is in this – top notch!

I’ll just cut to the chase here: Sorry Musk haters, the Model Y Performance is truly, deeply impressive.

I didn’t stopwatch test its 0-100km/h sprint time, but 3.7 seconds certainly feels possible, and totally visceral.

Yes, the Model Y Performance will turn your groceries into a fine paste on the back of the boot if you stick your foot in, but the sprint time is far from the most impressive part of the drive experience.

I’d hand this honour over to the handling. The Model Y is simply incredible at holding onto the road.

Try as I might on one of Sydney’s best and curviest roads, the Model Y simply wouldn’t misbehave.

It’s almost surreal feeling the computers work their magic in the corners, taming the physics of a 2.0-tonne SUV, constantly fighting understeer or oversteer on the fly to keep it all tidy.

It does all of this in silence, with just the tyre roar to indicate your velocity. I must admit. I didn’t expect such ferocious ability from this car.

I certainly expected speed, but not this level of tidiness for something heavier and taller than a Model 3.

The trouble for a traditional car enthusiast, then, is the fact the Model Y is almost too good. It’s clinical in the way it attacks the road, and feels almost unfair, artificial, as though a computer is doing the work for you (it might as well be).

It feels risk-free, drama-free, feedback-free. While the experience of driving such a machine is nothing short of incredible, I somehow think it’s not the kind of thrills combustion enthusiasts are looking for.

Even the steering is artificial, with three heavily computer-assisted modes. I must say, 'Sport' and 'Standard' are a bit too heavy, with my preferred steering mode being the 'Chill' setting, which is the lightest and makes the car feel a bit easier to wrangle in the corners.

The three regen modes will actually appeal to a variety of tastes, allowing the car to behave either like a single-pedal EV (my preferred mode) or more like a combustion car, with a creep mode and a roll mode which will be more familiar to those who haven’t experienced an EV before, or are not fans of regenerative braking.

The new suspension has improved the ride significantly, with the Model Y Performance lacking the brittle edge which I experienced when the Model Y first arrived a few months ago.

It feels like it deals with sudden jolts a bit better, but make no mistake, this is still a firm ride, and the Y still has a firm frame.

While the ride has improved, it is still susceptible to significant amounts of jiggle, with the ride being notably busy over poor road surfaces. Still, it’s good to see this common issue with Teslas starting to move in the right direction.

Teslas are very impressive when it comes to safety, with an almost unprecedented number of sensors, and, importantly, great software to process what the car sees.

This is best seen through the radar screen which the car displays alongside the map, which is constantly collecting data on what the car sees around it.

It gives you confidence the car has seen and categorised a potential threat, usually before you have, and if ANCAP’s testing is anything to go by, it works, too.

The Model Y, including this Performance variant, wears a maximum five ANCAP stars, performing extremely well across all categories, with a particularly high score in ‘adult occupant protection’, and ‘Safety Assist’ which considers the abilities of its automatic safety systems.

While the Model Y’s suite is broader than individual standard active safety items offered by other brands, equivalents of most systems like auto emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane keep assist, and things like traffic sign recognition are on-board.

Even the adaptive cruise control is one of the best on the market, remarkably good at lane keeping and steering assist, but I’d question whether it’s worth splashing for the controversial 'Full Self Driving' option.

Coming in at more than $10,000, it’s questionable if any of the included software features are even legal to use.

The Ioniq 5 comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is a usual term for the market, and the battery has an eight-year/160,000km warranty, whichever occurs first, which is great.

The first three services are capped at $2230 in total, which is expensive for this class but the servicing intervals are still what you'd expect for an EV being every 24 months or 30,000km.

It’s a good question: What’s it like to own a Tesla. Some of the numbers aren’t promising, like, for example, the four-year and 80,000km warranty promise which is one of the shortest new car warranties on the market right now.

However, Tesla does cover the high voltage battery and drive components for a much longer eight years and 192,000km, guaranteeing 70 per cent of the car’s original battery capacity at that time.

Teslas have condition-based servicing (because, of course they do), meaning the car will tell you when it wants to visit a Tesla workshop based on various inputs. Seems logical, but not very transparent.