IONIQ OF TIME

Hyundai’s loniq 5 has a few minor faults, but it’s the best all-round EV in the country and it’s the best-looking Hyundai yet

- Pablo Chaterji

I’m going to begin this review by highlighting some of the things I don’t like about the Ioniq 5, Hyundai’s latest salvo in India’s onfire EV segment (that came out all wrong, but you know what I mean). There aren’t that many demerits, mind you, so this won’t take too long. To begin with, the car made me mildly nauseous when I was seated at the back; I can confirm that I wasn’t the only one who felt this way, since a couple of other colleagues in the fraternity reported this as well.

I think it’s a multi-pronged issue, beginning with the fact that EVs — with their instantly-on torque — pin you back in your seat under acceleration much more frequently than ICE cars, and this constant back-and-forth motion is something you have to get used to. Then there’s the whine that an EV’s motor makes — the frequency of it and the fact that it’s always there does something to your overall sense of being, in my opinion; again, it’s something that you just have to get used to. Thirdly, the Ioniq’s ride quality is on the floaty side, so the feeling of wafting up and down can be a little unpleasant. Finally, I was driving a brand-spanking new car, and that new-car smell combined with these other factors made me a little green around the gills. Or maybe I’m just a lightweight, I don’t know; take this with a pinch of salt if you must, and also be informed that sitting in the driving seat felt fine.