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Sometimes it’s just to much like fun to have to test 3 great cars. I touch about me, I’m on the heavy side of overweight, I’ve back and knee issues and I’m Autistic, I love driving electric cars because the only noise I should be hearing is anything I decide we want (music, radio, audio books) there’s little road noise and nil engine noise.
First, on Thursday was the Enyaq. I was looking at the 85 Edition, which the dealer didn’t have but I ended up testing the 80 coupe as the seats, drive and power would be similar. The drive was comfortable but you could tell when there was any imperfection in the road, which given it was Cornish country roads there were plenty. Seats weren’t massively comfortable, they’d be perfect for someone nearer to a ‘normal’ BMI but for this old aged lump the bolsters on the seat back were starting to be uncomfortable after about an hour’s drive. The regenerative braking was present but even in it’s strongest setting it wasn’t one foot driving. Given we were driving local roads, the opportunity to hit 60-70mph didn’t appear but the car was quiet enough in wet conditions. It’s a good car.
Today was the Ioniq 5. I got to test the exact version we were looking at, Ultimate RWD with tech pack. Seats were amazingly comfortable, wide enough to be figure hugging for me and really good to sit in. Journey was different but we took some proper Cornish back roads and had a chance to enjoy some motorway speeds as well. The car handles most bumps and dips with absolute ease. After about 20 minutes of wheeling around the bendy back roads my wife chirps up with “it feels like floating” which was a pretty accurate assessment of the way the car travels. We could feel the worst of the pot holes but the usual lumps, bumps and imperfections were easily hidden. The upholstery was the light grey, which could be a little bright but again helped make the car feel a little bigger inside, the ambient lighting kept my daughter entertained, especially when we found the menu for the different light colours. Seats were easily adjusted so that we all could find a comfortable position, even in the back with a little recline. The space was, as you’d expect, cavernous with plenty of room everywhere for all of us. The boot is wide, deep but rather shallow so perfect for large flat boxes but less so for something a little higher than normal. Lovely car.
Then, from the same dealer, the Ioniq 6. After floating around in the 5 I was really hopeful I’d be seeing a similar level of comfort and the real questions were around getting somewhere we all felt comfortable. Unfortunately the demonstrator was a Premium RWD, so that lost the HUD (which I could easily get used to) and the comfort/relaxation seats. The seating position wasn’t bad but I was very aware of the proximity with the roof, partly because it was black, and once sat where legs and back were comfortable, I found I was too high to properly use the rearview mirror, it couldn’t be tilted up enough, I had a choice of seeing half the rear window or dipping my head to see all that was behind. My daughter loved being hidden away in her cave as she called the back seat, even my wife preferred to sit in the back. The ride itself was firmer than the 5, feeling rather similar to the Enyaq, which meant I felt more comfortable throwing the car at corners and could have been more aggressive but that’s not how I drive, so the handling was far more than enough to keep me where I wanted to go. The lumps, bumps and dips in the road were more obvious than the 5, less so than the Enyaq but once we got to the speed bumps I felt the need to slow down much more than they were intended to get.
The 6 didn’t feel longer than the other 2 cars, which are of a similar length (about 20 cm shorter than the 6). The Enyaq felt the tallest and the slowest and that wasn’t exactly a slouch. The 6 was a good car to have a fun little drive around the back roads and could easily sit on a motorway for hours but just wasn’t quite comfortable enough. The 5 is perfect for us. The seats felt both supportive and comfortable, the ride was the smoothest and most relaxing and we could all sit in there for much longer than any car we’ve had previously.
3 very good cars, I could honestly say that if anyone picked on over the others, they’d got a good car. The Enyaq would have meant adding a pack, with the risks of not getting all the cost back if terminated early (or written off), the Ioniq 6 would have been a great choice for looking distinctive, if you want to be the only car like that in the car park. However, for comfort, ride, equipment and pure joy to drive, the 5 was the top of our list. A lot of the deciding factors are personal, what’s great for me may not be for others, but pick one of those for a good large EV and you’ll have done really well.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
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This is why peopke should get personal test drives, as the drives can be different yo individuals
I didn’t test the ionuc 6 as its not practicable for us, no room for two golden retrievers in the back, unless they went onto the back seat.
My drives if the ionuc 5 and Enyaq were the exact opposite of yours, I found the seats in the Entaq much mire fimfy than the ionic 5, which I found did not give me grip. That’s not to say they were awful, just not as comfy, but both were acceptable.
We also found the fit and finish in the Enyaq to be better than the 5, which felt spartan in comparison, plus no rear wiper on the 5
But,again,both are excellent cars and anyone would ge happy with either.
I don’t have a problem paying for packs, if the car gets written off, it’s one of those things.
I’m awaiting my Enyaq 85 Sportline X with Maxx pack, sunroof, travel pack , in Feb, sad to see my Superb go, which has been, well, superb.
I’m sure you will be very happy with your choice
@Glos Guy, thanks. I hope it helps someone but it’s deeply personal.
@Southamman I agree completely, read what’s there, watch reviews but without driving a car yourself you’ll never know. All cars are superb, picking one above the others is purely personal. Even something like your own weight will change one comfortable seat for another. I can completely see why some would pick the Enyaq’s seats over the Hyundai offerings. Likewise, the ride will suit driving styles of different people. Hopefully there’s a car that matches all your tastes, otherwise you’ll be compromising somewhere.The Enyaq with those additions will be an amazing car, distinct and well equipped. I hope you enjoy it once it’s built.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
Regarding the Enyaq the 85 is a lot more powerful than an 80 so only an 80x would have similar power. The 85 is nearly 2s quicker to 60 than the 80 which is on a par with 80x.
Would be worthwhile testing the Sportline plus and seeing if the dynamic suspension improves ride quality.
Regarding the Enyaq the 85 is a lot more powerful than an 80 so only an 80x would have similar power. The 85 is nearly 2s quicker to 60 than the 80 which is on a par with 80x. Would be worthwhile testing the Sportline plus and seeing if the dynamic suspension improves ride quality.
If they were available any time soon, maybe but when the dealership has no idea what’s arriving or when, I’m not going to wait in case it’s better.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
Good write up Mark 🙂
Having secretly had extended test drives in all 3, perhaps Ive been more vocal on the 6. What I will say is both Kia and Hyundai are certainly doing things right, a far cry from when they first came to Europe.
I had dismissed the Enyak prior to taking it for a test drive, which was mainly down to interior looks. I’m not a fan of this big box, littles box theme some manufacturers are adopting. The Enyak had a better layout than VW ID’s but never less not for me. I found the 80 at the time a bit under powered for me at the time, which I’m sure the 85 will be better in that respect. I’m actually a fan of Skoda after having the Superb however, the direction they are going with their option packs and expensive ones at that makes me think there trying to be something they aren’t and by that I mean a premium brand.
As for the 5 and 6, they are two very different cars, appealing to different markets. The 5 has a very comfy ride perhaps Citreon of old like and if you want a car to tootle from A to B you will do so more comfortably, than the 6. The interior perhaps has more of an EV vibe than the 6 but, still gets two 12″ displays “Hallelujah”. The 5 still gets nice ambiant lighting in the front and rear, whils’t perhaps not on the grandure of the 6, which may be a tad too much in all honesty. Equally the 5 won’t gain the attention of perhaps the 6 lol.
Overall Good choice Mark, I’m sure you will be very happy with the 5 and with its super fast charging 🙂
Great post on 3 cars we’re looking at. We tested the Enyaq a couple of weeks ago, Mrs Joe liked it but I was worried it was a bit high for her to climb into. How do they compare drivers seat height wise, thinking of how easy for a wheelchair user to climb in?
Great post on 3 cars we’re looking at. We tested the Enyaq a couple of weeks ago, Mrs Joe liked it but I was worried it was a bit high for her to climb into. How do they compare drivers seat height wise, thinking of how easy for a wheelchair user to climb in?
To be honest, I’ve no great idea of how easy it is to get in/out of a chair but if you found the Enyaq accessible then the 5 will be, otherwise the 6 is ‘normal car’ height. I suspect that the 2 SUV height cars will be a little high and will be more of a lift out and up rather than a slide across, if you see what I mean.
@kezo, I think as a car to switch to EV the Enyaq has enough familiarity to be a very nice transition but I found the lack of regen disappointing. The 5 and 6 are great EVs, superb cars and anyone choosing either will be delighted. As you said, tootling around in absolute comfort, very much like the air ride Citroens of old, makes the 5 the right choice and that’s pretty much all I do these days. For those who want to hoon around flat out, the Enyaq Sportline would be a good choice, the 6 wouldn’t be bad but I can see why some reviewers have said it encourages you to look for better miles per kWh.In all, they really are 3 great cars and I can see why reviewers went wild over both the 5 and the Enyaq. I can see why all 3 got so many awards. What I can’t understand is why all these experts are ignoring them for best scheme cars, the Enyaq and 5 are great for those requiring storage for chairs.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
Great post on 3 cars we’re looking at. We tested the Enyaq a couple of weeks ago, Mrs Joe liked it but I was worried it was a bit high for her to climb into. How do they compare drivers seat height wise, thinking of how easy for a wheelchair user to climb in?
To be honest, I’ve no great idea of how easy it is to get in/out of a chair but if you found the Enyaq accessible then the 5 will be, otherwise the 6 is ‘normal car’ height. I suspect that the 2 SUV height cars will be a little high and will be more of a lift out and up rather than a slide across, if you see what I mean. @kezo, I think as a car to switch to EV the Enyaq has enough familiarity to be a very nice transition but I found the lack of regen disappointing. The 5 and 6 are great EVs, superb cars and anyone choosing either will be delighted. As you said, tootling around in absolute comfort, very much like the air ride Citroens of old, makes the 5 the right choice and that’s pretty much all I do these days. For those who want to hoon around flat out, the Enyaq Sportline would be a good choice, the 6 wouldn’t be bad but I can see why some reviewers have said it encourages you to look for better miles per kWh. In all, they really are 3 great cars and I can see why reviewers went wild over both the 5 and the Enyaq. I can see why all 3 got so many awards. What I can’t understand is why all these experts are ignoring them for best scheme cars, the Enyaq and 5 are great for those requiring storage for chairs.
@Jojoe have a look on the 6 thread, few comments on how easy it is for wheelchair users.Are you still waiting on your award Mark? What colour would you choose?
Don’t get me wrong the 5 and 6 rwd’s will shift and from what I have read Hyundai is very conservative with its 0-warp drive figures but, I think, if I’m going EV I’d like a twin motor awd, even if it means keeping my own car. I’ll see what Q1 brings on the off chance Hyundai put the Ultimates on, or if BYD decide to put the Seal on, it maybe a done deal 🙂
No award yet, I’m hoping for this side of Q1. I’ll see what’s immediately available when I can order. I’d prefer a colour over the shades of grey, I’d be disowned if it was white.
In order of preference:
green
blue
black
Dark grey
I was told they’ve a green Ultimate with tech pack and heat pump available immediately.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
I looked at the I5 but it was too high personally, for me to slide onto the seat and although it has a larger cubic capacity on paper, than the I6, it has a 10 cm shorter boot floor to hold the wheelchair and I am not sure how much practical use some of these cubic capacity measurements are as the extra space is of no great use to some who need a folding wheelchair put in the boot, as the 5 is quite a cut back hatch.
But things are definitely getting trickier for a lot of wheelchair users which the Motability principle was largely and originally built on to cater for, before expanding to more varied disabilities.
Motability needs to expand their range to cater for people’s very personal disability needs. There seems to be an attitude of some at Motability that If you are in a wheelchair and cannot get into or out of an SUV, then you should go for a WAV, which is not always the answer. There is a big need for the new Passat and Superb estates to be on the list.
Great write up on the 3 cars, well done. Of the 3 cars tested the Ionic 6 is the only one to have a heat pump fitted as standard, the other two offer it as an option for about £1000. Is a heat pump really necessary?
Unless you live in a place that’s freezing for most of the year the range benefits are minimal, it would be difficult to get your £1000 investment back in 3 years of use.
Please excuse spelling/typos. Apart from being a clot it turns out I had one on my cerebellum that's now causing various problems!
Great write up on the 3 cars, well done. Of the 3 cars tested the Ionic 6 is the only one to have a heat pump fitted as standard, the other two offer it as an option for about £1000. Is a heat pump really necessary?
No, unless you live somewhere that gets very, very cold you’ll not find much benefit.
Unless you live in a place that’s freezing for most of the year the range benefits are minimal, it would be difficult to get your £1000 investment back in 3 years of use.
I’d argue that it’ll be impossible. Motability will see some benefit though.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
Some further test drives:
Audi Q4 Model test driven: Dual Motor S-Line. It’s not available on scheme but it’s all they had to test drive. Seats were initially comfortable and the car is, as you would expect, very well put together. Screens both easy to read sport steering wheel was ok but I’d rather not have that annoying flat spot on the bottom. Drives very well, incredibly powerful on some rather big hills. Ride is comfortable but you feel bumps straight through your spine. With all the adjustments available on the seats, including electric lumbar adjustment, you should be able to find somewhere comfortable. I couldn’t find anywhere I’d live with for 2 or 3 hours straight.
Mustang Mach E. Model test driven was the AWD version of the premium, the same seats as the tech pack. This is a fast car and it wants to go quickly. The seating position and steering wheel adjustment is excellent. It really is a car that wants you to enjoy it. However, there are a few niggles. There’s a fake engine sound in the cabin, in anything other than whisper mode it’s there. Why buy an electric car and then insert false engine noises? Makes little sense to me and it’s only really noticable to my deaf ears when you put your foot down. Which effectively makes it just before the blue lights approach you from behind and take your licence back to Swansea. The brakes were harsh. Maybe because I’d also found the 1 pedal mode but when you take your foot off the go pedal the car starts to slow at a rather leisurely pace and picks up as you get slower, so there’s times when you want to tap the brake just to take some speed off quickly. That’s the time when, even if you’re gentle with it, the car thinks emergency stop and we’re all leaning forward. The suspension does a great job at convincing you that the huge and heavy monster can go around any corner quickly, I’m guessing there’s a point where you’ll end up in the hedge with the car screaming in laughter. However the price for that sporty suspension is a visit to a chiropractor after every long journey on less than perfect roads. Between getting thrown forwards with braking and bounced around with the suspension, I was actually grateful to give it back.
That leaves me with the choice of the only car I honestly felt regret at having to give back, the Ioniq 5. Fortunately, since the test drive Hyundai have been kind enough to add a lot of options, including high spec AWD and the range topping Namsan. The car with everything, including heat pump, digital mirrors and a huge sunroof, the Namsan is 2 grand more than the Ultimate with tech pack but, currently, the available stock at the docks were all Ultimates with both Tech Pack and Heat Pump (a £950 extra) or Premiums or Namsan Editions. So, with the heat pump halving the difference and not being refundable should anything go wrong, it wasn’t a hard decision to go big.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
This is a fast car and it wants to go quickly. There’s a fake engine sound in the cabin
Sounds right up my street 🙂
This is a fast car and it wants to go quickly. There’s a fake engine sound in the cabin
Sounds right up my street ?
?
It’s a cracking car, the 72kWh version with tech pack is well equipped and will be well worth a test drive. It’s not “6” range but it’s only 5kWh less than the 5 or the Enyaq. The Guess-O-Meter in the demo car was saying 312 from full even in these conditions. Reality would be less nearer 250 but in near freezing temperatures, that’s pretty good.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
This is a fast car and it wants to go quickly. There’s a fake engine sound in the cabin
Sounds right up my street
It’s a cracking car, the 72kWh version with tech pack is well equipped and will be well worth a test drive. It’s not “6” range but it’s only 5kWh less than the 5 or the Enyaq. The Guess-O-Meter in the demo car was saying 312 from full even in these conditions. Reality would be less nearer 250 but in near freezing temperatures, that’s pretty good.No AWD on the scheme, not as I would have the base spec due to non leather seats.
The tech pack “5” Ultimate £500 extra for RWD and £1,100 extra for AWD. I don’t get this or see the logic, which TBH put me off 🙂
I’ve a Hyundai 5 test drive booked for tomorrow, I’ve also asked if he could find out about why the tech pack is more expensive on Motability.
I’ve a Hyundai 5 test drive booked for tomorrow, I’ve also asked if he could find out about why the tech pack is more expensive on Motability.
Please let me know, what escuse they come up with 🙂
I’ve a Hyundai 5 test drive booked for tomorrow, I’ve also asked if he could find out about why the tech pack is more expensive on Motability.
I think someone priced the Namsan Edition at £5,999 and the AWD Ultimate at £4799 and decided that the AWD Ultimate with Tech Pack needed to be nearer to Namsan RWD so went a little high. Whether that numpty was at Hyundai or Motability is very unclear but there’s someone somewhere who didn’t realise they’ve added too much for a pack.
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts after your test drive.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
Just got back from the test drive of the Hyundai ionic 5 . Test drive of about 80 minutes.
The dealership managed to find the spec I wanted, ultimate AWD, for the test drive.The good points.
It looks stunning especially in the Matt paint.
The ride was quite comfortable, seats were ok but I didn’t have a lot time to play around with the seat adjustment, to be fair it takes me a few months to get really comfortable with the seat adjustments and it was on par with the Nissan Ariya I have at the moment.I was very impressed with the performance, it’s quick, bloody quick. It felt really sure footed on the test drive on a mixture of b roads, a road and motorway but especially on the muddy lanes in rural Shropshire where I live. The build quality is good again on par with the Ariya.
The bad points.
I wasn’t very impressed with the range. The car on pick up had a full battery but it was only showing a range of 186 miles which is less than my Ariya with a smaller battery, yes I know it depends how it was driven before I picked it up but I would have expected it in the 230 or more range and the door handles were a pain, I really didn’t like them.That’s it really, I’m still undecidedl.
I asked about delivery times and it would be a factory order with a delivery date of around April. Theirs only 2 in the country available with the spec I would order but not the colour I would prefer.
I also asked about why the ultimate with the tech spec was more expensive on Motability and he couldn’t find anything, he even phoned Motability about it and they didn’t know. He did say he could order it as a option and he would give me a 10 percent discount.
I wasn’t very impressed with the range. The car on pick up had a full battery but it was only showing a range of 186 miles which is less than my Ariya with a smaller battery, yes I know it depends how it was driven before I picked it up but I would have expected it in the 230 or more range and the door handles were a pain, I really didn’t like them.
186 miles is low! Did you have it in AWD or RWD mode?
@Bowley101 has the AWD model and gets 220 miles somewhere in the midst of Scotland.
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