IONIQ 5N - Hot hatch or SUV?

[Harrison-91xcg]

What are your thoughts?

FOR

- Hot hatch sounds (internal)
- Cool gismos
- Great paintwork with red bits
- Well sorted chassis
- Lots of power

AGAINST:

- Longer than an I-Pace
- Wider than an X3
- Lower than a most SUVs, but still way higher than most conventional hatches (1400-1450)
- Heavier than all other hatches by a significant margin - 2,235KG


I ask because I see it top the list of "Top EV Hot Hatch", but, I'm not sure if this is doing the rest of the hot hatch line up and actually the community a disservice. Its sort of like disguising a heavy weight wrestler as a cruiser weight. That's great when you're going head to head on a track, but on a single track B-road or in the narrow pot holed roads of your town/city, I'm not sure it can perform. If a Golf GTI sits on the left of the scale, and a Range Rover sits on the right of the scale, I feel this car would be much closer mates with the Range Rover.


Thoughts?

Edit: If its not an EV hot hatch, what is the current best EV hot hatch on the market ? To me it seems the MG4 XPower is the only car gives similiar thrills in a normal package.

Edited by Harrison-91xcg on Monday 20th October 20:45

[Yahonza]

It's an EV - albeit a very good one.
Reminds me of an MG Maestro Turbo, so maybe a retro 80's hot hatch.

[raspy]

I was considering one right now because there are some very cheap 18 month lease deals on them.

However, when I checked Insurance quotes the price of Insurance for an Ioniq 5 N was bloody expensive.

Over £3k a year.

[BlueJazz]

If you believe a hot hatch should be manual and front wheel drive then this doesn't qualify.
Still a nice EV though.

[samoht]

I don't consider the Ioniq 5 a "hatchback" as it's so much bigger than a Focus or Golf in all directions. It's also either RWD or 4WD, whereas a 'hatch' is classically FWD.

I also don't consider it an "SUV" as to me those are larger and more offroad-oriented cars, like a Range Rover or Touareg.

I'd call the I5 a medium size crossover, i.e. basically an MPV package but styled with some off-road cues.

[bloomen]

I think they're dead cool, but most reviewers have said it was far, far bigger than they expected.

I saw this in action myself when someone pulled away from letting someone past and took out the entire side of a parked car.

They said they'd picked it up a couple of days ago.

I can't imagine it's ever going to be light on its feet, but no doubt they'd pulled lots of tricks to approximate it.

[stef1808]

More hot hatch than SUV going by driving dynamics. I had one for a few days and really enjoyed the “engine” noise and shifts” more than I thought I would. Changed my criteria now for EVs but unfortunately the seats gave me back ache after 10 mins.

[MC Bodge]

bloomen said:

I think they're dead cool, but most reviewers have said it was far, far bigger than they expected.

I saw this in action myself when someone pulled away from letting someone past and took out the entire side of a parked car.

They said they'd picked it up a couple of days ago.

That seems quite worrying. Imagine being on a bicycle or walking when they were driving past in a vehicle that they could not judge the width of after a couple of days!

[Jader1973]

What is it classed as when it comes to counting new car sales in the UK?

In Australia it’s an SUV.

[macron]

bloomen said:

I saw this in action myself when someone pulled away from letting someone past and took out the entire side of a parked car.

No wonder insurance is high.

[Youreterriblemuriel]

I'd say it's not an SUV but a tall car that needs to be called an SUV to get people in the showroom door. Not sure many traditional hot hatches exist any more, I feel that the Golf R's and A-Class AMGs have taken the power and tech to a point where they just get a bit boring. The Hyundai somehow seems a lot more tradional than most in that it is a bit rorty and doesn't take itself to seriously yet can still do the daily driver bit very well.

[otolith]

Youreterriblemuriel said:

Not sure many traditional hot hatches exist any more, I feel that the Golf R's and A-Class AMGs have taken the power and tech to a point where they just get a bit boring.

They’re apparently not hot hatches anyway, being four wheel drive and automatic.

(Manual Golf R discontinued in all markets a year or two ago, none newer than 2018 on autotrader)

[MC Bodge]

Youreterriblemuriel said:

I'd say it's not an SUV but a tall car that needs to be called an SUV to get people in the showroom door.

Maybe the term "SUV" is just utterly meaningless, having now ceased to have anything to do with being a mild/faux-off-roader that people with a "sports lifestyle" might drive (the people who actually do the outdoor sports have often tended to drive estate cars and vans).

SUV=crossover=car?

[RizzoTheRat]

I hadn't realised quite how big they are. Not much in it between an Ionic 5 and a a Lexus NX which I think most people would call an SUV, but I'd still think of the Ionic as a hatchback
https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/hyundai-i...

[andy43]

I remember looking at photos before they came out thinking that looks really cool, a great hatch design.
Then I found one in a carpark.
Jesus they look huge.
If the NX is the same size that kind of explains it.

[BlueJazz]

otolith said:

Youreterriblemuriel said:

Not sure many traditional hot hatches exist any more, I feel that the Golf R's and A-Class AMGs have taken the power and tech to a point where they just get a bit boring.

They re apparently not hot hatches anyway, being four wheel drive and automatic.

(Manual Golf R discontinued in all markets a year or two ago, none newer than 2018 on autotrader)

Even the Civic Type R seems to have gone now.

[MC Bodge]

RizzoTheRat said:

I hadn't realised quite how big they are. Not much in it between an Ionic 5 and a a Lexus NX which I think most people would call an SUV, but I'd still think of the Ionic as a hatchback
https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/hyundai-i...

They are now quite a common sight around Manchester. They are bulky.

When I first saw one, I thought it looked like an Audi A1, but realised that it was probably 20% bigger

[Dave Hedgehog]

I had the same thoughts on the EV6, the Ioniqs brother, is it a crossover or a SUV

most sites point to it being a compact crossover SUV

which is not that helpful lol

[pb8g09]

I’d say it’s an MPV or ‘people carrier’ like the old Renault Scenic.

[MC Bodge]

pb8g09 said:

I d say it s an MPV or people carrier like the old Renault Scenic.

But *nobody* buys those MPVs because they are not cool, so it must be a crossover sort of SUV, mustn't it?!