Hi all - my first post in this forum, as I pick up my I5 on Monday and leave my beloved 2020 Kona Electric behind. I'm interested in hearing from others who made the same transition about what the love and hate about the I5 and what they miss about their Kona. I'm getting the RWD SEL in Digital Teal and looking forward to more room and comfort, faster charging, and longer range. Can't wait! Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
Welcome to the forum and congrats on getting your Ioniq 5! Everyone will want to see photos and read all about your experience with your dealer, your dealer's pricing, and required add-ons, if any. Did you get a test drive before deciding to purchase? What are your first impressions? Not exactly the same, but a parallel upgrade in this Kia Niro-to-EV6 upgrade post. I found the video very informative.
Thanks for the info and insight, Insightman. I will definitely post a picture once I get her home. I did test drive the RWD and liked it a lot. The size difference between it and the Kona is instantly apparent and welcomed. It also feels more luxurious than my Kona. I went back to the same dealer that I bought my Kona from (I bought a 2020 in February of 2021 - missed the battery recall by about 3 weeks based on the battery manufacture date). I got it the Ioniq for $1k over MSRP (they start at $5k over MSRP) but I think he did that for me because I was a returning customer and (more likely) because I am giving them a good trade in (my Kona is in perfect shape and had 18k miles on it) so they will make some money on it I'm sure. Great dealer experience. No required add-ons. As I mentioned in another post. I am second guessing my decision not to go for the AWD because of the fun factor and better traction, but the extra 50 miles in range is important to me, so unless I find out that one can regularly get about the same 303 range using the AWD in ECO mode, I won't lament my decision. I still have 36 hours to change my mind, so any experience or insight on this issue is welcomed..... Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
Somewhat similar experience as I went from a Niro EV to an IONIQ 5 (AWD) 2 days ago. Some initial thoughts: - Love the more spacious interior - Like the main (left) driver display and its focus on EV info - Miss the easy access to functions that had hard buttons (e.g. seat warmers, driver-only climate, heat-off climate, steering wheel heat) - Rear leg room is better - Like the sunroof but really more important for the people in the rear - Definitely more engine whine/noise (not saying an issue) - Actually liked the stereo sound quality in my Niro EV (non-premium) better - Maybe the biggest nit-picky thing, which my seat position, the right screen is just about an inch too far away to touch w/o leaning forward a bit. So I have to lean forward a bit every time I interact with that touch screen - You are obviously driving an EV. With the Niro EV, only people in-the-know could tell it was an EV. - Love that the reserve safety sound (VESS) has dramatically lower volume. - Love the HUD. I have mine in standard mode (need to checkout VR mode), and it still gives great info. - Looking forward to TuxMat or WeatherTech to make floor mats. - The frunk (in my AWD) is soooo small compared to the frunk.at I had installed in my Niro. And the under-floor storage in the hatchback is much smaller also (especially in the limited trim). - Glove compartment is a bit bigger than the tiny Niro EV one. - Did a trial Electrify America charge (65% to 80%) as I was driving by one which took 16 minutes which was not impressive, but I was on one of their 150 KW stations. After I was connected, I noticed that their 350 KW stations were further down the line (and I was too lazy to move). Temp was in the 40s. - The doom light is super bright (in a good way). That is what I can think off.
You would, of course, want the doom light to be bright to better warn you about avoiding doom. Thanks for your early impressions compared with your Niro EV. Is the seat comfort about the same?
I too had a 2020 Kona bought in March 2021 that I traded in for a awd Ioniq5 in lucid blue. I had bought my kona from a dealer in Connecticut but this one I found it near home in Jersey and the deal wasn't bad either. He gave $1500 over for the Kona and charged $2000 for the i5.
Yup...same experience here...picked up our 23 Kona Ultimate (in Phantom Black) at end of August 2022, in June of this year we traded it in on an Ioniq5 AWD Ultimate in Cyber Grey. We had 48,000km on the Kona and had 0 issues with it. Great car, we put an average of 1000km per week on and do a lot of road trips. I miss the efficiency of the Kona and how much fun it was to drive around town. I do not miss the slow charging too much (always time for a bite to eat and a rest) the Ioniq5 is amazing at charging and we rarely have much time for a break! We just love the Ioniq5 for the roominess of it, the great ride and visibility...excellent car(s) but really happy we lucked into the Ioniq5! Mike
Just traded in my '19 Niro EV EX Premium for a '23 Ioniq 5 SEL RWD in Shooting Star color! Such a beautiful car, roomy, and smooth driving! I test drove the car previously and loved it, so I was looking for a deal. Unfortunately, all the new '23 SEL RWDs were sold in my area so couldn't get the great discounts being offered on those... Lucked into a certified pre-owned with <5000 miles for about $40k! Saw it the day it was listed and immediately called them to reserve it. Bought it that evening and traded in my 2019 Niro. Wasn't happy that the '24's had cloth seats and the side mirrors were not automatically retracted. So, I wanted a '23... Also, can anyone confirm that the '23 SEL RWD has the heat pump/pre-conditioning standard? The Hyundai website says nothing about it... Can't wait to try the charging on a 350 kW EA station! The Niro was rather slow charging obviously and took at least 50 minutes to charge from 20>80%. If the Ioniq 5 can do that in 20-30 minutes, that would be great.
The 2023 SEL RWD models appear to have the battery heater. They even have battery preconditioning tied into the Navigation Mapping software. No heat pumps but they are used for cabin heating anyways. Note that the best the Ioniq 5 can charge at is around a 230 KW rate but you must use a 350KW charger and not share it with another EV charging at the same time. Other EV owners think that they can actually charge their Bolt (as an example) faster using a 350 KW charger; all they are doing is wasting time and money and preventing the other EVs that actually benefit from using a 350 KW charger.
