Hyundai Ioniq 5 hailed as New Car of the Year at 2022 Motor Trader Industry Awards

MANILA: The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has received yet another prestigious award, this time taking home the title of New Car of the Year at the 2022 Motor Trader Industry Awards.

The Motor Trader Industry Awards, now in their 32nd year, are given out annually to celebrate excellence in the UK automotive industry.

The victory was regarded as well-deserved by Motor Trader's independent judging panel of industry experts.

“The Ioniq 5 blazes an EV trail right up there with the best of the volume carmakers and is stealing sales from premium players too. At the Ioniq 5’s heart is a bespoke new EV platform which allows for cabin-maximizing proportions. This large hatchback drives well and has an airy cabin and electric range in excess of 300 miles for the 77kWh 2WD version, and it is only the start of Hyundai’s new EV-specific product offensive. Impressive,” Motor Trader said in a statement.

Since its debut in February 2021, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 has received a lot of praise for its innovative design and remarkable all-around performance, as evidenced by a number of prestigious accolades.

Some of the awards it received are World Car of the Year 2022, World Electric Vehicle of the Year 2022, World Car Design of the Year 2022, UK Car of the Year, German Car of the Year, and Auto Express Car of the Year.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5's impressive qualities as a company car also helped it bag additional honors, including Company Car and Van Car of the Year and overall winner in the 2022 Company Car Today CCT 100 Awards.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the first model in Hyundai’s new Ioniq brand. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is engineered with the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), which is Hyundai Motor Group’s specialized architecture for BEVs. The vehicle features a long wheelbase, eco-friendly interior features, advanced driver assistance and safety features, and a powerful performance with ultra-fast charging and a V2L function.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5’s design was inspired by the Hyundai Pony, which is the brand’s first-ever production car. This highlights the 45-year journey of Hyundai in the automotive industry.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 exhibits a unique midsize crossover utility vehicle (CUV) exterior look, chiseled with clean and edgy linear accents. The vehicle is designed with a 3,000mm wheelbase.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5’s front features Hyundai’s first clamshell hood that is developed with less panel gaps for better aerodynamics. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 also sports a striking front bumper, which is accentuated by unique V-shaped daytime running lights (DRLs). The vehicle is also equipped with auto flush door handles and Hyundai's “Parametric Dynamics” style, which was derived from the all-new Hyundai Tucson. The Ioniq 5’s bold C-pillar structure, which was inspired by Hyundai’s “45” EV concept, makes it more distinctive on the road. The “45” concept was first seen at the 2019 International Motor Show Germany where it exhibited its monocoque body and avant garde interior.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 gets the largest rims among all Hyundai electric vehicles. Each of its aero-optimized wheels has a diameter of 20 inches.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 features an eco-friendly solar roof that can collect and transmit energy to the vehicle’s battery to avoid battery discharge when traveling over longer distances.

On the inside, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 features the “Living Space” design, which is highlighted by the adjustable center console called the Universal Island. It is designed to provide a more flexible space inside the cabin. Its longer-than-usual wheelbase provides extra legroom for a more comfortable ride. The vehicle is also upholstered with electronically adjustable front seats, whose thickness were decreased by 30% to offer more room for the second-row passengers. The Ioniq 5 is also equipped with a heated steering wheel and heated front seat functions that can be used during winter season. To manifest its commitment in promoting sustainable development, the car seats, headliner, door trim, floor, and armrest were all made from eco-friendly materials such as recycled PET bottles, bio PET yarns and wool yarns, eco-processed leather, and bio paint with plant extracts. The cabin also features a unique ceiling which is made of one large glass panel without any support materials.

The second-row seats get slide forward and folding functions to provide more trunk space if needed. If the seats are fully folded, the Hyundai Ioniq 5’s standard 531-liter luggage space can be expanded to almost 1,600 liters. The vehicle also provides a front trunk space that can accommodate a maximum cargo of 57 liters.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 gets a wide and customizable dual cockpit with a 12-inch touchscreen infotainment display and a 12-inch digital gauge cluster. The vehicle’s infotainment system is designed with a Jong-e Graphic User Interface that lets the occupants adjust the interior ambience to Soft, Delicate, or Exuberant. For an enhanced music streaming inside the cabin, the Ioniq 5 offers a premium Bose sound system with eight speakers and a subwoofer. Another state-of-the-art cabin feature is the Augmented Reality Head-up Display that transforms the windshield into a screen to display relevant vehicle information, navigation, and even the car’s surroundings.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 also features a dynamic voice recognition system that lets the driver manage the air-conditioning system, radio, and hatch opening and closing. The system has also the ability to provide brief weather reports and stock market updates.

The latest version of the Bluelink connected car services can be used in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 to allow the owners to conveniently control their unit through their smartphone or voice commands. The additional features on the Bluelink’s latest upgrade include Connected Routing, Last Mile Navigation, and User Profile feature. The vehicle’s range, battery state, and charging times are also indicated in the mobile app. It also has a Remote Profile Management feature that allows the driver to save their personalized vehicle settings in the Bluelink cloud. The app also enables the seat adjustment, heating and ventilation functions through its Remote Start Enhancements feature.

Other Bluelink features include Vehicle Status Notifications, Maintenance Alert Enhancement, POI Send to Car Now with Waypoints, and Remote Climate Control. 

The BEV architecture of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is compatible with 400V and 800V charging stations. It features a multi-charging system that runs the motor and inverter to deliver 400V to 800V for constant charging compatibility.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 can be charged from 10% to 80% within 18 minutes when using a 350kW charger. According to WLTP, the vehicle can be charged for only five minutes to reach 100km.

With the V2L function, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 can charge up to 3.6kW of power on electric bicycles, scooters, camping equipment, and any electric devices. The charging ports are situated under the second row seats and on the vehicle exterior. High-powered electric devices can be charged through a converter.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 gets the latest Hyundai SmartSense version. It is a set of modern driver assistance features that heightens the vehicle’s safety and convenience level. This includes Highway Driving Assist 2 that uses the front view camera, radar sensors, and navigation data to assist the driver in passing through a highway. It also monitors the vehicle’s speed and following distance and it also comes handy when changing lanes. The Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist comes with a Junction Turning function that activates the brakes if it detects another vehicle when turning left at an intersection, a Junction Crossing function that detects other vehicles from the side when the going straight through an intersection, and a Lane-Changing Oncoming function that alerts the driver once it senses an approaching car crossing the centerline when the driver is changing lanes. Another SmartSense feature is the Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist that detects other vehicles on the side through the radar and uses differential braking to prevent collision. The Hyundai Smartsense also includes Driver Attention Warning that alerts the driver once it senses any sign of inattentiveness.  Other SmartSense features include Intelligent Speed Limit Assist, which monitors the vehicle’s speed and adjusts it based on the speed limit, and High Beam Assist, which enables high beams to avoid blinding approaching drivers.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 also comes with a blind spot view monitor that displays the vehicle’s side surroundings to guide the driver in changing lanes. The vehicle is also equipped with a remote smart parking assist feature that lets the driver conveniently park from outside the vehicle through a button on the smart key. The driver can also get a 360-degree view of the vehicle’s outside surroundings through the surround view monitor. The Ioniq 5 also comes with a reverse parking collision-avoidance assist feature that uses the rear view camera and rear ultrasonic sensors to warn the driver and enable the brakes when it detects an obstacle while backing up. Another driver assistance feature is the rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist that detects an approaching car from the side. It alerts the driver through a visual warning and alarm.

“The Ioniq 5 has been setting benchmarks for both design and real-world electric vehicle usability since its launch, and we are absolutely delighted that the experts at Motor Trader are the latest to recognise its appeal by naming it their New Car of the Year 2022. It truly has been a game changer – and the really exciting thing is that it merely marks the beginning of a new era of premium, innovative, zero-emissions cars from Hyundai,” Hyundai Motor UK Managing Director Ashley Andrew stated.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 made its Philippine debut last September at the Philippine International Motor Show 2022. According to Hyundai Motor Philippines Inc., it will hit the local market in 2023.

Photo from Hyundai Motor UK

Also read: Hyundai Kona named City Car of the Year at 2023 Hispanic Motor Press Awards