2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Review -- Going Off Grid

Yes, the XRT trim is the big news here -- the other versions of the Ioniq 5 change very little. For the uninitiated, the XRT trim is the new "off-road" version of the Ioniq 5, with "off-road" in quotes because this is more of a "get me to the trailhead over some rough two-track" than a true-blue Rubicon-ready rig.

Not that the XRT is just some aggressive rubber and an appearance package.

XRT buyers get black trim on items such as the rear spoiler, mirrors, and side sills. They also get different front and rear fascias, 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires, tow hooks, Bose audio, a 360-degree camera, and blind-spot monitoring. Hyundai offers two XRT-only colors, a red and a blue.

The XRT suspension gets a 23 mm lift and ground clearance is an inch taller than other Ioniq 5s, at 7 inches instead of 6. The approach angle goes to 19.8 degrees from 17.5 and the departure angle is 30 degrees instead of 25.4.

XRTs also get a Terrain Mode button that lets drivers select for mud, sand, and snow.

Mechanically, the XRT is only dual-motor/all-wheel drive with the longer-range 84-kWh battery. There are 99 ponies from the electric motor up front and 221 from the motor in the rear for a total of 320.

(Full disclosure: Hyundai flew me to Palm Springs and fed and housed me for two nights so I could drive the updated Ioniq 5 and the new Ioniq 5 XRT. I think swag was offered but all I took home was a notebook and pen.)

As I said, non-XRTs change very little. For the "regular" Ioniq 5, the changes are thus: The batteries get more capacity and the electric motors get more power and the vehicles get more range. Rear-drive Ioniq 5s now have standard-range batteries with 63-kWh capacities and the rear electric motors puts out 168 horsepower. The longer-range battery has bumped up to 84-kWh, as seen on the XRT, and the rear electric motor puts out 225 horsepower in this configuration.

So that means, depending on trim, you can go standard-range RWD, long-range RWD, or long-range AWD.

Speaking of trims, the walk is this: SE Standard-Range, SEL, XRT, and Limited. All but the SE Standard-Range and XRT are offered with either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.

Other changes across the line include different HVAC controls that give us some buttons -- though not enough -- back, new steering wheel, new center console, rear heated seats on the upper trim levels, new rear spoiler, new bumpers, new wheels, new available exterior paint colors, standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, smart cruise control 2, USB-C ports, and updated advanced driving-assistance systems.

The Ioniq 5 now has NACs charging -- meaning drivers can use a Tesla Supercharger -- but also a CCS adapter.

Range is now 245 miles for the SE Standard Range, 318 for the rear-drive SE/SEL/Limited trims, and 290 for SE/SEL with AWD. An AWD Limited is 269 and the XRT lists at 259.

Charge times are about six hours for a standard-range and seven hours for a long-range when using Level II. For those who use a DC fast charger, 10 percent to 80 percent is around half an hour with a NACS 400V. A CCS will take a little under 90 minutes with 50 kW and about 20 minutes with an 800V DC fast charger.

Hyundai is one of the automakers working with Ionna on providing charging stations.

I got wheel time in both a Limited with AWD and an XRT -- including a loop of off-road trail in the XRT. It's been some time since I've driven a non-N Ioniq, but the experience jibed with my memory. The Limited is smooth and quick, with little body roll in the corners. Paddles control regenerative braking -- you can go from 0, which is essentially free wheeling, to four, with that last one providing one-pedal driving. The "1" setting came closest to an ICE car, and I was able to mostly control cornering speed just by pressing and releasing the accelerator -- I only needed to brake for the slowest corners. For context, I was driving a bit more conservatively than normal due to wet weather.

The "2" and "3" settings for the regen weren't uncomfortable, but I preferred "1". The "zero" sitting caused me to carry a little too much speed into the corners, and the full-on regen was hard to drive smoothly.

Sport mode does firm up settings a bit, and the Snow mode provide a bit of extra traction on slushy mountain roads -- there'd been a bit of grip-loosening before making the adjustment.

The Ioniq 5 generally rode well on SoCal's mostly smooth roads, and wind and road noise were well-muted. The seating position drove me nuts -- it seemed to adjust only on an angle and not straight up and down. This applies to both front seats.

Hyundai also gets demerits for keeping the temperature control as touchscreen-button instead of a knob. At least the large, sweeping dash integrates the gauges and infotainment screens together well.

Another annoyance? The center console doesn't move fore and aft on its own -- you have to move the entire unit. At least the wireless phone charger is easy to reach.

Back on -- or off -- the road in the XRT, I found the on-road driving experience similar. The slightly higher ground clearance and the use of all-terrain rubber doesn't detract much, if at all, from the on-road drive.

Hyundai's off-road loop was a gravelly, rocky trail that most crossovers could handle with relative ease. That said, the Sand mode made things a tad more fun and the XRT wasn't unhappy being hustled through the open desert. Hyundai even set up an obstacle of sorts that had high, hard ground surrounded by ruts and the XRT slithered through with ease and no scary noises, even though the bottom did bump the dirt.

I should note here that the XRT doesn't have skid plates, but the battery already has a standard protection system to guard against debris strikes.

You'll never take the XRT to an off-road park. But should you like to camp at places a Camry can't reach, the XRT will get you down the rutted two-track trail or rocky desert path with relative ease. If you don't need four-wheel-drive low and locking differentials and disconnecting sway bars but you do need a little extra ground clearance, you will be fine.

Pricing starts at $42,000 for the SE Standard Range, with the SE RWD costing $46,550 and the SE AWD starting at $50,050. A SEL RWD is $49,500 and a SEL AWD is $53,000. The AWD-only XRT is $55,400 and the Limited is $54,200 with RWD and $58,000 with AWD. Destination fees are not included in that and come to $1,475.

The Limited I tested was loaded and cost $59,785 with D and D, while the XRT came to $57,085 with D and D.

There's uncertainty in the air when it comes to EV tax credits. In this particular case, a Hyundai spokesperson told me: "We expect to qualify for the full credit when we switch over to US-sourced batteries, which is targeted for later in March. In the meantime, we are making consumers whole by absorbing the cost difference, so there’s no financial incentive for prospective buyers to wait."

Available features not already mentioned include heated front seats, cooled front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, Bluetooth, satellite radio, voice recognition, head-up display, rearview camera, rearview-mirror camera, ambient interior lighting, dual-zone climate control, 20-inch wheels, rain-sensing wipers, roof rails, and navigation.

Available advanced driver-assist/active safety systems include forward collision-avoidance assist, lane-keep assist, blind-spot collision warning, lane-following assist, high-beam assist, driver-attention warning, forward-attention warning, safe-exit assist, 360-degree camera, parking assist, and rear-occupant alert.

The Ioniq 5 is a bit of an odd duck -- or at least, an odd-looking duck. Its Kia EV6 brethren is better-looking with a sportier image. Style aside, the Ioniq 5 drives well enough and rides and handles better than expected. I take issue with some design choices and execution, but the overall package is pretty good -- though the price, like with many EVs we test, makes one blanche.

As for the XRT, it seems quite capable of achieving its goal, that goal being capable off-road in a manner that's a bit better than "soft roader" but not nearly in the same league as a true boulder-basher. Hyundai thinks 10-15 percent of Ioniq 5 buyers will opt for one, and those who do won't give up much on-road performance.

Kia has put together a well-packaged EV crossover. It's a bit boring, sure -- if you want to get nuts, get the N -- but for relaxed around-town cruising or easy highway commuting, it's as good as another five-seat EV with a hatch and raised seating position. And now the outdoorsy set has a trim meant for them.

Hyundai didn't change much -- but it really didn't need to.

[Images © 2025 Tim Healey/TTAC.com, Hyundai]

Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by  subscribing to our newsletter.