Hyundai's approach to EVs has changed quite a fair bit over time. I remember when the Ioniq Electric was introduced, the brand adopted a design philosophy which purposefully emulated the elements of a traditional combustion engine-car — the car looked like a traditional compact family sedan, and the cabin design was familiar and conventional as well.

In recent times, with the new Ioniq line up, Hyundai has ditched the conformist approach and gone with radically different designs that include the use of the unique and retro-looking Parametric Pixels. From the Ioniq 6 and Ioniq 5, it is clear that creativity is key here. I drove the sleek Ioniq 6 not too long ago and loved it.

This time round, I am driving the Ioniq 5 Inspiration 77 kWh, powered by the same drivetrain as the former, on a trip to Desaru — let's find out how it drives!

Twice the number of motors for twice the fun!

When we started our drive early in the morning, we were assigned to the Ioniq 5 Prestige 77 kWh, which is the most powerful single motor variant that produces 225bhp and 350Nm of torque. While this car is already noticeably quicker than the milder-mannered 58kWh variant, the Inspiration 77 kWh with its dual motor powertrain — which we hopped into after the first leg of the drive — is in a different league altogether.

With a good shove of the accelerator, you'll immediately feel the g-forces as the car picks up speed right away. While your senses are fooled by the lack of engine noises, the powerful acceleration is obvious as you hear the back of everyone's head contacting the headrest in that split second.

Built upon the same E-GMP platform as the Ioniq 6, the dual motor Ioniq 5 has the exact same power output — a healthy 321bhp and 605Nm of torque, bringing it from 0-100km/h in just 5.1 seconds despite weighing 2.1 tonnes.

On the clear and empty stretches of expressways, it is all too easy to go over the speed limit if you aren't keeping an eye on the speedometer. When driving on the curvy b-roads, the instantaneous power delivery makes quick work of overtaking manoeuvres and allows you to easily get up to speed whenever you want to.

Hello, sweet curvy b-roads

While sheer power is pretty much all that you need to go fast on straight roads, it takes more than that for a car to do well on curvy and uneven b-roads. For a car to handle well, there are a few important factors — you'll want the car to have a low centre of gravity, stiff chassis, damping that is on point and good tyres, along with many other things.

Luckily, the Ioniq 5 Inspiration 77kWh has a fair bit of things going for it. The E-GMP platform with all the batteries packed in the floor of the car gives it a low centre of gravity, while this modern platform also has excellent chassis rigidity.

The benefits are apparent when I was driving the car at moderately high speeds through the bends and curves of the Malaysian b-roads — while the suspension is on the slightly softer side, body roll remains well controlled while the chassis stiffness can also be felt as I drove the car harder.

The wide 255/45/20 Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres complements the HTRAC AWD system, which intelligently allocates power between the front and rear axles and applies braking pressure to the left and right wheels to maintain optimal traction on various road surfaces, resulting in minimal tyre slippage for a confidence-inspiring drive on subpar road surfaces. And it works as Hyundai says, even with aggressive, foot-to-the-floor acceleration, I've never once heard any tyre screech.

While the car is well-appointed, its hefty weight does show when manoeuvring tighter bends and when coming to a stop from higher speeds. While generally stable, it isn't my weapon of choice for blitzing through tight turns with less-than-excellent surfaces.

An excellent road-trip vehicle is what it is

However, there's no doubt, the Ioniq 5 — I'm including the other trims as well — is the perfect choice for road trips. Both the Prestige and Inspiration trim levels share a high level of equipment and features; the main difference is the Bose premium audio system on the latter that includes a subwoofer for better bass.

The E-GMP platform is designed for maximum cabin space, which makes it perfect for road trips. When driving in my normal seating position, there was still plenty of legroom for the rear passenger. Complementing the well-insulated cabin is the excellent build quality of the interior — everything was well put-together and great to operate.

The Ioniq 5 also comes with quite a few nifty design ideas; the glovebox, for instance, opens like a drawer and was quickly transformed into a snack drawer for our road trip. Meanwhile, Hyundai truly capitalised on its flat floor with a movable central universal island (instead of a typical fixed centre console) for maximum versatility — by moving it towards the rear, I was able to fit my bag up front for easy access.

On our drive to Desaru, we were also able to experience the Vehicle-to-Load function (V2L) — a 3-pin socket is located under the middle of the rear seat (on the Prestige and Inspiration trims), and it came in handy when we needed to charge our video equipment on the go.

There is also an external V2L adapter that allows you to power any device that you can think of — we brought a kettle and electric pot to whip up an instant-noodle breakfast beside the beach! The Ioniq 5 is not only great for road trips, but also a good camping buddy as well.

Another feature that I really enjoyed was the adaptive cruise control system that works with its lane following and lane assist systems — the ability to drive semi-autonomously helps to lighten the load when driving long distances.

Futuristic good looks

The Ioniq 5 with its boxy hatchback-looking body and crossover proportions stands out from all other cars in the market. And most people I know, including myself, find its design pleasant and good looking.

The exterior of the Ioniq 5 Inspiration isn't drastically different from the other trims; that said, you'll be able to identify it by the daytime running lights that span the width of the front (below the head lights) as well as the 20-inch rims.

As the Prestige is equipped with almost everything else that you'll find on the Inspiration, I feel that the decision on which variant to go for ultimately boils down to one factor: Your hunger for power.

What we like

• Charming design
• Powerful and quick
• Easy to drive with full suite of driving assists
• Spacious and well-built cabin with innovative features
• V2L functions

What we dislike

• Car is rather heavy at 2.1 tonnes and you can feel it when driving hard

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This article was first published in sgCarMart.