Volkswagen Id.4 vs Hyundai Ioniq 5

What's the difference?

The all-electric Volkswagen ID.4 Pro has finally landed on our shores! Hurrah! The benefit of waiting almost half a decade for it means we get some mid-life technology upgrades and interior features for the single variant that's available to us (at least for now).

The biggest question this mid-size SUV really poses, though, is has it been worth the wait? Is it practical enough? Is it fun enough? Let’s find out.

What is it about single letters and performance cars? 

BMW has M, Volkswagen has R, Lexus has F, and with only 23 choices left Hyundai opted for N - which stands for Namyang, site of the brand’s sprawling proving ground and development centre in South Korea, and Nurburgring, the famous German racing circuit where its performance cars are fine-tuned.

And like BMW M Sport, VW R-Line and Lexus F Sport, the Korean giant has N Line as a ‘lite’ option. Sporty models that add a little more punch and visual flair without crossing the line into hardcore hot-rod territory. 

And this is one its latest examples, the pure-electric Ioniq 5 SUV in top-spec Epiq AWD trim and equipped with the N Line Option Pack as well as the tricky Digital Mirror Pack.

In this configuration it slots into the $90K price band, which means it has a lot to live up to in terms of performance, safety, driving dynamics, value and more. 

So, stay with us to see if this premium five-seater is the kind of sporty EV SUV that gets your heart racing.