EV Comparison: 2023 Toyota BZ4X vs 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5

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David Booth: For better or for worse, the automotive industry is devoting most of its attentions to its wealthier clientele. The cheap and cheerful subcompact sedan is extinct, base trims of the remaining few budget-oriented offerings have been axed, and, Lord, have you checked out the price of a pickup recently? It might not be luxurious in silhouette, but it certainly is in MSRP. The fact is that the average transaction price of a new car is now over $50,000, a more than 25-per-cent increase from just three years ago.

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No place is that most apparent than the EV segment, where most of the battery-powered action directed at those we know and love as the Laurentian elite. Little that is electrically propelled is even remotely affordable. Despite years of false promise, there is still no budget Tesla. The Germans, having bought into the EV revolution big time, have flooded the luxury segment. Oh, Volkswagen’s ID.4 is relatively affordable, but try buying a ZEV from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, or Audi for less than a hundred grand on the road. Ford’s F-150 Lightning is not even the same pricing postal code as its gas-powered F-150 equivalent, and GMC’s electrified Hummer costs about the same as a Mercedes G-Wagen. Europe may be selling (relatively) affordable EVs, but here in North America they are few and far between.

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That’s why this test is so important, two (sorta, kinda) affordable EVs aimed at the heart and soul of middle-class motoring. Both of the models tested have about the same battery size (77.4 kilowatt-hours for the Hyundai Ioniq 5 in Long Range AWD guise; and 72.8 kWh for the AWD Toyota BZ4X XLE), both priced right on the nose of that average Canadian transaction price ($55K minus the $5,000 federal EV rebate, but Quebec, B.C., and Maritimes buyers will get even better deals). They’re even about the same size, and not completely dissimilar in style. They are — please pardon the classist reference — the best of EVs being offered to we regular folk.

They are not, however, even remotely similar… 

Jonathan Yarkony: This is why I love comparison tests and driving competitors back-to-back. Despite all the similarities on paper, the differences really come to the forefront, and it starts with the looks. Although both are thoroughly modern inside and out, they won’t likely be confused for each other as might happen with half of the gas-powered compact SUVs on the market today. Cookies for anyone who can tell a RAV4, CR-V, Rogue, or Equinox apart just from their profiles. The Ioniq 5 is, in my opinion, a masterpiece of retro modern styling. The shape hearkens back to the 80s era of FWD hatchbacks inspired by the original Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit and Hyundai’s very own Pony, but all the clutter is absorbed into smooth surfaces, and the sharp angles and edges plus high-tech lighting introduces a distinctive look that is constantly being complimented. The bZ4X isn’t ugly by any means, and has a similar oversized hatchback profile, but it adheres to a more common formula of curvy, aerodynamic edges, slim headlight clusters and two-tone bodywork that make it seem either generic or awkward depending on the angle. 

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The Toyota BZ4X interior closes the design gap but still can’t quite match the Ioniq 5 for style or functionality. The BZ4X has some cool fabric treatment on the dash and a super wide infotainment screen, but the gauge cluster and steering wheel arrangement left us scratching our heads — maybe over time I’d get used to it, but it also just seemed to fall far short on the amount of information available to drivers (battery percentage, anyone?). The Ioniq 5 has twin wide screens for infotainment and gauge cluster (which changes graphics to match driving modes), and a minimalist design with subtle but distinct theme of repeating squares paired with a highly intuitive tech interface (although some functions, like seat heating and HUD controls, need to be button accessible instead of three menus deep). Finally, despite being a tad shorter, the Ioniq 5’s long wheelbase and wider dimensions yield better passenger space in most categories (headroom, legroom and hip room) and nearly identical cargo room (770 litres in the trunk for the Hyundai, 784 for the Toyota), but the Ioniq 5 has sliding second-row seats that mean you can either prioritize more trunk space or more rear passenger space. 

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DB: Well, our first arena of disagreement. I have to say that while I like the Ioniq 5’s look, it always appears to me as a 4/3rds blow-up of the Golfs and Rabbits — especially the Rabbit — you so cherish from yesteryear. I’ll take the more maudlin modernity of the bZ4X any day.  

The same applies to the interior. Oh, the Hyundai’s Multimedia system is a touchscreen non pareil. Hyundai’s range metering display, for instance, has no equal in the biz at any price point. It is both visually attractive and very informative, displaying, with brilliant clarity, both the optimum range remaining as well as the range reduction resulting from your operation of the heating/air conditioning system. For all those other automakers whose attempts at similar clarity lack either the requisite information or, well, that aforementioned clarity, don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Just copy the Ioniq 5’s display and be done with it. 

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Compare all the specs of the Toyota BZ4x and Hyundai Ioniq 5

Otherwise, however, the Ioniq’s interior looks more built-to-a-price than the Toyota’s. Indeed, despite feasting in the same pricing segment — just below 45 large to start then ranging up to a little over 60 grand — the Toyota’s build quality and material selection seem a segment or price point higher than the Hyundai’s. Oh, some of the details falter — Toyota’s Multimedia system can’t hold a candle to Hyundai’s and the steering wheel/gauge set orientation can be frustrating — but as build quality goes, the Toyota wins this part of comparo hands down.  

And the interior is the least of the disparities. I think the one thing we can agree on Jon, is that performance and propulsion technology is another arena in which these two share little commonality. 

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JY: For two vehicles that mirror each other so closely in price, it is surprising how different they are in terms of performance. The Toyota bZ4X XLE and Hyundai Ioniq 5 Long Range AWD trims that we tested both feature twin electric motors on each axle to provide all-wheel drive, with the Toyota topping out at 214 hp and 248 lb-ft of torque and the Ioniq 5 trouncing it with 320 hp and 446 lb-ft. Despite the bZ4X’s power disadvantage, it performs perfectly fine. Blame Tesla for all the legacy automakers obsessing with overpowered EVs. The instant torque motivates this two-tonne (2,000 kg) compact SUV with plenty of punch off the line, though it starts to gasp for electrons as you wind it up to highway speeds.  

The Ioniq 5, however, makes brilliant use of its 320 hp and 446 lb-ft of torque and it’s only carrying around 25 more kilos (2025 kg) than the bZ4X. However, the genius of the Ioniq 5 is in the implementation: the three driving modes (Eco, Normal, Sport) can transform it from an absolute hypermiling snail into a rip-snorting catapult. My one criticism is that Normal could actually be a bit more modest as it does not leave much on the table for Sport to be the star of the power play. On the flip side, the Ioniq 5 also has steering wheel paddles that allow you to increase the regen-braking setting from full coasting to aggressive regen at the slightest lift of the throttle, allowing true one-pedal driving. In the real world, this translates into some great advantages in efficiency, allowing it to make the most if its already superior range.  

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DB: I agree completely with your performance evaluation; the Toyota is no speedster but then neither are comparable ICEs. The Ioniq 5 is quicker though if that kind of thing matters to you. Regarding your very astute comments re: Tesla et. al; what typically happens with these extra speedy EVs is that new owners peel away from a few stoplights, impress some of the neighbours and then never, ever uses that bottomless torque again. Why it has become an obsession for mid-priced electric sport cutes is beyond me.  

Regarding the range you discussed, neither of these is particularly gifted. In my 125-kilometre test on the highway, both managed a little under 300-kilometres before batteries ran dry, the Hyundai out-doing the Toyota by 10 or 20 klicks.  

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The bigger problem for Toyota is charging. Officially, it’s capable of 100-kilowatt charging, the lowest rating of any modern EV I’ve tested. Toyota’s official specs suggest it can recharge 80 per cent of its battery in an hour. In reality, it doesn’t even charge that fast. Do the numbers and that works out to an average charging speed of 58 kW. That’s not good. In other words, the Toyota is not a long-distance touring machine, its range too short and its recharging speed too slow for serious highway work. 

JY: I would hate to imagine my incredible frustration with the bZ4X if that is the EV I was driving for my long-term test and had to drive to Kingston and surrounding areas for a hockey tournament in the middle of February. The Ioniq 5 was an absolute champ when it came to maxing out and getting quick top-ups at a couple of the ultrafast chargers we found in town and at highway rest stops. And my thanks to the ONRoute chain for providing free, working high-speed charging at both of the locations I visited.  

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However, to be fair to Toyota, the overnight home charging was just about equal, and with a solid 300 km of range even at high speeds, that is more than enough for the BZ4x to be considered an adequate urban or suburban daily driver good for 99 per cent of a family’s routine needs.  If you want to get into the nitty gritty details of efficiency, they are rated within one point of each other by NRCan (2.3 Le/100 km for the BZ4X, and 2.4 for the Ioniq 5), but we saw much better efficiency readings on the trip computer for the Ioniq 5: about 23 kWh/100 km for the Hyundai and over 27 for the Toyota. 

But at the end of the comparison, the Toyota BZ4X is merely adequate, while the Hyundai Ioniq 5 shines. Although David may not appreciate its good looks or minimalist interior, The Ioniq 5’s masterful design has resonated everywhere it goes, its range and charging are segment leading, you can choose speed or hyper-efficiency at the touch of a button in a practical package for a family of four. While its ride may skew too far to the comfort end of the spectrum and not enough cornering agility for me, that’s a fair compromise for this segment. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a slam dunk for me. 

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DB: The Toyota’s only sore point for me was its slow charging which, by the way, may actually be deliberate. Fast charging has long been reputed to lessen battery longevity. Toyota, as well all know, is obsessed with reliability, so I suspect that at least a part of the reason, for its lethargic “refueling” is a deliberate attempt to promote long battery life. That said, battery degradation has proven to be a “false flag” attack against EVs; experience has now shown us they last a long time. 

As to which of these two battery-electrics I prefer, that’s easy. If this were my only car, I’d go, like Jon, for the Hyundai Ioniq 5. It’d be at least passable on the highway and is more than adequate in all other arenas. If, however, this was my family’s second car — the first being either ICE- or PHEV-powered — I’d choose the Toyota bZ4x. Like I said, I like what Toyota has done inside.