We spent a week daily-driving a 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited AWD on winter-ravaged city streets to focus on secondary ride, wheel impact harshness, and suspension noise—areas where EVs often struggle due to weight and big wheels.
Our test car was a dual-motor Ioniq 5 Limited AWD (320 hp, 446 lb-ft) with the 77.4-kWh pack, curb weight just over 4,600 lb. It ran on 20-inch wheels with 255/45R20 tires, MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link rear, fixed-rate passive dampers, and a 118.1-inch wheelbase. No adaptive damping is offered. Test loops included a mile-long section of broken asphalt with patchwork repairs and manhole edges (20–35 mph), downtown expansion joints and trolley tracks (25–45 mph), and a concrete freeway with frequent transverse seams (65–75 mph).
Ambient temps were 58–65°F. We set cold tire pressures to the door-jamb spec (36 psi), carried two adults and ~60 lb of gear, and repeated runs to confirm results. Secondary ride is generally controlled but not plush. The long wheelbase smooths big undulations, and primary impacts are well managed.
Over high-frequency chatter—ripples, pebble-strewn patches, and closely spaced patches—the body exhibits a light vertical fidget, especially at 28–35 mph. Motions settle within one to two cycles, but you feel a continuous tap-dance through the seat base on rougher surfaces. At freeway speeds, the Ioniq 5 maintains composure; gentle heave is present on concrete waves but never wallowy. Wheel impact harshness is the Ioniq 5’s sore spot with the 20-inch setup.
Sharp-edged hits (sunken manholes, pothole lips, square expansion joints) transmit a pronounced initial jolt. You sense a crisp “snap” in the front suspension at 25–30 mph and a firmer rear thud shortly after—typical of heavy EV unsprung mass paired with 45-series tires. Steering kickback is minimal, but there’s a tangible spike through the floorpan and seat frames on the worst edges. Dropping speed 3–5 mph meaningfully reduces the shock; swapping to 19-inch wheels (55-series tires) on a colleague’s SEL softened impacts noticeably without sacrificing steering precision.
Suspension noise is well contained for the class. Over joints, the cabin hears a muted, single thump rather than a hollow crash, with the rear slightly louder than the front. No clunks, squeaks, or bushing groans developed over our week. On coarser asphalt, tire roar dominates more than suspension thumps, and cold mornings (when pressures rose after driving) marginally increased impact sharpness and noise.
Overall, the Ioniq 5 rides confidently on broken pavement but can feel brittle over sharp edges with the 20s. If your commute is heavy on potholes and patchwork, the 19-inch wheel/tire combo is the smart spec, and keeping pressures at the lower end of the recommended range helps. For those prioritizing ultimate isolation, a softer-tuned rival like the VW ID.4 isolates edges better, while a Model 3 rides more tied-down but transmits similar sharpness. The Ioniq 5 strikes a fair balance—just pick the wheels wisely.
