Hyundai is about to deliver a facelift for its popular Giugiaro-inspired electric crossover, the Ioniq 5. Yet, as we await the updated interior and fresh new rear windshield wiper for the 2025 model year, Hyundai also has plans to broaden the Ioniq 5's appeal for what may be more rugged, off-road-ish adventures. Watch out, Ioniq 5 N—the Ioniq 5 XRT is on its way.
Instagram and Twitter user Laffey_Sin_Geun spied a heavily camouflaged Ioniq 5 in a South Korean parking deck. A large part of the disguise looks to be obscuring what we now know is the facelifted 2025 Ioniq 5, but if we look a little closer, we’ll see a few more substantial changes here.
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Hyundai is broadening the appeal of the Ioniq 5
The Ioniq 5 has been a success for Hyundai, but after several years on the market, it's time for an update. An additional off-road-oriented trim along with other timely updates could keep the Ioniq 5 at the forefront of the EV market.
The cladding now has a pixel-like print. The dark-colored wheels may just be stand-ins for the final model, but the tires that are mounted to the car are sufficiently chunky all-terrain ones. It also has a roof rack, a feature currently missing from the standard Ioniq 5. All of this leads The Korean Car Blog to believe a more SUV-like Ioniq 5 XRT may be coming soon.
For Hyundai, the XRT trim is quickly making its way across its lineup of gas-powered crossovers. The trim level is available on the Palisade, Santa Fe, Santa Cruz, and Tuscon. It adds a fleet of off-road-inspired upgrades, like skid plates and blacked-out wheels.
It’s not quite the same level of aggression as, say, Subaru’s Wilderness trim, but it does add a gruff attitude to what are normally pretty mild-mannered crossovers. When (and if) this thing is released, it’ll be Hyundai’s first electrified XRT model.
It’s not clear if the XRT-trimmed Ioniq 5 will have functional upgrades, or if those chunky tires will make it to the production car. Still, the XRT trim has been fairly successful for Hyundai’s crossovers. I expect an XRT Ioniq 5 to sell like gangbusters to those who think the Ioniq 5 is a little too carlike in appearance.
You know Americans love a good SUV that looks like it can off-road, even if it never actually does.
Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com
Gallery: Hyundai Ioniq 5 2024
