2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV SUV Gets Off-Road Variant, Standard Tesla Charge Port!

Meet the burlier, off-road (inspired?) 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT, the SUV-ier new trim in the Ioniq 5 lineup. (And, also, meet its non-XRT siblings, which are less dramatically different than the Ioniq 5 we already know and love, but still share some of the XRT’s significant revisions, improvements, and features Ioniq fans have been waiting for.) NACS (Tesla) charging port? Check. Rear window wiper? Hallelujah! We’ll get to all that shortly, but the XRT’s bold new look and purpose have our immediate attention.

The XRT trim has been making the rounds among Hyundai models, like the 2025 Tucson and Santa Cruz trucklet, among others. In general, the XRT changes involved blacked-out grille portions, rugged-looking cladding, red tow hooks, and all-terrain tires, though not always (looking at you, Palisade XRT). And the Santa Fe XRT concept previews where future XRT models will head. But the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT is like no XRT before, with a very bold blacked-out front fascia. Well, not exactly blacked out—more like draped in dark “pixel camouflage”—the almost inevitable tacticool implementation of the Ioniq “Parametric Pixel” design theme. Looking dark and mottled from a distance, up close the light reveals a pattern that almost looks like a cubist interpretation of the “chopped carbon fiber” material that’s been such a popular accent material of late.

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The new look means that, essentially, from the hood cutline down the front end is all dark save for the quad rectangular lamps and the red tow hooks. A broad inset panel of bolder, three-dimensional pixels spans the “grille” area, with pixel camp above and dark semi-gloss below. The active grille shutter doors appear to be relocated higher up and reshaped, giving the lower front fascia a faux front skid plate look. The prominent three-dimensionality of the current Ioniq 5 fascia is gone, especially that protruding contrast-tone “mustache” that contains the shutters. Still instantly recognizable as an Ioniq 5, it’s nonetheless significantly different.

The sheer amount of non-body-color applied to the front seems like it may be controversial, at least from the photos and with a quick poll of the MT staff. But it might look better on darker tones, too. Things are less dramatic out back, with pixel-Tetris-camo panels at the rearmost quarter panels and a thin strip above the bumper, as well as an embossed XRT logo on the rear. But there’s also a large body-color panel on the tailgate, giving a little visual relief compared to the front’s wall-of-darkness effect.

Along the side, the stroked door panels and relatively smooth rocker panels on the non-XRT are replaced by a contrasting panel and rockers with large, chunky knurls. The wheel well trim is also pixel-camo’d. Integrated (albeit low-profile) roof rails further differentiate the XRT. (After all, this is still an EV, and aero has an outsized impact.)

Hyundai bills the Ioniq XRT as “adventure-ready” with “rugged capability,” but as you’re probably aware, the Ioniq 5 exists in the fringes of the segment, more tall-hatchback-y even than the Outback wagon and Crosstrek SUV. That’s never really held it back in MotorTrend tests and comparisons—it was, after all, a MotorTrend SUV of the Year winner, and took that award by a solid margin. (Why? If the manufacturer say’s it’s a thing, we evaluate as that thing—and the regular Ioniq 5 can go off-road, ish.) So what’s the additional off-road capability that Hyundai says the Ioniq 5 XRT has?

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For one, there’s a 0.9-inch lift. There are those Continental all-terrain tires wrapped around unique 18-inch wheels. And the revised front and rear fascias allow some additional clearance, with a 19.8-degree approach angle (up from 17.5) and a 30-degree departure angle (up from 25.4). Breakover angle isn’t listed, and there doesn’t appear to be any additional underbody protection—perhaps it’s not needed? (We’ll ask Hyundai.) The red tow hooks, however, are functional, with a 5,834-pound tow rating, just in case the upgraded off-road stats can’t overcome a traction deficit.

Inside, the XRT gets some badged all-weather floor mats, XRT-branded H-Tex (faux leather) seats, and a stripy-block pattern stripe with an XRT logo on the door cards. The dash, while dark in the provided photos, doesn’t otherwise look much different than other 2025 Ioniq 5s' pieces.

The only other change is likely a range revision, but the XRT’s projected range figure isn’t broken out. Hyundai says that all-wheel-drive Limited, SE, SEL, and XRT models will get 250–280 miles of range “depending on trim, wheel, and tire size.” We’ll have to wait for something firmer to see if the revised fascia, roof rails, mild lift, and so forth put the XRT at the back of the AWD Ioniq 5 pack. And, among other things like how well the XRT will do off-road, we’ll be interested to see how the 18-inch wheels, retuned suspension, lift, and A/T tires affect the ride.

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Speaking of the rest of the pack, there are LOTS of other changes to cover. Let’s start with some major hardware revisions. First of all, the 2025 Ioniq 5 will be the first Hyundai model with a standard Tesla (North American Charging Standard, or NACS) charge port, and all the other Hyundai EVs will follow as they’re introduced or refreshed. It’s not in addition to a CCS port, it’s all you get. A CCS adapter will be provided, apparently free. That means the Ioniq 5 will natively charge on the Supercharger and Level 2 Tesla destination charger network—we hope that Hyundai and Tesla have worked everything out given the latter company’s recent Supercharger team upheaval.

The new NACS charger will feed two larger battery packs. The Standard Range models go from 58 to 63 kWh, gaining an estimated 20 miles of additional range (or more). The Long Range packs increase from 77.4 to 84 kWh. These changes mirror the Korean- and European-market models, which have been on sale for a while, and are what we expected to see. In those models, overall output remains the same for single- and dual-motor models, and there’s no indication that the U.S.-spec models are any different. That means we should expect 168 hp from the base standard range SE, 225 hp for the long-range single motor vehicles, and 320 hp from the dual-motor Ioniq 5s.

These will also be the first Hyundai products to be built in the U.S. at the new Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America factory in Georgia, which should have federal tax credit implications—but not yet. We’re presuming there’s still the issue of the various parts sourcing requirements, which Hyundai is sorting out, but the $3,750 federal credit will apply when they go on sale, and the $7,500 lease credit will of course continue.

The non-XRT models get several notable changes which were also previewed by the Korean/European Ioniq 5s. For one, there’s a rear windshield wiper and washer! That is something that many owners have been wishing for since the Ioniq 5 went on sale. There’s a new rear spoiler, although we challenge you to determine what’s different about it. The flush-fitting roof rails we pointed out on the XRT are also available on the non-XRT models, too. Inside, the center console has been redesigned with a wireless phone charging pad moved to the top of the front pod (with the cupholders, which are now longitudinal) and several hard buttons that used to be either on the center stack or within touchscreen menus. The steering wheel is new, but similar to the old one save for the addition of a third spoke and illuminated pixel indicators in the center, like the Ioniq 6. Rear heated seats are also found on SEL and above trims.

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A revised infotainment system now features native wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (Hyundai/Kia’s ccNC system, eagerly anticipated by Ioniq and other E-GMP owners), a revised digital key system, and USB-C ports (one data, four for charging).

An interesting tidbit that perhaps deserves a longer explanation is the new Hands-On Detection sensors in the steering wheel. The old ADAS system required the driver to apply torque (i.e., turn) to the wheel occasionally to demonstrate that they were alert and engaged, ready to take over in the event of a handoff event. Annoying! The new Highway Driving Assistant 2 suite’s Hand-On Detection system avoids that hassle, with capacitive-touch sensors in the steering wheel that sense if your hands are on the wheel. It’ll make the smart cruise control experience that much more pleasant, and might even have a small but not negligible energy efficiency benefit.

Underneath the skin, Hyundai has also reinforced side-impact safety with reinforced body, door, and B-pillar components. The Ioniq 5 has fared well in safety tests, but who would say no to increased side impact protection?

The new 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT and its SE, SEL, and Limited stablemates will hit U.S. dealerships in fall 2024. Pricing has yet to be announced, but given the increased content it may be more than a nominal price bump. We will also be eager to closely inspect the features and options for each trim, as the 2024 model year changes resulted in significant de-contenting of the mid-grade SEL trim. Will it gain some of its upscale features back? We’ll see soon enough.