Hyundai provided flights from Washington, DC, to Palm Springs and accommodation so Ars could drive the new Ioniq 5. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

Major upgrades and new features lift the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 compact SUV into the front rank of electric SUVs. The new off-road-styled XRT model shares the updates, but the racy 2025 Ioniq 5 N didn’t get them,

Inside, the XRT enjoys all the updates for the 2025 model year and features seats with H-Tex synthetic leather and an embossed XRT logo on the front seat backs. The XRT logo also appears on the doors and the all-weather floor mats.