2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs 2024 Toyota Sienna

The 2024 Toyota Sienna was available in a variety of trims, including LE, XLE, XSE, Woodland Edition, Limited, and Platinum, each offering a distinctive look. Despite the absence of the "swagger wagon" commercials, the Sienna maintained its stylish appeal with sleek front and rear fascias and a range of vibrant colors like deep blue, red, and green. LED lighting was standard, with upper trims featuring Bi-LED projector headlamps. The XSE trim, known for its sporty appearance, boasted a black metallic mesh front grille, black heated side mirrors, and 20-inch dark wheels. The Woodland Edition, designed for off-road readiness, came in exclusive Cement or Midnight Black Metallic colors and included features like roof rails with crossbars, a tow hitch, and slightly increased ground clearance.

Inside, the Sienna offered standard cloth seats, three-zone climate control, and seating for eight. The XSE trim with the optional Premium package replaced the second-row bench seat with captain’s chairs and added heated and cooled leather-trimmed front seats. The interior design featured horizontal lines for a spacious feel, a fixed center console with satin accents, and easily accessible cup holders and shifter. While not luxurious, the interior was practical for families, with upper trims offering a built-in vacuum cleaner for convenience.

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 retained its distinctive appearance, drawing retro comparisons to the Lancia Delta, particularly in the high-performance Ioniq 5 N variant. The mid-cycle refresh brought subtle changes to the lower front fascia while maintaining the "Parametric Pixel" headlights and taillights, round wheel arches, and a high rear spoiler. The new XRT trim stood out with red tow hooks and black plastic bumper cladding featuring a "digital camouflage" pattern. Exclusive colors like Ultimate Red and Cosmic Blue Pearl were available for the XRT, while the overall color palette expanded with Atlas White Matte and Ecotronic Gray Matte.

The Ioniq 5's interior saw minor changes, maintaining its open and uncluttered space with a minimalistic and modern feel. The center console was revised for functionality, and the XRT trim featured a dark interior with all-weather floor mats and the XRT logo debossed in the seats. The cabin continued to offer a comfortable and modern environment, with the new model year bringing improved functionality and faster processing speeds for the infotainment system.

The 2024 Toyota Sienna was powered by a hybrid system combining a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with two electric motors, producing a total of 245 horsepower. All-wheel drive models added an electric motor to the rear wheels. Despite the sport-tuned suspension and Sport mode button, the Sienna's performance was not particularly thrilling, feeling sluggish off the line with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that contributed to a smooth but slow acceleration. The CVT could become noisy, especially during highway merging or climbing mountain passes. Around town, the Sienna offered a mostly pleasant driving experience, with Normal or Eco mode being the best options. The brakes were somewhat grabby, but the steering was light and accurate, and visibility was excellent.

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT featured a Terrain Mode button on the steering wheel, offering Snow, Mud, and Sand options that adjusted throttle mapping, wheel slip, power distribution, and regenerative braking. The XRT handled off-road conditions well, with the regenerative braking system allowing for smooth control without frequent brake use. The Ioniq 5 was available in all-wheel drive (AWD) and rear-wheel drive (RWD) configurations, with battery capacity improvements for 2025. Most trims could travel 318 miles in RWD configuration, while AWD reduced the range slightly. Power output varied, with RWD models producing up to 225 horsepower and AWD models reaching 320 horsepower. Despite its weight, the Ioniq 5 offered enjoyable driving dynamics with instant torque typical of electric vehicles.

The 2024 Toyota Sienna offered practical interior features, including a lower storage pass-through for bulkier items and multiple cupholders. The second-row captain’s chairs could slide fore and aft 25 inches, providing up to 40 inches of legroom. However, the slide function was complicated, and the seats couldn't be removed, limiting maximum cargo space. The third row was accessible for adults and offered 39 inches of legroom when the second row was pushed forward. The Sienna featured tri-zone climate control, with an additional zone for the front passenger in the XSE trim. The rear liftgate revealed 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space, expandable to 101 cubic feet with the third row stowed.

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 addressed previous complaints by adding a rear windshield wiper. The interior featured a movable center console with fore-and-aft cupholders and a wireless charging pad. Heated front seats were standard, with the Limited trim offering front seat ventilation and driver’s seat memory. Interior dimensions remained unchanged, with generous legroom and cargo space measuring 26.3 cubic feet with the rear seats up, expandable to 58.5 cubic feet. The Ioniq 5 transitioned to the North American Charging System (NACS), allowing access to the Tesla Supercharger network, and included a Combined Charging System (CCS) adapter for public and fast charging.

The 2024 Toyota Sienna was equipped with an older infotainment system featuring a nine-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. While the system included physical buttons for common menus, the backup camera's grainy view was disappointing. The Sienna offered a standard Wi-Fi hotspot, SiriusXM satellite radio, and an optional 12-speaker JBL stereo system. USB ports were scattered throughout the cabin, and a 1500-watt inverter with a 120-volt outlet was available. Optional features included an 11.6-inch rear-seat entertainment system and a 10-inch color head-up display.

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 featured a pair of 12.3-inch screens for the infotainment system and digital instrument cluster, with improved functionality and faster processing speeds. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were standard, and the Bose Premium Audio system was available on the XRT trim. The Ioniq 5 offered standard navigation, dynamic voice recognition, and five USB-C ports. A head-up display was available on the Limited trim, and the wireless charging pad was included from the SEL trim level.

The 2024 Toyota Sienna came standard with the Toyota Safety Sense suite, including lane departure alert, automatic emergency braking, road sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert were also standard. The Sienna received four out of five stars from the NHTSA for frontal crash and rollover protection and five stars for side crash protection. The IIHS rated it "Good" in crashworthiness but "Average" in front crash prevention.

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 maintained its high safety standards, earning a Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS and five stars from the NHTSA. New safety features included an enhanced driver attention system, reverse and forward parking-distance warning, and a surround-view monitor on the XRT trim. Highway Driving Assist 1 and 2 were available, with the latter offering lane-changing capability and machine learning for improved driving assistance.