The Hyundai Ioniq 5 just won MotorTrend's SUV of the Year. See the 5 things we liked best about the electric model when we tested it.

• The Hyundai Ioniq 5 just won MotorTrend's SUV of the Year award.
• It's the first time an electric vehicle has won the prize.

Promising an attractive mix of futuristic looks, 300-plus miles of range, and a roughly $40,000 price, Hyundai's Ioniq 5 SUV became one of the most anticipated new electric cars after its reveal last year.

As it turns out, the Ioniq 5 lives up to the hype. It just became the first battery-powered car ever to win MotorTrend's SUV of the Year award.

The automotive outlet called it a "game-changing rethink of what an SUV can be," praising its unique design, ultra-fast charging ability, and bang for buck. And I tend to agree.

Hyundai loaned me a $55,000 all-wheel-drive model earlier this year. Here are the five things I liked most about the terrific Tesla rival.

Space-age looks

Not everyone will be completely sold on the Ioniq 5's looks, but there's no denying it'll turn some heads. You won't lose it in a parking lot, that's for sure.

I, for one, love the sharp angles and overall sci-fi aesthetic. It's futuristic, but in a charmingly retro way — like if you asked someone in 1980 to imagine the car of tomorrow. The Ioniq's so-called "pixelated" headlights and taillights, made up of an array of little squares, look incredibly cool and unique in person.

Ultra-fast charging

Charging can be one of the most daunting elements of electric-car ownership. Fortunately, when it comes to fueling up, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 soars above the pack.

It's one of the very few EVs that can accommodate 350-kilowatt fast-charging, the most powerful form of charging that's available at public stations. Hyundai says an Ioniq 5 with a 10% charge can reach 80% in just 18 minutes.

While an unseasonably frigid day dashed my hopes of confirming that claim (cold stunts charging speeds), I found the Hyundai still was able to add 180 miles of range (15% to 82%) in a relatively swift 33 minutes. Twenty percent to 80% happened in 28 minutes.

Minivan spaciousness and comfort

"It feels like a minivan," one friend said when I had him sit shotgun in the Ioniq 5. While that's admittedly a little strong, the Hyundai does indeed feel way bigger on the inside than you'd expect from a compact SUV.

Since Hyundai wasn't constrained by a big combustion engine or a bulky transmission, it was able to free up tons of space in the Ioniq's cabin. The distance between the Ioniq 5's front and rear wheels is greater than that of Hyundai's much-larger, three-row Palisade SUV.

It has a completely flat floor, with spacious footwells and a giant spot for a backpack or purse by the driver's feet. The center console can even slide backward to open up more floor space. A glass roof that comes on the top-end Limited model adds headroom and a sense of openness.

Not only is the Ioniq 5 big inside, but it's also sleek, comfortable, and feels high-end.

Quick, thrilling acceleration

By their nature, electric cars leap from a stop with an immediacy you won't find in most combustion-engine cars. The Ioniq 5 is no exception.

The dual-motor, all-wheel-drive tester I had is rated at 320 horsepower and 446 pound-feet of torque. In Sport mode, it shoots forward with a force that's almost nauseating if you (like me) overdo it. According to Hyundai, the all-wheel-drive Ioniq 5 sprints to 60 mph in around five seconds.

In the Eco and Normal settings, the SUV primarily uses the rear motor and feels more subdued.

Handy head-up display

The Ioniq 5 is far from the only vehicle to have a head-up display that projects important information onto the windshield in front of the driver. But that doesn't make it any less useful.

Seeing my speed, cruise-control settings, and other key data right on the windshield meant I rarely had to take my eyes off the road. The head-up display even indicates if there's a car in the Ioniq's blind spot — an amazingly helpful feature more vehicles should offer.