Electric vehicles have had somewhat of a rocky road to success in America (if you ask some people), and the recent political climate may not necessarily help for most manufacturers. However, looking far outside the scope of current market conditions and everything else that may be happening in the world today, Hyundai continues to impress with vehicles like the Ioniq 5 EV and the performance-oriented Ioniq 5 N, which I had the pleasure of driving this week.
The new Hyundai Ioniq 5 N has already made the rounds as a vehicle to shake up the EV realm with its affordable near-supercar performance. As such, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N not only impresses with its performance but also has a few party tricks that elevate the experience through rather unique ‘tuning.’ That ‘tuning’ is quite interesting, to say the least, as it pulls off modes for simulating a gas-burning engine with the proper revving sounds, throttle g-forces, and even realistic transmission shift points in a simulated automatic or paddle shifting mode. It is all comical at first, and then you realize Hyundai really nailed it for simulating what a gas-burning performance vehicle feels like, from the engine bogging in higher gears to exhaust crackles and pops. There’s even an external speaker to feed the simulated sounds to the outside of the vehicle if you so choose to rev it in Park and watch for your friends to give you silly giggles in response.
With as much as 641 horsepower accessed by using the N-Grin boost button (you normally get 601 horsepower and 545 lb-ft of torque) and up to 568 lb-ft of torque, the Ioniq 5 N has a serious punch that, in fact, feels like slightly more than its stated numbers. The dual motor setup gives you all-wheel drive along with adaptive dampers and a curb weight of 4,861 pounds, and the hot electric SUV-Hatch-back-errrr feels sure-footed and capable of running with some supercars.
There’s an interesting dynamic to how the Ioniq 5 N handles, where it may show some of its heft while in the normal or Eco drive modes where the dampers are in their relaxed setting, allowing the body to loft around a bit. This is not to say the Ioniq 5 N is ever sloppy; it just feels a little loose until you firm up the dampers into their mid-level setting or full tilt firm setting via the N drive mode, Custom 1, Custom 2, or Sport drive mode. The drive modes are interesting as you get to modify the Custom 1 and 2 settings, which can then be quickly accessed by programmable N buttons on the steering wheel. Here, you can then bring up the unique revving programming where you get to enjoy revving a virtual engine that comes with all that you expect in a real-life situation in driving a high-performance gas vehicle. Such a simulation program coupled with somewhat realistic shift points all provide a rather very convincing situation where you think you’re driving a gas-powered vehicle from the gear-shifting thumps in the drivetrain to holding gears to progressively add power through winding out that gear. It’s all a very exciting and head-scratching experience at the same time, and I like it – so do passengers who I took for rides in a convincing attempt to trick them into thinking I was driving a gas-powered vehicle.
There are a lot of other performance aspects to appreciate in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N that depart from any other version of the new Ioniq 5, starting with the large floating brake rotors that have fixed 4-piston calipers up front and single pistons in the rear. You also get the proper looks and functional aero from wheel well vents and a large rear defuser to the large 21-inch forged wheels wrapped with Pirelli P Zero PZ4 Elect summer performance rubber at all four corners and its top-of-the-hatch spoiler with a unique center triangle brake light.
What’s really cool and technically interesting about the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is its stated ability to lap the Nürburgring a couple of times before requiring a recharge and do it almost as fast as something like the BMW M2 CS. Such an ability is managed by the onscreen N setup, where you can condition the battery for lapping, or a drag strip adventure where you can legitimately go from 0 to 60 mph in just 3 seconds flat. You can also have even more ‘fun’ by enacting a drift mode that essentially directs power out to the rear motor, lighting up the tires in plumbs of smoke – while you listen to the harmonious simulated engine sounds through the speakers. Fun, indeed!
As far as efficiency, the Ioniq 5 N remains true to its electric roots but tends to have a short range, averaging 221 miles. That range can be somewhat extended when driving conservatively in the Eco drive mode, but you’ll expect to visit the charging station on trips often to take advantage of Hyundai’s fast charging system that legitimately reaches 80% state of charge from about 10% in just 18 minutes utilizing a 350 kW DC fast charger. At home, using my Level 2 charger, it takes just over seven and a half hours to fully charge the Ioniq 5 N. The EPA estimates of 84 MPGe city, 72 MPGe highway, and 78 MPGe come to an average of about 2.3 miles per kWh. Overall, my calculations stated I was on track to muster out 195 miles of total range but chickened out with about 20 miles of range left to end up at home to charge up – and that was with mixed 50/50 city and highway driving.
Stepping inside the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N takes you to an inviting space where there’s much more room than you anticipate. The Ioniq 5 N is technically classified as an SUV despite its VW Golf/GTI-ish hatchback look. The interior space mostly matches that classification with a spacious cabin that has a unique play on its sportiness through its bucket seats. The heated and ventilated front seats are very supportive and proved to be surprisingly comfy even on long trips despite their aggressive bolstering.
There’s a long list of features found in the Ioniq 5 N, which all come as standard equipment as there are no actual options apart from selecting from 5 exterior colors where my test vehicle has the attractive $500 Soultronic Orange color. You also get all of the expected active safety features bundled up in the Ioniq 5 N, including the forward collision warning that may preemptively go-off as you accelerate quickly towards vehicles in front of you – something to be mindful of as the instant torque and quick acceleration tips the system at times.
Hyundai bundles up all of the expected tech goodies, which include wireless (and USB-connected) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, all fed through a large and easy-to-navigate 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen. The functionality of the infotainment system is on par with what you get in most new Hyundai vehicles, which is a good thing considering how responsive the system is and only has a short learning curve. Moreover, it’s good to have a dedicated physical set of touch buttons for the dual-zone automatic climate controls, along with a knob for the volume and radio tuning.
Hyundai undoubtedly impressed many with the new Ioniq 5 N, taking an already highly praised electrified platform and turning it into a unique performance vehicle that no one really saw coming. I, for one, am a believer that fun can be had in an electric vehicle after experiencing the Ioniq 5 N. However, I am not sure the fun ensues with the set price as-tested at $67,685. Though, as such a price, you really can’t find anything else that is this powerful with so much performance and tech wizardry that’s just in a class alone, and that probably makes such a vehicle well worth admission.
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