Electric vehicles have had somewhat of a rocky road to success in America (if you happen to ask some people), and the recent political climate may not necessarily help for many manufacturers. Nevertheless, looking far outside the scope of current market conditions and every thing else which may be happening on the planet today, Hyundai continues to impress with vehicles just like the Ioniq 5 EV and the performance-oriented Ioniq 5 N, which I had the pleasure of driving this week.
The brand new Hyundai Ioniq 5 N has already made the rounds as a vehicle to shake up the EV realm with its inexpensive near-supercar performance. As such, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N not only impresses with its performance but additionally has just a few party tricks that elevate the experience through quite unique ‘tuning.’ That ‘tuning’ is kind of interesting, to say the least, because it pulls off modes for simulating a gas-burning engine with the correct revving sounds, throttle g-forces, and even realistic transmission shift points in a simulated automatic or paddle shifting mode. It’s all comical at first, and then you definitely realize Hyundai really nailed it for simulating what a gas-burning performance vehicle seems 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 surface of the vehicle if you happen to so decide to rev it in Park and look ahead to your mates to offer you silly giggles in response.
With as much as 641 horsepower accessed by utilizing the N-Grin boost button (you normally get 601 horsepower and 545 lb-ft of torque) and as much as 568 lb-ft of torque, the Ioniq 5 N has a serious punch that, in truth, seems like barely greater than its stated numbers. The twin motor setup gives you all-wheel drive together with adaptive dampers and a curb weight of 4,861 kilos, and the new electric SUV-Hatch-back-errrr feels sure-footed and able to running with some supercars.
There’s an interesting dynamic to how the Ioniq 5 N handles, where it could show a few of its heft while in the traditional or Eco drive modes where the dampers are of their relaxed setting, allowing the body to loft around a bit. This shouldn’t be to say the Ioniq 5 N is ever sloppy; it just feels a little bit 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 switch the Custom 1 and a couple of settings, which might then be quickly accessed by programmable N buttons on the steering wheel. Here, you may then bring up the unique revving programming where you get to enjoy revving a virtual engine that comes with all that you simply 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 quite very convincing situation where you’re thinking that you’re driving a gas-powered vehicle from the gear-shifting thumps within the drivetrain to holding gears to progressively add power through winding out that gear. It’s all a really exciting and head-scratching experience at the identical time, and I prefer it – so do passengers who I took for rides in a convincing try to trick them into pondering I used to be driving a gas-powered vehicle.
There are a variety of other performance points to understand within the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N that depart from some other version of the brand new Ioniq 5, starting with the big floating brake rotors which have fixed 4-piston calipers up front and single pistons within the rear. You furthermore may get the correct looks and functional aero from wheel well vents and a big rear defuser to the big 21-inch forged wheels wrapped with Pirelli P Zero PZ4 Elect summer performance rubber in any respect 4 corners and its top-of-the-hatch spoiler with a singular center triangle brake light.
What’s really cool and technically interesting concerning the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is its stated ability to lap the Nürburgring a few times before requiring a recharge and do it almost as fast as something just like the BMW M2 CS. Such a capability is managed by the onscreen N setup, where you may condition the battery for lapping, or a drag strip adventure where you may legitimately go from 0 to 60 mph in only 3 seconds flat. You may also have much more ‘fun’ by enacting a drift mode that essentially directs power out to the rear motor, lighting up the tires in plumbs of smoke – when you take heed to the harmonious simulated engine sounds through the speakers. Fun, indeed!
So far as efficiency, the Ioniq 5 N stays true to its electric roots but tends to have a brief range, averaging 221 miles. That range might be somewhat prolonged when driving conservatively within the Eco drive mode, but you’ll expect to go to the charging station on trips often to make the most of Hyundai’s fast charging system that legitimately reaches 80% state of charge from about 10% in only 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 completely charge the Ioniq 5 N. The EPA estimates of 84 MPGe city, 72 MPGe highway, and 78 MPGe come to a median of about 2.3 miles per kWh. Overall, my calculations stated I used to be on the right track to muster out 195 miles of total range but chickened out with about 20 miles of range left to find yourself at home to charge up – and that was with mixed 50/50 city and highway driving.
Stepping contained in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N takes you to an inviting space where there’s rather more room than you anticipate. The Ioniq 5 N is technically classified as an SUV despite its VW Golf/GTI-ish hatchback look. The inside space mostly matches that classification with a spacious cabin that has a singular play on its sportiness through its bucket seats. The heated and ventilated front seats are very supportive and proved to be surprisingly comfortable even on long trips despite their aggressive bolstering.
There’s a protracted list of features present in the Ioniq 5 N, which all come as standard equipment as there are not any actual options aside from choosing from 5 exterior colours where my test vehicle has the attractive $500 Soultronic Orange color. You furthermore may get the entire expected energetic safety features bundled up within the Ioniq 5 N, including the forward collision warning which will preemptively go-off as you speed up quickly towards vehicles in front of you – something to be mindful of because the easy torque and quick acceleration suggestions the system at times.
Hyundai bundles up the entire expected tech goodies, which include wireless (and USB-connected) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, all fed through a big and easy-to-navigate 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen. The functionality of the infotainment system is on par with what you get in most latest Hyundai vehicles, which is a great thing considering how responsive the system is and only has a brief learning curve. Furthermore, it’s good to have a dedicated physical set of touch buttons for the dual-zone automatic climate controls, together with a knob for the amount and radio tuning.
Hyundai undoubtedly impressed many with the brand new Ioniq 5 N, taking an already highly praised electrified platform and turning it into a singular performance vehicle that nobody really saw coming. I, for one, am a believer that fun might be had in an electrical vehicle after experiencing the Ioniq 5 N. Nevertheless, I’m undecided the fun ensues with the set price as-tested at $67,685. Though, as such a price, you actually can’t find the rest that is that this powerful with a lot performance and tech wizardry that’s just in a category alone, and that probably makes such a vehicle well value admission.
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