Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends
We ’re finally getting to the fun part of automakers ’ methodical pursuit to retroflex their lineups with galvanic machine .
Performance versions of average cars have been a basic of the auto industry for decades . But while we ’ve already seen some form of EVs boasting more ability and more impressive stats — thinkTesla Model S PlaidorLucid Air Sapphire — the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the first to truly implement that format to an EV .
Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends
The Ioniq 5 N is n’t just a quicker Ioniq 5 . It has more power , yes , but it also seek to retroflex the visceral flavour of internal - burning Hyundai N performance car — right down to simulated gearstick and engine sound . These novel feature film also help justify a extortionate base price . At $ 67,475 , the N is $ 8,700 more than a amply load up dual - motor Ioniq 5 Limited .
Design
Hyundai applied the ask performance automobile visuals tothe Ioniq 5 ’s distinctive shape . Flared wheel archway widen the car by 2.0 inches and make way for girthier summer performance tires jump on on 21 - in forged Al wheel . The N sit down 0.79 column inch low than a stock Ioniq 5 , further eroding Hyundai ’s title that this is a crossover SUV rather than a sales - kryptonite hatchback door .
The N also sport aerodynamic appendages like front and rearward spoilers , as well as a rear diffuser that sticks out so far that it makes the N 3.2 inches longer than a received Ioniq 5 . All of these elements are functional , helping to optimize airflow over the torso , Hyundai claim . The same goes for the prominent strain intakes bring down into the front bumper , which help allow cooling gentle wind to the battery ring and motor .
Hyundai apply the expected functioning visuals to the Ioniq 5 ’s distinctive frame .
What you ca n’t see are the structural reward that help make body more rigid , which meliorate handling by providing soaked mount point for the suspension . The body shell sport 42 extra welding point and 6.9 feet of added structural adhesive . The motor , stamp battery pack , and direction rack saddle horse were also strengthened . So while aftermarket receiving set may finally find a mode to replicate the N ’s mogul , it will be unmanageable to match this factory hot rod ’s full-bodied structure .
home changes let in a steering roulette wheel with added button and paddles to control the various drive modes and feature , seats with tot up bolstering that are mounted 0.79 of an inch abject for better weight dispersion , and a middle console with kneepads that keeps small point from being fling about the cabin during heavy cornering . More importantly , the N has the same the passenger and cargo space as the standard Ioniq 5 which , while not class - lead , still makes this a practical daily car .
Tech
The Ioniq 5 N is also a practical mundane car because most of the tech feature gestate over from the standard Ioniq 5 . A 12.3 - inch digital pawn clustering and 12.3 - inch touchscreen are arranged side by side to make one uninterrupted show spanning or so half the dashboard . WirelessApple CarPlayandAndroid Autoare standard , along with Wi - Fi , digital key functionality , and the Hyundai Pay in - car defrayment system .
The projection screen do a chip more employment than in the standard Ioniq 5 , because there ’s a tidy sum more information to be displayed . The instrument clump can toggle from the more canonic layout of the received Ioniq 5 to an N - specific layout that demonstrate motor and barrage fire temperature , as well as options for steering , suspension , and great power end product , among other matter . The principal touchscreen can show front and rear torque statistical distribution , the amount of throttle or brake the driver is using , and lap times .
Most of the technical school features carry over from the standard Ioniq 5 .
This car ’s focal point on functioning does n’t entail you get less number one wood - aid tech , either . Standard feature include lane - keep assist , rear cross - traffic alert , Hyundai ’s earmark blind - point photographic camera system , adaptive sail control , a Highway Driving Assist 2 organisation with automated lane centering , and an in advance rear occupant alert scheme that uses radar to detect movements as subtle as a infant ’s heartbeat , Hyundai claims .
All of the number one wood acquired immune deficiency syndrome can be easily deactivate by switching to one of the track - orientate thrust modes , so you wo n’t be have advancing - hit warning alert as you approach a braking geographical zone at high speeds . And accept them all uncommitted for route driving adds to the N ’s daily usability .
Driving experience
Fed by an enlarged 84 - kilowatt - minute battery pack ( compare to 77.4 - kWh for the received Ioniq 5 ) , the Ioniq 5 N ’s dual - motor all - roulette wheel drive powertrain bring forth 601 horsepower and 546 pound - foot of torque by default or 641 hp and 568 pound - ft with the N Grin Boost function , which is useable for 10.0 - second bursts . With N Grin Boost and plunge ascendancy engaged , Hyundai estimates zero to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and a 162 - mph top speed .
Like most electric cars , the Ioniq 5 N does n’t have a multi - speed transmitting . But Hyundai resolve to feign the feel of the eight - speed dual - clutch gearboxes in its gasoline N cars with a feature called N atomic number 99 - shift , while N Active Sound+ provides an internal - combustion soundtrack . Both characteristic allow for a more conversant experience for EV newbies and , Hyundai claims , give the equipment driver more feedback by providing some the cue normally used to judge speed in a combustion car .
The Ioniq 5 N is everything you ’d desire in a track - capable road car .
Hyundai staged the Ioniq 5 N medium drive at California ’s Laguna Seca Raceway , a track made renowned for its appearance inGran TurismoandForza Motorsport . N Active Sound+ added to the video game feel , in that it felt like it was program by levelheaded couturier for one of those game . The artificial soundtrack feel overdone not because of the sounds themselves , which range from an interior - combustion overproduction crepitation to copy sonic booms , but because there was too much of it , as if the goal was to make everything as dramatic as potential . The same goes for the simulated shifts , which made acceleration feel more spectacular even though , because of the pause of power for each “ work shift , ” we were probably blend slower .
The added drama was n’t necessary . The Ioniq 5 N is everything you ’d want in a path - capable road car , providing an exhilarating experience on its own . The various software - based functions used to make it treat good ( and compensate for this EV ’s 4,861 - pound curb weight unit ) fade into the background ; all you ’ll notice is how unfazed the Ioniq 5 N find as you charge into corners , erase speed with its telling brakes , and unleash the full 600 - plus - hp on exit . The Ioniq 5 N lets you brush aside the fact that it ’s an EV and just concentrate on lead quicker .
It was also easy to snub the Ioniq 5 N ’s galvanizing powertrain because its performance did n’t demean during our caterpillar track academic term . rut buildup in battery packs can be a problem here , but the Ioniq 5 N was unfazed . Hyundai has also examine to guard against battery overheating with a preconditioning arrangement , alike to what ’s sometimes used to get battery into the ideal temperature window for charging . Hyundai even lets drivers choose between preferences for short sprint or longer track Roger Huntington Sessions , part of a long list of stage setting that covers everything from drag racing to roam .
Dial everything down , and the Ioniq 5 N is also a usable road car , albeit one that ’s just biding its time until the next trip to the racecourse . Ride quality is short of truly comfortable , but reasonable for workaday use . And while precise steering and well - sorted suspension maintain some of the entertainment factor on twisty roads , it ’s punishing to ignore this car ’s considerable weight at road - legal speeds . Some cars are pleasurable no matter what speeding you ’re drive , but the Ioniq 5 N really needs a racetrack to be appreciated .
Range and charging
The N ’s less - flowing shape and grippier tires have in mind that , despite the large battery pack , it has less compass than other Ioniq 5 models . Hyundai calculate 221 miles , compared to a undecomposed military rating of 260 miles for non - N dual - motor example . Hyundai still expects the Ioniq 5 N to complete a 10 % to 80 % DC fast charge in the same 18 minutes as other Ioniq 5 modelling , though , adopt you could recover a 350 - kilowatt charging post that allows the auto to lodge at full power .
For our track session , we begin with a roughly 90 % boot and understand an indicated 58 % during our cooldown lap , which followed about 20 minutes of overlapping . That ’s about the typical Erolia minutilla of a track 24-hour interval , but if we ’d gone back out , range would have likely been an yield — especially if we ’d been drive home afterwards . That ’s because , while the Ioniq 5 N can institutionalize tight , not every racetrack has high - power fast courser .
Building chargers is not a big mountain . Hyundai has already instal some at a track in South Korea to support a racing series for the Ioniq 5 N. But as with regular public charging , it stay to be find whether automakers will step up and guarantee there is tolerable infrastructure for client to get the most out of their EVs .
How DT would configure this car
The Ioniq 5 N is sold in a single configuration with all the bells and whistling . Unlike some other performance sub - steel , Hyundai N does n’t go away any authoritative hardware on the table , or make vendee pay extra for the highest - performance specs . The N also include most of the major tech and convenience features from the standard Ioniq 5 . So while it ’s a big footstep up in price , you do get a lot for your money .
If you do n’t plan on taking your railway car to the track , though , theFord Mustang Mach - Es GT(with the optional Performance Upgrade ) or Tesla Model Y Performance both propose sporty driving dynamics for less money than the Hyundai . Both also put up more range than the Ioniq 5 N , and are only a few tenth of a second slower in the zero to 60 mph sprint . Neither is as hardcore as the Hyundai , but the difference of opinion will only arrive out in situations that require a helmet and the signing of a waiver .
The Ioniq 5 N take care comfortably as an electrical alternative to internal - burning operation railcar . It ’s more or less trashy than aChevrolet Corvette Stingray , for example , much more practical , and is still engaging to drive . It may seem like an odd comparison , but this is what the Ioniq 5 N is all about . It was n’t designed to be the just EV for everyone , it was designed to be the good EV for masses who love cars and driving . Mission accomplished .
