An electric car future appears inevitable, much to the concern of mechanics and driving enthusiasts alike – Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N brings a glimmer of hope.
Electric cars have ruined everything. They’re taking away our high-revving four-cylinders, buttery smooth straight-sixes, burbling bent-eights and screaming V12s, and what are we left with? Single-moving-part electric motors with the soul of a refrigerator. Worse yet there’s no proper noise, no manual gearbox to stir and the cars are heavy big lumps with glorified Duracells in the chassis.
This cosmic shift from combustion engines to EVs has been the most extreme change to the auto industry in over a century. This, of course, means most working in the trade – mechanics included – have been, or will be, monumentally affected. For businesses like late-model car servicing/repair workshops, you sense it’s a case of evolve or die.
But wait. What if we don’t need to completely fear an electric future, at least from a driver’s perspective? I’m an unapologetic petrolhead, but there’s one recently emerged EV that’s turned my head in a way no electric car has yet managed: Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N.
For the drivers
Why? It’s aimed squarely at you and I. People who got into this trade for the love of how cars make us feel. Enthusiast stuff. The noise, vibrations, performance and, of course, the driver engagement. Most of the above are missing-in-action in EVs. They may be blisteringly fast in a straight line – the latest Porsche Taycan Turbo hits 100km/h in a blink over two seconds – but would you really rather use one around Mt Panorama over a petrol-sucking 911 GT3 RS? Me neither.
The Korean company is a relatively new player to the performance segment, but boy, what an impact it’s made. The brand’s i30N hot hatchback arrived in 2018 and rattled the establishment, quickly elbowing out VW’s Golf GTI and Renault’s Megane R.S. as the enthusiast’s choice.
It’s now got the jump on EV rivals with this battery-powered Ioniq 5 N. It’s the first EV where driver engagement goes hand-in-hand with the almighty acceleration offered by battery electric cars.
I needed more convincing than most. As a motoring journalist for 25 years, I’ve enjoyed hundreds of cooking combustion engines on remote twisting backroads and racetracks, and the idea of their demise kills me inside.
Hyundai has worked hard to prove its EVs can somewhat fill the void. Ahead of the Ioniq 5 N’s Australian on-sale, I tested the electric upstart at South Korea’s Yeongam Grand Prix circuit. A few months later, and now in Aussie showrooms costing a chunky $111,000 plus on-roads, I enjoyed a day testing one at Queensland Raceway.
You’ll have to trust me when I say it’s an utterly addictive performance car, although still very different to our dearly beloved petrol playthings.
But how? Helping matters, Hyundai pinched former BMW M Division boss Albert Biermann to head up its ‘N’ program – a man synonymous with delivering soul-stirring, driver-focused performance cars. Biermann served as executive technical adviser for the Ioniq 5 N, and engineers clearly came around to his way of thinking.
Basically, fun and being a ‘corner rascal’ were non-negotiables.
Lamborghini fast
Performance was the easy bit. There’s an electric motor over each axle, serving 166kW/350Nm up front and 282kW/390Nm the rear. The combined 478kW/770Nm (in N Grin Boost mode) matches a Porsche 911’s power, while 100km/h is up in only 4.3 seconds. That’s Lamborghini Huracan quick, despite the 5 N weighing a lardy 2.2 tonnes due to the massive, heavy 84kWh battery incorporated in its skateboard chassis.
Now for the really clever bits. EVs don’t have gearboxes like we typically know them, so there are no proper cogs to shift – something we drivers enjoy doing. Hyundai’s solution is the N e-Shift, where eight pretend gears change while simulating the jolts of a ‘real’ dual clutch transmission. There are steering wheel paddles to do it yourself, and it even bounces off a fake 8000rpm rev limiter, then throttle blips on downshifts.
I know, I know. It sounds horribly video game artificial. Not everybody likes it, but I for one accept the fakery and appreciate it adds an extra layer of driver engagement versus other EVs.
Same with the noise. The Ioniq 5 N has eight internal and two external speakers belting out a choice of three simulated sounds. One of these does a solid job mimicking a four-cylinder petrol race car, so putting the shoe in, there’s the familiar, reassuring sound of revs surging and falling, the car using RPM, speed and torque data to make it feel authentic. I couldn’t help but grin at the fake popping backfires when lifting off the throttle.
More smarts arrive with the car’s N Torque Distribution. There’s choice of 11 different steps where you can tailor what torque percentage goes where. Choose from classic 50-50 torque split; all up front and none to the back; or go full rear-drive with everything sent through the back treads. Incredibly, you can make changes on the move and completely change the car’s personality. Neutral, a bit of understeer, then full balls-out oversteer monster.
It’s mind-bending.
Then there’s the N Pedal. This alters regenerative braking force – where an EV harvests energy back to the battery when braking or coasting – and in the Ioniq 5 N’s case, helps the giant 400mm/360mm rotors with the anchoring performance. In maximum setting, the regen alone delivers an eyeball-bulging 0.6G deceleration. On the track, you can actually dive into corners on throttle lift-off alone, so think how much longer your pads will last at a track day.
Tailored to suit
If you love delving into different car setups – without the need to break out the spanners – it’s a revelation. There are pre-set drive modes and custom ones, where you can alter the motors, steering, adjustable suspension, stability control and electronic limited slip diff, as well as your N Pedal and torque distribution. It’s a bit overwhelming to we old-school lot, but it reminds of elite sim racers who expertly modify a car’s setup to seemingly F1-like levels of detail.
Despite the artificial sounds and gear shifts, there’s absolutely nothing pretend about the performance and joy this clever car delivers. Its bucket seats and steering wheel are coated in racy Alcantara, seating position is low and driving position excellent. Then, on an open track, from the first stomp on the loud pedal you must retrain your brain on what you thought possible in an EV.
Acceleration in ‘N’ Mode is extraordinary, and you watch the fake revs rapidly build in the digital driver display as the simulated engine noise fills the cabin. Pull the steering wheel paddle just before redline and the jolt is significant… race car like. I think by turn two I’d already forgotten the fakery and got busy enjoying the maniacal speed, incredible cornering balance and meaty, direct steering feel.
It’s such a playful car too, despite its mass. There’s enough body roll to help on the feedback front, and the rear end communicates beautifully when you come off the power in turns, and – wow – how it likes to slide. If you’ve sent most of the torque to the rear, it’ll perform a delightful smoky drift, although it’s not a cheap exercise burning through 275/35R21 Pirelli P-Zero rubber. There’s even a Drift Optimiser mode, but really, at 2.2 tonnes it’s not that sort of car.
Okay, I know what you’re thinking. That’s all great fun, but as it’s an EV it’ll use up all its battery charge in five laps, or – if you read social media –the battery will explode and burn for three months. Not the case. Hyundai refused to put an N badge on this car unless it was track useable, so there’s smart colling and advanced battery thermal management, plus an Endurance mode which slightly reduces maximum output and increases range.
We’re assured it’ll lap the Nürburgring twice (42km) at sub-eight-minute pace without performance loss. Most would want a break after that anyway. At Queensland Raceway I was putting in 20-minute flat-chat track sessions, then would break and use the on-site fast charger to top up.
But let’s not sugarcoat it. EV charging is much more of a faff than sloshing in some petrol, and racetracks must seriously improve their electricity capacity and fast chargers if they’re going to accommodate EVs at track days.
Yet this takes very little away from what is the first truly engaging and fun electric performance car. It’s not the same as the petrol types we love so much – thrills are delivered differently.
But for those of us fearful of an all-electric future, it’s heartening to know some car companies haven’t forgotten about we types who still love and buy cars for driver enjoyment and engagement. Not all mechanics will be convinced by the likes of Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N, but if you’re willing to give any EV a chance, this is the one.