The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N isn’t a normal electric car. While the standard Ioniq 5 is intended (and quite successful) at being a Tesla Model Y competitor, the 5 N employs a unique aesthetic that sets it apart from the rest of the range, making it feel destined for the racetrack. Its sporty aesthetic is matched by how fast and fun it is to drive. This is the most expensive car Hyundai has ever sold anywhere in the world (for now) and, perhaps surprisingly, it’s quite comfortable in the company of similar high-performance EVs, such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT.
But the Ioniq 5 N is different to most EVs because, realistically, it’s a toy. As far as the 5 N is concerned, it’s not enough to be a simple start-and-stop EV – you need to bring the highs and lows of a combustion engine track toy to the electric world.
And practicality be damned, Hyundai has actually aced this. Configuring the settings of the Ioniq 5 N will put the car into ‘N’ mode, allowing for a fake engine noise that revs up and down depending on acceleration. This mode reconfigures the paddle shifters (located behind the wheel and normally used for adjusting braking intensity) so that they can be employed for upshifting and downshifting an artificial gearing system.
Does an EV need gears? Absolutely not, there’s no gearbox needed in an electric design. Is this system that mocks a combustion engine car useful in any way? Not in the slightest. Does it make the car even more of a joy to drive? Definitely – and when you’re driving a sports car, you can’t discount the fun element.
Full speed ahead
Electric cars aren’t known for being particularly amusing to drive. Very little motor noise is produced by the electric components inside an EV, though some models include artificial sounds for added flavor (there’s also a safety argument to be made for it). Without gears, EVs also lack an element of interactivity that traditional manual cars have by default. It’s part of why the insistence of many traditional car companies to resurrect old model names as EVs is so confusing – they’re typically not anything like their petroleum-powered forebears, spiritually or otherwise.
But the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is, from the ground up, electric, without a petrol engine variant ever being released as a part of the Ioniq 5 model range. The Ioniq 5 N, with the ‘N’ added to indicate Hyundai’s performance car category, is the first electric sports car the South Korean company has put out, and it means business.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N reaches 100km/h from a full stop in just 3.4 seconds, an extremely competitive speed that puts it in competition with the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT (3.7 seconds) and the Tesla Model Y (also 3.7 seconds). The ‘NGB’ button on the steering wheel readies the motors for a rapid burst of acceleration, allowing for a quick takeoff at a set of lights or fast merging onto a highway. The 5 N is also immensely more powerful than its standard trim sibling, packing a total power of 478kW versus 239kW. The car feels brilliant on the road, going around corners or accelerating to full speed.
The operating system is fast and responsive, with Hyundai’s designers having successfully avoided the temptation to drop an overwhelming touchscreen in the middle, and integrating fairly strong and useful safety features such as lane assistance and a 360 birds-eye camera. The car splits its basic performance options into Eco, Normal and Sport (ascending based on speed and road feel, descending on projected battery range), but the Ioniq 5 N also includes ‘N’ mode.
A dedicated button on the steering wheel enables N mode quickly, which can be used to enable track-specific settings, launch controls, lap tracking, and an assortment of other features (some of which come with safety warnings that they should only be used on a track). It also changes the UI of the LCD instrument cluster to look more like the HUD from a racing game.
Besides all of this, N mode also comes with two features that are intended to lasso in revheads. The first is the artificial engine noise; with N mode activated, you can have the artificial engine noise emit a purr to match when your car is accelerating and decelerating. It’s a gimmick that’s delivered via the vehicle’s internal speakers (and can therefore only be heard on the inside of the car), and there are three sound options available (the first sounding like a petrol car and the other two sound much more akin to a futuristic car in a sci-fi movie). The sound can be turned up and down, or you can have it disabled completely if you so wish.
The second N mode revhead feature is an artificial gearing system, dubbed e-shift, which will likely have auto enthusiasts and EV lovers equally puzzled, but I confess that it is fun. This setting is off by default but can be activated and deactivated anytime. When you enable the artificial gearing system, the paddle shifters behind the steering wheel will be reassigned. Previously they’d be used to adjust automatic braking intensity, but with gearing enabled, they’ll take the car up from first to eighth (fake) gear.
On the road, it serves no practical purpose, but it’s such a thrill. Upshifting and downshifting on the winding roads to the west of Newcastle NSW, Australia was some of the most fun that I’ve ever had driving a car. That, mixed with Hyundai’s brilliant layout of buttons, dials and settings across the steering wheel and center console, absolutely made this the most exciting car I’ve ever driven at the luxury level.
But it’s not all acceleration
Waxing lyrical about the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N’s fake gearing will only get me so far. Sure, it’s got some fun but gimmicky features, but is it a good car?
Despite the sportiness, it’s remarkably easy to drive – although there’s no huge surprise there, as most EVs are pleasantly simple. Vision in the front seat is satisfying, the moonroof is gorgeous and the customizable interior lighting adds a nice layer of personalization, though you’ll only really notice the RGB changes across the trim at night time.
One of the criticisms that I have is that it’s strange to have a car this expensive without power-adjustable seats in the front. While it’s probably arguable that manual adjustments give the 5N a more sporty feeling, I feel like this is one area where the cost should have spoken for itself. The back seats can also be manually brought forward or back, which I liked about the original Ioniq 5.
The criticism that the Ioniq 5 N is most deserving of is its range estimate. The car is rated at 448 km on the WLTP cycle, or 221 miles EPA. Those estimates for my mixed modes of use (going from inner-city driving to highway driving to suburban driving) seemed fairly accurate to me, but will likely be unsatisfying to somebody wanting to road trip. It’s certainly not the lowest battery range estimation for a car this expensive, but when Ford, Tesla and Polestar are offering luxury sports cars that can best this range (but perhaps not the sporty feel), it’s a stat that might have some buyers turning away.
Alleviating this is the phenomenal charging capacity that Hyundai’s high-end EVs are capable of. Newer members of the Ioniq family of cars can charge at a capacity of up to 350kW in the right conditions. That capacity is well above the maximum that most public EV chargers are capable of, so don’t worry about sticking around at a charger for too long (in my time with the 5 N, I only spent about 15 minutes max at a public charger).
You’ll likely be doing most of your charging at home anyway, and I’m happy to report that the car does in fact come with an emergency wall plug charger; many of the cars I’ve reviewed recently have axed this feature entirely. You’ll want to consider installing a more powerful charger in your garage if you want a quicker top-up at home, but I know households that get by fine with included emergency chargers.
Finally, the car is just gorgeous. I’m so happy that the Ioniq 5 body exists; it’s not really an SUV as it’s commonly designated, it’s more of a hot hatch. Slightly larger than your average hatchback, the Ioniq 5N adds three inches of length to the standard body and some additional details around the chassis, including air vents for the rear wheel trim. Aesthetically, N decals are pasted around the car, including orange-red tones to the underside of the panels and a red stripe on the grille. Color options for the Ioniq 5 N are vastly different to those available with the standard car, being much sportier and eye-catching.
It’s not a car for everyone, but those who want it will love it
Priced prohibitively for many ($66,100 / £65,000 / AU$111,000 + additional costs and on-roads) and equipped with features that may confuse most drivers, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is for a strange subsection of auto enthusiasts. I’m not confident that a market for track-loving EV drivers is too big, but this is for them. Fast, sporty and fun to fling around, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is an over-the-top mix of practicality and performance.
Rivals to the Ioniq 5 N in most markets include the Tesla Model Y Performance and the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, but the 5N exists on its own terms. This car craves the track, and Hyundai has built a phenomenally fun EV here.
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