ND GAME (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

This is where Hyundai sees the hot hatch going. Jonathan Crouch checks out the IONIQ 5 N.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 47

The IONIQ 5 N is everything you wouldn't expect an EV to be, wild, loud and track-ready. Its development has drawn on the combustion era to create a new kind of mid-sized hot hatch. Think electric cars are dull? You won't after a ride in this one.

Backgroundword count: 158

Credible high-performance EVs that can take to the track and reward the enthusiast are thin on the ground but Hyundai's IONIQ 5 N aims to be one of them. This is the model charged with a pioneering role in the electrification of the Korean maker's performance N division. And it's an altogether more focused thing than its close cousin, Kia's EV6 GT, which shares its e-GMP platform and much of its basic engineering. From that starting point, N division technical boss Tyrone Johnson and his team set out to produce an even faster mid-sized high-performance EV hatch with what the brand calls 'race car DNA'. This model was primarily developed at the world's most testing racetrack, the Nurburgring Nordschleife. And incorporates a more wide-ranging portfolio of circuit-driven performance engineering innovations than we've ever seen on an EV. Which it'll need given the very un-circuit-friendly kerb weight of over two-tonnes. If any car can overcome that, it's this one.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 352

Is it really possible to make a two-tonne EV handle on a circuit like a real track car? Tyrone Johnson, Hyundai's Head of Vehicle Test and Development, thinks it is. His aim with this IONIQ 5 N was to put the driver at the heart of the experience in a way that no electric vehicle has before. Pushing on in this car, you might really forget it's an EV at all. That's the idea behind the 'N e-Shift' system that aims to replicate the feel of an 8-speed gearbox by pausing the torque delivery between fictitious ratios at the same time as varying the 'N Active Sound+' system so that the audible feel is as close as possible to the brand's combustion N models. Standard power output is 601bhp (24bhp more than this car's close cousin the Kia EV6 GT). And for even quicker overtakes, there's an awkwardly named 'N Grin Boost' function which for 10 seconds further boosts power to 641bhp. With this activated and with the car's 'N Launch Control' engaged, 62mph from rest takes any 3.4s on the way to a very un-EV-like top speed of 161 mph. Goodness knows what the range would be from the bespoke 84kWh battery if you regularly approached that. But any EV can go fast in a straight line. It's the way this car will handle that Hyundai claims will define it. To help here, there's an 'N Pedal' system supposed to make the car 'tuck' into a corner, at which point you might notice 'N Torque Distribution' shuffling torque around, aided by an electronic limited slip differential at the rear. For fun on a closed track, there's also an 'N Drift Optimiser' with an integrated 'Torque Kick Drift' function. There are steering wheel-mounted paddles via which you can control those artificial gear changes. And like combustion N models, there are two configurable wheel-mounted buttons that short-cut-connect you into your favoured drive settings. There's also extra bracing for the steering column, larger brake discs and a faster steering ratio. Plus adaptive dampers, grippy Pirelli P-Zero bespoke tyres and 20mm drop in ride height.

To see the full road test text contact us on 0330 0020 227