Combining the lovable Ioniq 5 EV with some of the things we miss about ICE cars
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00:00 This is our 2023 Motor Trend SUV of the Year, the 320hp, dual motor Hyundai IONIQ 5.
00:09 This is the 641hp IONIQ 5 N.
00:15 This is the kind of car that makes you fall in love with driving all over again.
00:20 Yes, your ears do not deceive you, this really is an EV.
00:28 The IONIQ 5 N is by no means an IONIQ 5 with a software remap.
00:32 New exterior features include a redesigned front grille with active flaps and air curtains.
00:37 And at the back we've got a new rear spoiler, rear bumper and diffuser.
00:42 Overall the N is 2 inches wider than the standard 5 and sits on 21 inch forged wheels.
00:48 With details like the chequered flag racing inspired reflectors, triangle high brake light and luminous lower trim line,
00:56 the N leaves no mistake what it's designed to do. Go racing!
01:00 But don't be fooled, this is still a road car.
01:06 In fact, with a whopping 641hp from its uprated 84kWh battery,
01:13 the 5 N is the most powerful Hyundai production vehicle ever made.
01:18 Wow! Feel that!
01:22 This isn't just a numbers exercise, this is not a pure lap time car.
01:26 This is about making a car fun to drive.
01:29 This is about making an EV feel like a car again.
01:34 That is spectacular!
01:36 Hyundai have mapped the power of their dual motors to replicate the curve of a combustion engine with DCT-like shifts included.
01:44 They have also developed N-Pedal, which uses the regen aspect of the braking system to throw the car forward,
01:51 replicating the weight transfer of a combustion race car.
01:54 But it isn't all electronic trickery.
01:57 This car also features a mechanical rear limited slip differential.
02:01 What we've got active here in the IONIQ 5 N are two things which Hyundai are very proud of.
02:07 We've got Hyundai's N e-shift, which with the use of these paddle shifters on either side of the wheel aims to replicate,
02:16 wow, replicate the feeling of what it's like to shift a combustion engine car.
02:21 That means that when you change gear, you get a little kick in the back of the pants there,
02:29 jolt forward as the weight transfers toward the front of the car, replicating what it's like to engage the clutch.
02:35 Find the next gear, God it's got grip forever.
02:39 Oh, it's got grip. Wow!
02:42 The way the torque vectoring is pushing you out of the corner, of course Hyundai worked hard to perfect their rally-inspired all-wheel drive turning.
02:54 They wanted the car to have the same feeling as those amazing Hyundai rally cars.
03:00 That doesn't mean to say that all the Hyundai engineers have done is unlock a bit more power and upload a little soundtrack.
03:10 No, they've done pretty much everything they could to make this vehicle dynamically superior,
03:15 not only to the regular IONIQ 5, but everything else out there.
03:19 For example, the suspension at the front, the geometry is identical.
03:23 However, every single piece of suspension componentry is revised for 5F.
03:33 Here we are again, 7 and 8, we brake, we brake, we turn, turn a little bit early there, off the edge of the world and down.
03:42 That's a tricky corner after the complexity of corkscrew. You could be forgiven for turning off for a second.
03:52 Another interesting feature is N-Grin Boost, a push-to-pass boost mode.
03:58 Ordinarily the car runs with 601 of its available horsepower, but hit the N-Grin Boost button
04:03 and you unlock that additional 40 horsepower for an up to 10 second boost.
04:08 Let's try the boost. We're in manual mode, second, third, boost, noise changes, we just press it.
04:18 Wow! Oh, it's so good. I can't believe that this EV has given me that little push in the back.
04:28 Oh, it's great. Turning is pretty good. I mean, look, it's still an SUV, but they've worked wonders on making this thing feel dynamically tight.
04:38 Amusing and abusing it. And it's just rewarding me time after time.
04:44 And then the other thing which we've got active, which you can probably hear, is Hyundai's Sound Plus,
04:52 which again aims to replicate for the driver the feeling of being in a combustion engine car.
05:00 Can you hear it? This is an EV. I have to keep reminding myself.
05:05 What a mesmeric experience it is to be hooning around in a £4,800 electric SUV, which sounds, I mean it sounds incredible.
05:18 One of Hyundai's big focuses really was that this shouldn't be a one-lap wonder.
05:23 This shouldn't be the kind of car that goes off the boil after a lap.
05:26 This car should be able to sustain two full-speed laps of the Nordschleife Nürburgring.
05:34 And you know what? They did it. Some £4,861 this car weighs, but now it doesn't feel like it.
05:42 This is the kind of car that reassures you about the future of motoring.
05:47 This is the car Hyundai hopes is going to set the benchmark.
05:52 In their eyes, there hasn't been a true performance EV yet. And they think this is the first.
05:59 Hyundai set out to make an EV with feeling, but what they've done is far better.
06:04 They've managed to make a car which has all the great feel of a performance car.
06:09 Oh, I feel that.
06:11 Which then just happens to also be an EV.
06:14 The IONIQ 5N. Not just a pretty face. Not just an EV with a bit of extra power unlocked.
06:24 A race car for the road. A track day goer's paradise.
06:29 And with a slightly bigger battery than the regular IONIQ 5, and Hyundai's fast charging,
06:35 which can take the car from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes,
06:39 it seems as though Hyundai have also got the EV part of this performance EV figured out.
06:45 I'm not seeing a downside here.
06:48 This is the car that should ease those concerns that people have.
06:52 How do EVs mean the end of the road for enthusiasts?
06:56 The 5N costs $66,100. That's around $9,000 more than the standard IONIQ 5 Limited AWD.
07:04 And you know what? It is so worth it.
07:08 Performance EV benchmark set.
07:12 (dramatic music)