EVs as hyper performance cars. Yeah. Right.
Well, disbelievers, you can zip it right now, because I can’t name or recall another new current street legal car legitimately available in America that offers this sort of performance for the money. Sure, there are McLarens, Porsches, Ferraris, and all other manner of other hot dogs, but nothing with 600 horsepower (and more, at the touch of a certain button) for less than $70K. And I’m talking about real production cars here, not strange vaporware tuner junk, but a car produced by an actual car company that can be purchased, financed, and serviced at a normal car dealer, and in this case includes a 10 year / 100,000 miles Powertrain and EV Systems Warranty.
You are of course entitled to love or strongly dislike the notion of an EV as a drag strip king, drift monster, or road course eater, but the facts are that this little Performance Blue Matte Korean bomb is all and exactly that.
And BTW, click on any photo to see it full screen in high res.
As you likely know, the Ioniq 5 has proven one of Hyundai’s most successful products ever to date; it’s won a pallet load of “Of the Year” awards, and more magazine comparison tests than you can count. Its high-tech SUV-ish toaster on wheels design is appealing, and the car’s packaging, technology and dynamics are superlative. These are great cars that offer excellent driving characteristics, ride and comfort, plus outstanding ergonomics and build quality. I know this, as my wife drives one every day, and I’m happy to drive it when she’ll let me.
So how does this happy-go-lucky EV transform itself into a tire melter that’ll go 0-60 in about three seconds flat and stomp the quarter mile in 11.1 sec at 123 mph, and will hit 150, according to Car and Driver’s test gear. The N designation is Hyundai’s sportier, performancier model designation, much as M is for BMW, and AMG for Mercedes-Benz, and SVT used to be for Ford, ad infinitum. The I5 N’s protein powder comes in the form of all-wheel drive, a second EV motor, considerable computerized wizardry, and a whole lotta battery. Here again according to CD, are the bits and how they work together to create this much havoc:
POWERTRAIN
Front Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 235 hp, 273 lb-ft
Rear Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 406 hp, 295 lb-ft
Combined Power: 641 hp
Combined Torque: 568 lb-ft
Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 84.0 kWh
Onboard Charger: 10.9 kW
Peak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 238 kW
Transmissions, F/R: direct-drive
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 15.7-in vented disc/14.2-in vented disc
Tires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4 Elect 275/35ZR-21 103Y PNCS HN
Hyundai nominally rates the I5 N at 600 horsepower, until you activate the whimsically named N Grin Boost (is this really electronic Nitrous Oxide?) feature on the steering wheel, and then it all conspires to deliver 641 horsepower and check that torque rating — yes its 548 lb-ft, which will temporarily rearrange your internal organs when you punch it.
Hyundai has also N-ified and punched up the looks and interior package too. The rocker panels are model unique (and how about that clearly serious rear deck spoiler?), as are the wheels, and front and rear facias. Those who’ve been inside the cabin of the regular Ioniq 5 will find the N’s interior familiar, but Hyundai has added several performance-oriented features to heighten the experience. A set of aggressively bolstered front seats help hold you in place during high-speed cornering and a unique steering wheel features buttons to access the SUV’s drive modes, regenerative braking levels, and the N Grin Boost feature. Expect an identical amount of passenger and cargo space as the standard Ioniq 5, which held a maximum of 20 carry-on suitcases inside with the rear seats folded during CD‘s testing. The cabin’s racy upgrades are highly effective at delivering the performance intent and image. Something really whimsical is the synthetic, digital engine sound generator that plays through the sound system when activated. It creates a credible rap and snort that delivers a certain effect of a performance tuner gas engine onboard. As the car has no transmission or “gears” per se, the high-tech noisemaker also creates zippy, zappy F1 style “shifts” although none of this effects performance in either direction. A bit of a gimmick? Sure, but a fun one just for geeks like us. The new performance-oriented seats feel great and really grip your backsides in the curves. And the cool new center console is really trick and clever — wish my ’24 I5 had the same piece.
Even in baseline “normal” settings, the I5 N is quick, if not already fast. Start cranking up the heat, and it gets manic, although always with good manners. The aggressive rolling stock may increase road noise just a smidge, but never enough to make the car inappropriate for travel and normal cruising use. The already sharp handling becomes appreciably more so, with uber high grip levels, and serious bite that further sharpens up the steering response. Wow. Just ‘friggin wow.
Gripes? Not many.
Some may consider nearly $70K for an Ioniq 5 to be a lot of money — and in pure cash in your pocket terms, near seventy grand is a lot of dough, but not in today’s car buying world, for this kind of performance it’s not.
I didn’t have access to the location or timing gear to adequately evaluate all of the racy driving modes, but it seems to me they could have delivered all the effect with one or two less choices
As you’ll note from the photo infoscreen of all the different performance modes offered, it comes off as too many. Granted, the magic of electronics allows this flexibility to happen, but I suggest that a few of them could have been reconciled into a couple less offerings that would have still delivered the desired optimization and results.
And as we all know, “Speed costs Money — how fast you wanna go?” Horsepower requires energy, in this case electric energy, and a lot of it. Which eats into the I5 N’s range; the standard model delivers over 300-mile range on a full charge, while the I5 N’s is now just 221. Just think of it as a larger gas tank, and with the EV charging cost of electricity vs. gasoline averaging about $2.00 per gallon, it’s still cheap speed.
You can buy into the whole package, or not, but the technological achievement is remarkable. It drives like an F18, yet will still get you back and forth to work comfortably, in fine style, and with a big smile on your face. Power to the People!