Lonely at the top
The first fully electric car from Hyundai’s N label is immediately a particularly intense one. Meet the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, a hot-tempered, sporty top version that is lonely at the top with its 650 hp.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is traditionally a car festival where the petrol fumes enter your nostrils under the loud roar of the machines they come out of. Nevertheless, Hyundai has chosen the English car festival as the stage to present its very first fully electric N model. The Koreans are self-confident and that is of course not for nothing.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is armed to the teeth. Did you think it couldn’t get much crazier in this segment than the Kia EV6 GT with its 585 hp powertrain? Then sit down for a while. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N has two together – hold on – 650 hp strong electric motors! Six hundred and fifty horsepower. That is 10 hp more than the absolute top version of the Lamborghini Huracán: the STO…
Fair is fair: the crazy Ioniq 5 N does not always have that power. You have to enable the N Grin Boost mode for it which is active for a maximum of 10 counts. Even in ‘normal mode’ though, the Ioniq 5 N is a hot hatch executioner. The front electric motor delivers 226 hp and, together with the 383 hp one on the rear axle, produces a system power of 609 hp. In the special Boost mode, the Ioniq 5 N squeezes 238 hp from the front electric motor and 412 hp from the rear one. In this Boost mode and thus with the full 650 hp available, the Ioniq 5 N rams to a speed of 100 km / h in just 3.4 seconds. Its top speed is a very decent 260 km / h for an EV. The N version is the only one of the Ioniq 5 family to have an 84 kWh battery pack and therefore not a 58 kWh or 77.4 kWh large one. How far does the Ioniq 5 N get on a full charge? That is not known yet.
Hyundai Ioniq 5N
More than fast in a straight line
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the first of a series of electric N models and so it wants to make a statement with this very first electric N. Electric cars are often fast in a straight line, but are not necessarily dynamic fun machines due to their often relatively high car weight. Hyundai says it has done everything possible to make the Ioniq 5 N a real hot hatch.
Naturally, Hyundai cannot make the Ioniq 5 N feather light. It has, however, considerably strengthened the base of the car. The chassis has 42 extra welding points and for 2.1 meters of extra adhesive. The mounting points of the electric motors and the battery pack have been thoroughly reinforced and the front and rear subframes have also been reinforced. All this should make the Ioniq 5 N especially stiffer. Hyundai says it wants the Ioniq 5 N to give the driver a level of feedback that matches that of a lighter internal combustion engine hot hatch. The steering must also contribute to this, as it has been reinforced and the power steering has been adjusted in such a way that the driver should get a better picture of what is happening under the car.
Hyundai has further packed the Ioniq 5 N with new software and systems that should contribute to the dynamics of the model. For example, you can accelerate and decelerate the strongest Hyundai ever through an N Pedal-called modified variant of i-Pedal and throw tighter into the corner. N Drift Optimizer is a true drift mode, a Torque Kick Drift system that simulates the effect of fully depressing and releasing a traditional clutch pedal of a combustion engine car. More technical ingenuity? The Ioniq 5 N has an eleven-position N Torque Distribution that regulates the torque applied to the front and rear wheels, and has an electronic rear differential lock.
Hyundai Ioniq 5N
Battery preparation
The Ioniq 5 N not only has a larger battery pack than the regular Ioniqs 5. Thanks to smart software management, the pack is less affected by degradation due to rising temperatures. The N version has improved software, the package is better cooled and the electric motors are also more resistant to heat due to better cooling. N Battery Pre-conditioning lets you pre-heat the battery pack for short-term sprints or for longer track stomps. The N Race system – adjustable in Endurance or Sprint modes – adjusts the energy consumption to what you want to use the Ioniq 5 N for. The Sprint mode is intended for setting a single fast lap time, for example, while Endurance sets things up in such a way that you should be able to finish a race with the Ioniq 5 N.
Brakes and sound
Special brakes that are 40 centimeters at the front and 36 centimeters at the rear should be able to calm down the Ioniq 5 N properly. The lightweight brake system is paired with Hyundai’s N Brake Regen system, the regenerative braking system adapted for the N version that allows you to decelerate an EV’s executioner by up to 0.6 G. The advantage of this: the actual brakes are used less and therefore run out less quickly. As a result, the braking power is maintained.
And there are even more N systems. N e-shift is a system designed to simulate the feel of the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission on cars like the i30 N. Switch moments are simulated by briefly interrupting the torque current to the wheels. N Active Sound+ works together with this and is able to simulate the sound of a combustion engine car both inside and outside the car. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N has eight speakers in the interior and two speakers on the outside. N Active Sound+ can simulate the sound of a blown 2.0 four-cylinder and is not only able to recreate the sound of the RN22e audio-technically, but can even imitate the sound of a jet fighter with two jets. Automotive fun with EVs, Hyundai seems to get it. We conclude the N-Systems story with a mention of N Road Sense, software that recognizes road signs announcing winding roads and immediately recommends switching on N-Mode.
Hyundai Ioniq 5N
Appearance and interior
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N betrays its sporty DNA, like every previous N model, with its appearance. It is 2 centimeters closer to the asphalt, thanks to exuberant body-colored wheel arch extensions with air vents it is 5 centimeters wider than a regular Ioniq 5 and, thanks to modified bumper work, complete with a fierce rear diffuser, it is 8 centimeters longer. The rear spoiler at the top of the rear window is also a lot bigger than the one you will find on milder Ioniqs 5. The N signature triangular third brake light also finds its way into the first electric N-Hyundai ever. Interesting detail: the Ioniq 5 N is the only Ioniq 5 with a rear wiper.
The Ioniq 5 N is also overloaded with a series of Luminous Orange colored details. This orange color is reserved for electric N models. Hyundai parks the Ioniq 5 N on 21-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in wide 275/35 Pirelli P-Zero rubber.
Inside you are treated to sports seats, a series of N badges and a special sports steering wheel with the necessary buttons to choose the many driving modes and to activate new systems. Soft cushions have been installed on the sides of the center tunnel to prevent you from returning home with blue knees after a solid game of steering. The sports seats are positioned 2 centimeters lower in the car than the regular furniture. Just like on the back of the Ioniq 5 N, you will find a checkered pattern on the door panels that refers to a finish flag.
Prices and information for the Dutch market will follow soon.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl