With a prototype over a frozen ice lake
Hyundai’s performance department has developed a sporty derivative of an EV for the first time: the Ioniq 5 N. We were allowed to put the still camouflaged 600 hp model through its paces on a frozen lake in Sweden.
The N also stands for Nürburgring, what about the Ioniq 5 N?
Completely correct. The Ioniq 5 N has already driven about ten thousand kilometers there. Actually, Hyundai’s N models feel more at home on the Nürburgring than in the Swedish freezing cold. That will remain the case, promises the famous development expert Albert Biermann, who is involved as an advisor to the sports enthusiasts of Hyundai’s N division. In that respect, the Koreans leave nothing to chance. Today, however, we get to drive the fully electric N in Arjeplog, Sweden, on frozen roads and lakes.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the cousin of the Kia EV6 GT, does it have just as much power?
The manufacturer already gives a few details: the newcomer gets four-wheel drive and exceeds the power of the Kia EV6 GT, which is 585 hp. The larger brake discs on the front axle refer to the dynamic potential. Many pizzas can still suck at the diameter of 400 millimeters. Furthermore, they do not go too much into the sporty sister model at Hyundai. The Kia is primarily a GT, they say. The Ioniq 5 N, on the other hand, should also feel at home on a track, despite its weight of more than two tons.
An electric car for track use, what do you have to adjust?
To ensure that the car does not fail there, the engineers have taken a number of measures. This cools the battery, even before driving off. The theory goes that if the battery pack is colder at the start, you will get further with it. The battery has also become larger. Not literally, but in capacity. The current generation can accommodate a maximum of 77.4 kWh net power.
How are you doing with so much electrical power on the track?
The engineers especially want to introduce us to the many software features that can be controlled via the central 12.25-inch screen. Because we are not yet allowed to take pictures of the steering wheel and the dashboard, we have to leave it at a description. For example, the ‘N Durance Mode’ electrically flattens the power peaks for more endurance on the track. The recuperation function also offers support when you go full into the anchors. As a result, 20 minutes of the Nordschleife is no longer a problem, Biermann says proudly. And then there’s the ‘N Torque Distribution’ feature. It controls the power distribution between the front and rear axles, from the ratio 90/10 to 10/90, depending on your wishes and your mood. Finally, we mention the feature with the euphonious name ‘N Grin Shift/N Orchestra’. If desired, it simulates gears, where ‘switching’ is done by means of a short power interruption. At low speeds, the power actually decreases.
And is there still a bit of ‘artificial’ experience in the Ioniq 5 N?
In addition to these functions, you can choose from three different artificial engine sounds. A futuristic variant, one that is reminiscent of a combustion engine and a third that presents us with a mixture of a PlayStation and an electronic organ. You can of course switch everything off, the Hyundai does not go any faster. But it’s fun without a doubt. If you pull and release both flippers at the same time, you can even achieve a ‘clutch kick’. Then you virtually let the clutch slip, which then causes spinning wheels.
The Kia EV6 GT can drift, does the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N also have a drift mode?
Certainly, the Drift mode is interesting in that the Ioniq 5 is the first N model to not only drive the front, but also the rear wheels. Obviously a frozen lake is the ideal environment to play with it a bit. A round surface with a diameter of a few hundred meters, what more could you want? There it is wonderful to play with the N. The four-wheel drive corrects small steering errors with playful ease. In this mode, most of the power goes to the rear wheel on the outside of the turn. We do not want to make any firm statements about the chassis. This is still a pre-series car and the surface is particularly slippery.
Does the N feel very different from the normal Ioniq 5?
We can conclude that the steering and brake pedal are not too light and that the torsional rigidity of the body seems to be significantly higher than in the regular versions. They have certainly not done half work at Hyundai. The model will debut in July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The Ioniq 5 N may have already covered several kilometers on the Nordschleife, but we are looking forward to driving this car for about 20.83 kilometers ourselves. The Ioniq 5 N is a real fun letter with more than enough power, with which the N department shows that it can handle electric cars very well. That promises a lot for the future.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl