Video: Is the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N an EV Car Enthusiasts Can Embrace?
By Cars.com Editors
September 13, 2024
Share
About the video
We’re big fans of Hyundai’s N performance division, but with the arrival of the all-electric 2025 Ioniq 5 N, we had to wonder: Is this an EV for car enthusiasts? We took a 2025 Ioniq 5 N to Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, Wisc., to find out.
Transcript
We are big fans of Hyundai's N performance vehicles, here at cars.com. And I even owned a Veloster N for a time. But this is the 2025 Ioniq 5 N, Hyundai's performance EV.
We are here at Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, Wisconsin to find out if it can appeal to enthusiasts the same way that it's gas powered siblings can. So let's find out. (upbeat music) Alright, we are in the Ioniq 5 N. And one of the things that's great about EVs is their straight line speed, and that's one part of the Ioniq 5 N's appeal, as well. Hyundai claims a 0 to 60 time of 3.25 seconds, so we're gonna see what we can do. But there's some stuff we've had to do first. We had to precondition this for drag racing. We had to have the state of charge at at least 95%. I'll get more into the details of what we need to do in the writeup, but there's just so much configurability here. Let's get up to the line and activate launch control and see what we can do. (car accelerates) That was 3.3 seconds 0 to 60. That was almost effortless. No frills. It was just, oh, you're ready to go. Let go of the brake. And I was like, alright. And then vroom. Alright, we have switched lanes. We are still at 97% state of charge. The battery's at 97 degrees. Motors are a little bit warmer. (car accelerates) That was 0 to 60 in 3.29 seconds, so this is very repeatable. I changed the exhaust sound to ignition, which mimics, I guess you could say, the Elantra N's four cylinder. I don't care for it, if I'm being honest. I actually enjoyed the first run better without any of the active sound effects on. We'll see what you guys think. I'm gonna run it in all of the settings, which include ignition, just the Elantra N four cylinder. Evolution, which mimics a concept that Hyundai built a EV concept. And then there's supersonic, which is sort of like a futuristic jet fighter. I've never really been a fan of fake exhaust noises in cars. So if you like it, cool. You don't have to have it on if you don't want to. Gotten all the way down to 96% state of charge. Let's see how fast we went on that one. I cannot see because I'm wearing polarized sunglasses. So it turns out I can't read the board, so how'd that one go? <v Mike>It's saying you had 11.11 at 123 miles an hour. I'm sensing a pattern. (car accelerates) Another 3.30 to 60. I really don't think we're gonna do much better than that, but I'm happy to keep trying 'cause it's really fun. But yeah, this is a blast. I'm having a ton of fun doing it. I don't feel like I'm missing out on not having a gas engine powering this at all. But I'm also not of the mind that this pandering to enthusiasts, for lack of a better term, that I can come up with right now. Really not sure if that's the way to go. I would rather have no sounds, I think, at least from what I've heard so far. (car accelerates) (driver laughs) This is a good sized SUV hatchbacky thing. Weighs almost two and a half tons. Not really small. Very roomy inside, too. The redesigned center console for the N gives you a little less space than the traditional one. I love this car. I loved it before it had an N version. I love the N version. (car accelerates) Ooh, okay. So we just tried N e-shift in automatic mode, so that simulates the eight speed dual-clutch that you can find in Hyundai's other N cars when you're not getting the manual version. And that was interesting. There's a little bit of a lurch on upshifts. We got all the way up to fifth gear. This is still technically a single-speed all-electric vehicle. There is no actual eight speed transmission, but it simulates it, and that includes those upshift jolts and you can feel them. I think that actually works a little bit better with the faux engine noises. But I don't know, I think that's a more appropriate setting for a different kind of track driving. Straight line speed is all well and good, but two of the other parts of the Ioniq 5 N equation are what Hyundai call corner-rascal and racetrack capability. And while we don't have a full-size racetrack, we do have this handling course. And we also brought along Managing Editor Joe Bruzek, and Senior Road Test Editor Mike Hanley to help give his impressions and see how the Ioniq 5 N really can appeal to non-EV enthusiasts. So let's see how it does. (upbeat music) That is probably the craziest experience I've ever had driving. That felt natural and completely alien at the same time. I'm going to do that a few more times. But that's fun. This is fun. That's the important thing here. This is fun. (tires screech) (upbeat music) (tires screech) (upbeat music) (tires screech) You will never believe this, it's still fun. I think the most frustrating thing right now is that not all of these settings work in concert. You can only choose one or the other. And the first run I did, I used the N Pedal, which sort of is like a racing version of regenerative braking. It was helpful, but it was a little bit hard to modulate. That time, I used N e-shift, which is the fake dual-clutch transmission. And that was a lot more helpful in providing feedback, which is its goal is to make this feel like an internal combustion car and give you those cues, and for track driving, or whatever we're calling this level of track driving, that's definitely what I prefer so far. But let's see what else we can do. (upbeat music) We've tested the regular Ioniq 5 numerous times, including on a cone course, just like this. I'm leasing an Ioniq 5 SEL all-wheel drive right now. This does not feel like an Ioniq 5. This feels like a completely different car. It's really sharp, it's really eager, it's insanely fun. I'm going to keep going. (upbeat music) Didn't notice a whole lot of difference with the N Torque Distribution all the way to rear-wheel-drive, which I thought was odd. Front-end felt a little lighter and it didn't feel as quick. But overall, not getting a real like rear-wheel-drive sense from the vehicle, even with this all the way to the right. So maybe the N Drift Optimizer may give me that feel that I'm looking for. So let's switch that on and give it a try. (upbeat music) Oh, it's twitchy. Drift mode is twitchy and it feels artificial. It doesn't really feel like you're naturally drifting out of a corner, or you put on a little power and it just kind of, you know, drifts on its way out. It felt like it was kicking it in the butt to kick the rear end out. (upbeat music) You know, for a big heavy vehicle, it actually manages its weight pretty well. And you can rotate the back a little bit when you get on coming out of the corners. And, you know, I like the sounds it's making in that kind of simulated shift feel. You know, it actually works on this autocross course. After putting the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N EV through its paces, we all agree, it's a hell of an enthusiast car. It's not a replacement for an internal combustion car, but it is one great alternative. A lot of the performance modes that sort of pretend to make it an internal combustion car, like N e-shift, are actually really helpful and give you that feedback that a lot of other performance EVs don't offer. Now, while this isn't a cheap car, it is a lot of performance for the money, and actually outperformed a ton of much more expensive cars, both all-electric and internal combustion. And it's not without its compromises, but what performance car isn't without its compromises? For the full writeup, including all of our track numbers and more details on our testing, you can find it all at cars.com/news. (upbeat music)
Featured stories
By Cars.com Editors
September 26, 2024
By Cars.com Editors
September 26, 2024
By Jared Gall
September 23, 2024