It boasts 640 horsepower and gets from zero to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds. Engineers enhanced stiffness in the body and frame to improve handling with the official goal – we’re not making this up – of creating a “corner rascal.” It comes with a drift optimizer.
Oh, and it’s a Hyundai. Arguably a hatchback. An electric one.
Meet the 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
About the Ioniq 5
You may already be familiar with the Hyundai Ioniq 5. After driving almost every 2023 car for sale in the U.S., our editors named it the Best New Model in America and the Best Electric Vehicle.
We love its balance of smooth, serene handling with the crisp acceleration you only get from electric power. We love its funky shape – a balance of curves and hard edges punctuated with cheeky pixelated lighting effects. It’s almost retro-futurist, like a car from a 1980s arcade game come to life in the high-definition of 2023 — an 8-bit aesthetic in 4K. And we love its spacious interior where nearly everything slides – you can even set the center console exactly where it works for you.
But no one would call it a race car. 168-horsepower, 225-hp, and 320-hp versions mean you can buy the performance you want. But it’s no track-day car.
Until it is.
About N
Hyundai, like many automakers these days, has a high-performance division. The N unit takes standard Hyundai cars and spices them up.
Milder N editions are called N Line trims. Cars like the Hyundai Tucson compact SUV – a well-sorted commuter that races no one’s pulse – get N Line editions with added power and visual enhancements. One pepper next to the dish’s name on the menu.
But the real hot Hyundais are just called N editions. The Elantra N, for instance, takes the standard Elantra compact car, almost doubles the horsepower, and adds everything from trunk bracing to stiffen it to bright red side skirts to improve airflow and look badass. Three peppers.
At this week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, the chefs from N showed off their first four-pepper menu item – the quickest production car in Hyundai history, the Ioniq 5 N.
Corner Rascal, Grin Boost, and Other Technical Terms
First things first – Hyundai hasn’t hinted at what it will cost. The standard Ioniq 5 ranges from $41,450 to $52,600, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see a $70,000 price tag.
Electric car design gives engineers a cheat code. Many electric motors are capable of far more power than they usually output. Automakers control their output with software. So Hyundai has boosted the two electric motors (one per axle) in the Ioniq 5.
In day-to-day operation, they put out 600 hp. With a “grin boost” (they’re having fun with the names here) button that surges to about 640 for ten seconds.
Those numbers best even sister-station Kia’s remarkable EV6.
The N gets power from an 84-kWh battery – the biggest Hyundai has built yet. All the added power necessitated “World Rally Championship-inspired integrated drive axles” built to “endure stronger electric motor torque while reducing unsprung mass.”
Beefier brakes help rein in the power – 15.75-inch rotors in the front and 14.2 in the rear.
Hyundai engineers worked with three phrases in mind to inspire the car – “corner rascal,” “racetrack capability,” and “everyday sportscar.”
The rascal bit comes thanks to more handling enhancements than we have time to list. They include things you’d expect – a new steering column for enhanced feel. And they include things you’ve probably never thought of. A new “N Pedal” system uses regenerative braking to create “an aggressive weight transfer” for sharper cornering.
A drift-optimizer function helps maintain a drift angle and “allows the driver to simulate the clutch kick action of rear-wheel-driven ICE vehicles.”
It even shifts. Sort of. Electric cars don’t have traditional transmissions, but the Ioniq 5 N simulates shifting through an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Hyundai says it “simulates a gearshift by controlling motor torque output and simulates the jolt feeling between shifts.”
Lower Stance, Aggressive Body Kit
Hyundai calls the Ioniq 5 an SUV. We’ve always thought their tongues were in their cheeks when they said that. It’s big enough to qualify, but the body says hatchback at least as much as it says sport utility.
The Ioniq 5 puts an end to the act. It’s lower and wider than the standard Ioniq 5. No one would call it anything but a hot hatch.
Increasingly, red lower-body aero elements are becoming the visual signature of an N car. We should note that Hyundai insists the color is “Luminous Orange.”
The Ioniq 5 N includes a luminous red front lip spoiler, side skirts, and a prominent rear diffuser. A wing-type rear spoiler shows up, too. Twenty-one-inch wheels come wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero tires – a set of shoes we’re used to seeing only on dedicated sports cars.
Inside: N Logos, Checkered Flag Theme
Inside, you get front bucket seats with enhanced bolstering wrapped in “eco-processed leather” and a new steering wheel with the N logo. A checkered flag theme appears on the door panels and pedals. Those pedals, Hyundai says, are designed to reduce “the risk of foot slippage in two-foot driving.”
Oh, and the sliding center console no longer slides. Engineers thought it best to fix it in position and add padding so you could brace your leg against it. But they designed a sliding top, so you can still position the armrest where you want it.
