Hyundai Ioniq 5 N (2024 - )

Have you ever wanted to drive like a bat out of hell – with Meat Loaf blaring out of the speakers? Well, here's your chance – albeit in a car, not on a motorbike – and an electric one at that. Our motoring journalist Tim Barnes-Clay got behind the wheel of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N – and here's his take on the beast.

The standard Hyundai Ioniq 5 was already one of the most unique electric cars around, combining futuristic styling with good practicality, brisk charging and a superb interior. Then, Hyundai turned up the heat with the Ioniq 5 N.

The N stands for Namyang, home of Hyundai's research and development department in South Korea, and this edition gives the family-friendly electric crossover a hardcore alpha-male personality.

With dual electric motors, four-wheel drive and up to 650PS, the Ioniq 5 N delivers supercar-rivalling shove while keeping much of the practicality that makes the watered-down model so appealing.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N looks like a beefier, more rock star version of the stock model – and comes with its own standalone trim.

It includes 21-inch alloys, a pair of 12.3-inch screens for the instrument cluster and infotainment, plus navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and voice control.

You also get a Bose premium sound system, a head-up display, a heat pump, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry/start, aluminium pedals, a heated steering wheel, heated outer rear seats, and heated and ventilated front seats.

The Ioniq 5 N looks loads more purposeful than the standard electric crossover, although its cutting-edge shape remains utterly recognisable. 

Inside, the cabin is awesome. The chunky steering wheel, silver-capped stalks and N-branded bucket chairs give it an appropriately athletic feel. Meanwhile, the excellent materials and well-damped switches maintain a premium vibe.

The technology is bountiful - maybe even possibly overwhelming, as you’ll find out if you keep reading this review.

For instance, the Ioniq N includes fake engine noises - just give it the go-ahead, and a fighter-jet sound will suddenly blast from the speakers. It is patently gimmicky, if a tad too much, but it's fun and adds even more personality to a car designed primarily to be a blast.

The Ioniq 5 N boasts dual motors, one driving each axle, for ferocious acceleration. When I say ferocious, I mean it: 650 horses gallop under the bodywork.

Yes, some cars have more muscle, but few are masked as a family crossover. Admittedly, 650PS is a nice headline figure. Still, it's only (a meagre) 609PS most of the time - the additional 41PS comes when NGB (N Grin Boost) is engaged, maximising acceleration off the line for about ten seconds.

Use it with the car's Launch Control system, and it hits 62mph in a staggering 3.4 seconds. Goodness, it was fun trying it out!

But wait – there’s more! The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N has plenty of other tricks up its sleeve to further enhance its performance capabilities.

Several customisable settings also tune the throttle and steering response, suspension stiffness, and torque distribution. It also offers track mode settings, a drift mode, and a feature called N Pedal.

While the N Pedal is technically related to regenerative braking, which helps recharge the batteries when you take your foot off the accelerator, it also enriches the Hyundai’s cornering ability.

In its most ferocious setting, taking your foot off the throttle is like jamming on the brakes, forcing the crossover down at the front, and maximising grip during turn-in.

The cornering is pin-sharp, and the Pirelli P-Zero tyres, factory-fitted on the Ioniq 5 N, grip the tarmac superbly.

Body roll is well controlled (despite the Ioniq 5 N’s size and 2.2-tonne weight), and it's without doubt one of the best-performance electric cars in its class.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Hyundai features a simulated eight-speed semi-automatic transmission (even though, as with all electric cars, it only has one gear in practice).

But for performance car lovers, flicking through the 'gears' using the paddle shifters is part of the experience – and you can feel the changes, even though they're entirely phoney, while listening to the car's synthetic engine note.

Granted, all these features mean it’s not quite as comfortable as a normal Ioniq 5 – but with this much on offer to amuse you, that’s to be expected. Anyway, if you want, you can adjust the adaptive dampers to their most comfortable setting when required.

At the end of the test, my disappointment in having to get out of the Hyundai was tempered by admiring the striking body paint – a racey pearl finish called ‘Soultronic Orange’. 
 

The Ioniq 5 N is a lot bigger than it looks.

Seeing a photo, you’d think it was the size of a Volkswagen Golf (it even looks like one if you squint a bit). But in terms of dimensions, it's nearer to a mid-size SUV.

That’s a good thing because it means more space inside - so more practicality. Furthermore, the ‘N’-branded bucket seats look fantastic and did a great job holding me tightly around fast bends.

There's plenty of room up front, and unless you're going for the Guinness World Records for height, you won't be short on legroom or headroom. Thankfully, it’s a similar story in the back, which features ample space to stretch your legs, while the modest slope in the roofline barely eats into the headroom.

Admittedly, the plentiful rear legroom means boot space is compromised slightly, measuring only 480 litres. But it expands to 1,540 litres if you fold the Hyundai's rear seats in a 60:40 split.

A 40:20:40 configuration would be more versatile, but you can't complain when the electric car ticks so many boxes.

The cabin has lots of cubbies for interior storage, although the door bins aren't the biggest. You do get at least a couple of cupholders, five USB-C charging ports, and a 12V port up front.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N has an 84kWh battery, offering an official range of 278 miles.

Considering its clout, that's not bad, although admittedly, a Tesla Model Y Performance will whip its ass, offering up to 360 miles.

Expect less than the official range in the real world - and that goes for all EVs. A briskly paced test drive saw me on course to achieve around 200 miles. But thrash the Ioniq 5 N in cold conditions, and you'll likely be getting less than that in practice.

The charging speed is a lightning-quick 350kW, meaning a 10-to-80 per cent charge can take as little as 18 minutes, while a public 50kW charger will take around 70 minutes.

A 7kw home wall box will take about eleven-and-a-half hours to achieve a 10-100 per cent top-up.

What’s more, Hyundai offers a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty on all its new models, with the battery getting its own separate eight-year, 100,000-mile guarantee.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N manages to be two whips in one. It has the room, practicality and daily usability of a family car, yet underneath the rock star bodywork is a genuinely talented performance machine.

The sacred 3.4-second 0-62mph time is outstanding, but the real draw is how much fun the South Korean automaker has packed into the driving experience. 

Razor-sharp handling, brakes so strong they’d stop a midlife crisis right at the sports car dealership, grippy tyres and even a pretend gearbox make it feel far more engaging than many electrified cars.

The Ioniq 5 N isn't as comfy as an ordinary Ioniq 5, and, like most EVs, the real-world range can fall short of the official figure when driven like a bat out of hell. But if you want an electric crossover that can do the school run and then, half an hour later, put a massive smile on your face as you hoon home on emptier roads, the Ioniq 5 N is an outstandingly enjoyable package.