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- The Tri-State Area
Hyundai IONIQ 5 N 2024
Take one relatively unassuming electric crossover SUV and one absolutely madcap in-house tuning division named after the Nurburgring (and the Namyang district in South Korea where it calls home) and you get the IONIQ 5N.
The car is based on the very worthy IONIQ 5, a five-door, five-seat EV which was the first car made on the Hyundai Motor Group's new Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) - later underpinning the Genesis GV60, and Kia EV6 and EV9. It comes in single-motor RWD and dual-motor AWD (rear biased) forms, with up to 321hp in the top-spec model.
So far, so ordinary, but in comes the Hyundai N division, which decided to make its first EV by just doubling that - by moving the larger rear motor to the front axle and putting in a new rear motor with a 50% higher output. The grand total is 641hp, although that's in full "N Grin" boost mode, with 601hp in day-to-day driving.
But anyone can make a sledgehammer EV. What the N division did, more importantly, was stuff it full of tech to make it really appeal to car enthusiasts.
The 5N features a torque vectoring system on the front axle and a configurable mechanical limited-slip diff at the back, and N has shoved all sorts of features in to make the 2.2-tonne EV as nimble as possible. Like the "N Grin" boost feature, most of these begin with an N.
There's an "N Torque Distribution" which allows you to switch the car to anywhere from 10:90 to 90:10 torque split, in ten steps, an "N Drift Optimiser" which includes a built-in clutch-kick feature for sideways action, and even an "N e-Shift" feature which simulates an eight-speed paddle-shift DCT.
Of course EVs don't necessarily sound all that good (unless Hans Zimmer has recorded an orchestra for you), but the N people have created an "N Active Sound+" people that gives a reasonable replica of an ICE engine, or a fighter jet, or what's been described as a "Gran Turismo like" EV whine. Hmm.
The overall result is a vehicle that a lot of reviewers compare to old-school Japanese AWD performance cars - even if it is quite a bit larger and heavier - in terms of how it handles twisty roads, while many cite it as a watershed moment as the first truly enjoyable enthusiasts' EV...
Cabin's a bit meh though.
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