It is not the fastest electric car on the market, it is not the most powerful, it is not the sportiest, nor is it the most expensive. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is unique. It is the first zero-emission car designed to have fun and give excitement. How? By offering driving modes that closely resemble those of a petrol car. And not just any car, considering that it is capable of pumping 650 horsepower to the ground.
Aesthetically, compared to a “normal” Ioniq 5, this N version has sporty bumpers, enlarged air intakes, widened track, a lowered stance, skirts, a rear wing, 21″ wheels and a sports braking system. Impossible to mistake, so much has changed. Just as it is impossible not to realise that it is a car designed for racing when you get on board: just look at the new three-spoke “N” steering wheel, the shell-shaped seats and even the padding at knee height designed to avoid too hard a blow when dancing around the kerbs of a circuit.
Apart from its performance (0-100 km/h in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 260 km/h), the Ioniq 5 N is astonishing for the work that the engineers have done on the electronic management of torque and traction. Combined with the sound coming out of the speakers (that of the Hyundai i30 N), it simulates the operation of a thermal car in every way: you can hear the revs rise, feel the gear changes, which you can recall by operating the steering wheel paddles, and clearly perceive the engine brake. It only takes a few metres to forget that you are driving an electric car, so faithful are the electronics in reproducing the operation of a conventional car.
Unique, it was said: a sort of ‘best of both worlds’ in which the advantages of electric in terms of emissions and sustainability are combined with those of a car with strong emotions. What’s more, you only have to change driving mode to drive away in absolute silence and comfort, as if you were at the wheel of a normal crossover. Or almost.
