SHOW 'N' TELL

Our 2024 Performance Car of the Year, Hyundai's Ioniq 5 N EV, takes on the revamped Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 N vs ALFA ROMEO GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO

Can Hyundai's EV match a true ICE performance-car benchmark?

PERFORMANCE EVs are often so fast that all meaning has been stripped from 0-62mph times; when you can walk into your local MG dealer and for just over £36,000 buy an MG 4 XPower that covers the benchmark dash in the same 3.7 seconds as an Audi R8 V10 RWD, it's easy to see why.

Yet beyond the thrill of speed, fun is often hard to come by. Bolting a powerful motor or two into a car is one thing, but it's another altogether to add chassis sophistication, precision and genuine personality.

As it stands, just one electric car has proven to be a glorious exception: the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. On our early encounters both abroad and on UK roads, the Korean model has proven that EVs can possess the qualities that thrill and excite keen drivers. And Hyundai has taken some unconventional steps that even enhance those attributes further.

To find out just how good it really is, we've brought along a benchmark car with an internal-combustion engine, and what a benchmark it is. The Giulia Quadrifolgio is one of the finest performance cars Alfa Romeo has produced in decades, and it has been given some small tweaks for 2024 that aim to make it a better driver's car than ever.

If the Hyundai can offer even an ounce of the Giulia's ability, it can be considered a huge success - but just how close can it get?

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