Hyundai has kick-started the electrification of its performance division with the highly anticipated Ioniq 5 N, a track-honed hot hatch with a "race car DNA".
The aggressively styled reworking of the loniq 5 is the first electric Hyundai to undergo an extensive reconfiguration by the firm's N division, the team behind the acclaimed i20 N and i30 N.
The new EV "electrifies the passion of driving", according to N's technical boss, Tyrone Johnson, best known for being the brains behind the venerable final-generation Ford Focus RS.
It sits on the same E-GMP electric architecture as the standard model but gets a larger, 84kWh battery, a bespoke all-wheel-drive powertrain and a suite of technological additions to "meld the driver with the car".
Now developing 600bhp and 545lb ft of torque as standard, the N-badged loniq trumps the technically related 577bhp Kia EV6 GT, which shares its platform. Reserves are boosted to 641bhp and 567lb ft when in 'N Grin Boost' mode -sufficient for a BMW M3-beating 0-62mph time of just 3.4 sec.
This story is from the July 19, 2023 edition of Autocar UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 19, 2023 edition of Autocar UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
"I'm not surprised that EVs haven't taken off, because most of them suck"
Peter Rawlinson's uniquely dissenting views helped turn Lucid into a major force. As he steps back from the front line, he tells MARK TISSHAW how
Matt Prior
I've bought an Audi A2. It’s a 2003 74bhp 1.4-litre diesel and, because it didn’t have an MOT, it cost me £500.
HYUNDAI IONIQ 9
Here comes another upmarket seven-seat SUV with a calm and cosseting ambience and a long-range electric powertrain
Damien Smith
The most tiresome catchphrase in motorsport? 'It's not as good as it used to be.' Inevitably true in some respects, it's also false in at least as many and always utterly pointless to dwell on. The world keeps spinning, and while it's both enjoyable and important to reflect on and indulge in the past (I admit that I'm as guilty as anyone), it's also vital to live for today and squeeze every drop from the here and now.
Cheap skates
Electric cars, and new cars in general, are expensive. You know it, we know it, and even though they prefer to draw your attention to attractive-looking finance deals and the potential savings of electric driving, car makers know it.
LEXUS RX
Life will be a lot less comfortable now this luxury SUV has left us
THE CLASS-TOPPING ASTON WITH OLD-SCHOOL CHARM
Mk2 Vantage was our top pick when it arrived in 2018 – and now it's £60k
A Q-car classic for the 21st century
Registered in 1970, Jules Cranwell's 'woody' was one of the last Morris Minor Travellers to be built. It left the Adderley Park production line with a 1098cc A-series engine - fine in its day but, according to Jules, a liability in the 21st century. \"In standard trim, the Morris Minor is very slow so I've modified mine a little so that it can keep up with today's traffic,\" he says.
NEW AUDI A6 AVANT KEEPS THE DIESEL FLAME BURNING
Sporty-looking next-gen estate arrives in diesel-hybrid and petrol guise
CUPRA TAVASCAN
Can a big family EV capture this brand's young, sporty ethos? Let's see
