N Grin Boost included in the price
- Bigger battery and more aggressive body
- N Grin Boost mode: engaged
- Uprated handling
- Mimicking petrol-powered hot hatches
- Bargain price?
Hyundai has revealed that its ultra high-performance Ioniq 5 N electric car will cost from £65,000 in the UK, with order books for the zero-emission super hatch now open.
Representing the first model from Hyundai blending its electric “Ioniq” brand with the sports-focused “N” division, the Ioniq 5 N will have up to 641bhp and a 0-62mph time of just 3.4 seconds.
Bigger battery and more aggressive body
Hyundai’s retro-futuristic Ioniq 5 has been a hit since it arrived in 2021, thanks to advanced 800-volt electrical architecture that means it can be recharged really quickly on a DC connection — a 10-80 per cent battery top-up can be achieved in as little as 18 minutes.
The Ioniq 5 N builds on that platform, essentially being a heavily uprated version of the dual-motor Long Range AWD version. It also gains a bigger battery pack, rated at a capacity of 84kWh.
Hyundai hasn’t yet published a figure for the potential range between charges of the Ioniq 5 N, but with its slightly larger battery offsetting the more powerful drivetrain that’s sure to be less efficient, expect it to be in the same sort of sub-300-mile bracket as the Long Range AWD version of the regular car.
You certainly won’t mistake an Ioniq 5 N for one of the more everyday models. It’s 20mm lower, 50mm wider and 80mm longer than a regular car, the latter dimension accounted for by a sizeable aerodynamic diffuser at the back, while it sits on 21in alloy wheels.
Its lower bodywork is finished in contrasting black to give the car more aggression, and these areas of the car highlighted by a distinctive Luminous Orange pinstripe running all around.
N Grin Boost mode: engaged
Inside, the interior is suitably sporty, with deep, N-logoed leather-and-Alcantara sports seats, N-specific graphics for the main digital displays and even knee pads and a shin support for the driver so that their legs don’t get knocked about during hard cornering.
The steering wheel is N-specific too, and you might notice one of the two drive-mode select buttons is finished in red and marked ‘NGB’. This stands for N Grin Boost — no, seriously — and if you press it, the car’s output will, for a limited time, rise from 601bhp to the headline 641bhp.
Further technology includes Hyundai’s latest “connected car navigation cockpit” with faster processing power, as well as an augmented-reality head-up display with bespoke N graphics.
And for the eco-conscious, quite a lot of the Ioniq 5 N’s cabin is made from sustainable materials, including recycled plastic bottles and yarn made from sugarcane.
Uprated handling
Although the N is an Ioniq 5 AWD with all the numbers turned up to 11, it’s not just a load of additional power (the next most potent Ioniq 5 has 320bhp) without any thought to how the car will handle it. Beneath the mean-looking shell, the 5 N has a stiffer structure, revised steering and electronically controlled suspension, all designed to make it sharp in the corners — as befits a hot hatch, electric or not.
Hyundai has also tried to bring the fun to ultra-rapid EV driving with features such as brakes that help the car turn into corners, a drift-optimisation function for those who want to make the Ioniq 5 slide about on track and variable torque distribution to make sure the car can transmit its ample power to the road.
Mimicking petrol-powered hot hatches
There are also two technologies called N e-shift and N Active Sound+, the former which mimics the noises and behaviour of an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, while the latter employs 10 speakers to give the driver something to listen to.
The active sound system can play either the noises of two of Hyundai’s fast petrol-powered cars, these being the i30 N and Kona N, or it can even transmit the soundtrack of twin-engined fighter jets.
Alongside its eye-catching 161mph top speed and a colossal 546lb ft of torque, the Ioniq 5 N is just as rapid for battery charging as it is for going along the road. The same 18-minute 10-80 per cent charge is possible on a 350kW DC connection.
At home, if you have three-phase electric and an 11kW hook-up, it’ll take seven hours 35 minutes to completely replenish the battery, while a more modest 7.4kWh home wallbox will need eleven-and-a-half hours to go from 10-100 per cent battery power.
Bargain price?
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is on sale now, starting at £65,000. Standard equipment is very generous, as the only listed options are metallic/ pearl/ gloss paint for £665, matte paint for £885 and a panoramic roof for £1,250.
A vast amount of comfort tech, advanced driver assist safety systems and N-specific equipment is provided for the outlay, which overall doesn’t look too bad when the Ioniq 5 Long Range AWD starts from £53,445 as a top-spec Ultimate model.
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Keyword: Hyundai Ioniq 5 N electric super hatch goes on sale, priced from £65,000