Hyundai Ioniq 5N – test drive – Family SUV excites:

(ELBIL24 IN BARCELONA): You probably know the Hyundai Ioniq 5 from before. A popular South Korean family SUV known for good range, fast charging and several smart features. Today there are 11,350 copies of it on Norwegian roads.

However, with the new Ioniq 5N, Hyundai is writing a new chapter. And it is a very exciting one, obviously penned by several talented writers. Or engineers, if you will.

The engineers behind the car have come up with what is quickly the market’s coolest upgrade of an already established model. On the outside, it may look the same as the regular Ioniq 5, but it actually differs by a few centimeters here and there. Certain details are also different. It is nevertheless on the inside that we find what makes this model so new and interesting.

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Bigger battery

We might as well reveal it first as last. The new Ioniq 5N is a raw power pack with fierce performance and several functions that simply make driving the car a lot of fun. At the same time, Hyundai has preserved much of what makes the Ioniq 5 a highly relevant family car. The result excites, and the price, which we will return to later, is not a deterrent either.

To take the comparison with regular Ioniq 5 first; new Ioniq 5N is 8 centimeters longer, 5 centimeters wider and 2 centimeters lower. The differences in length and width are mainly due to the fact that Hyundai has prioritized larger front and rear skirts on the 5N, and also lowered the car marginally for sporting reasons.

With the new Ioniq 5N, Hyundai has also made some adjustments to improve aerodynamics, including an airy grill. This also ensures that the engine can be cooled with air from the surroundings.

The newcomer comes with 21-inch wheels as standard and this is actually the biggest ever on a Hyundai in Europe. With larger tires also come larger and more powerful brakes.

The battery pack has also become larger and now holds 84 kWh compared to 77 kWh on the Ioniq 5. Here it must be specified that even newer versions of the regular Ioniq 5 will eventually get 84 kWh.

650 horsepower

There is no need for a larger battery pack when a family SUV like the Ioniq 5 is to be tuned into a sports car, but there is no disadvantage either. It is clear that Hyundai has put performance high on the priority list for the new Ioniq 5N.

The model comes with 609 horsepower, but with a simple press of the orange button on the steering wheel, you activate boost mode – and a further 41 horsepower. A total of 650 horsepower that will make you smile. In that sense, it is fitting that Hyundai has given the function the name N Grin Boost, where grin stands for grin.

The grin doesn’t get any less wide from the acceleration. 0-100 km/h is done in 3.4 seconds. This is better than natural competitors such as the Kia EV6 GT (3.5 seconds), the Tesla Model Y Performance (3.7 seconds) and the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT (3.7 seconds).

The top speed is also fierce: 260 km/h.

Sound that delivers

With powerful performances, it is an advantage to have good support in the seats. Hyundai’s sports seats both look good and are good to sit in. Admittedly, you have to adjust the seats manually, but Hyundai mentions that electronic adjustment may come at a later date.

The steering wheel is new, the center console slightly different and the driver’s environment feels more intimate and sporty. On the roads out of the center of Barcelona, ​​we immediately know that this is a car you want to drive hard. Fortunately, we are on our way to Parcmotor Castellolí, a 4.1 kilometer long racetrack on the outskirts of the Spanish metropolis.

On the way there, we manage to be very impressed by two things in particular – which in combination make the drive unique for an electric car; artificial engine sound and electric gearshift.

Hyundai has given the functions names N Sound+ and N e-Shift. Artificial engine sound in electric cars is nothing new, but Hyundai takes the sound effects to new heights. Here you can choose between three different ones and all are good, but it is in combination with the electric gearing that the sound really comes into its own.

And the gearing? It feels as real as you can get. The levers on the steering wheel allow you to shift up and down, and the car jerks a little when you change gears. If you continue to give gas without shifting, the car screams for a gear change. We test this in the video at the top of the article. If you downshift while the speed is still high, you will get a bang from the “exhaust pot”. This also feels surprisingly real. The gearing and the sounds give so much driving pleasure that Hyundai may have set a new standard here. The combination is so unique that it must be experienced.

Even at the lowest speeds, this provides driving pleasure. In other words, N Sound+ and N e-Shift are effects you will enjoy a lot in everyday life.

The button that lights up at you

There is no getting away from the fact that there is one button on the steering wheel in particular that lights up towards us when we are sitting in the driver’s seat of the Ioniq 5N. Fortunately, the orange-red button does not have the text “DO NOT PUSH” written on it, but NGB.

As you know, the N is the sports car hallmark for Hyundai, in the same way that M is for BMW. The G is a big Grin (grin) and the B is for Boost. If you press the button, you activate maximum horse power for 10 seconds – and guarantee tickling in the stomach. After the 10 seconds of boost has passed, you must wait another 10 seconds for it to activate again. But it’s worth the wait.

We use the button extensively on the longest plains on the track outside Barcelona. Here we have also put the car in N-Race – a driving mode Hyundai has put together to maximize the experience on the track. If you start from scratch, Launch Mode is an intense experience.

The Ioniq 5N also comes with its own Drift Mode, which is adjusted so that you can lie wide as easily as possible – primarily on the track.

In short, the new Ioniq 5N comes with many exciting modes and effects. At the same time, you can make many adjustments and shape your own driving settings. Here you see some of the choices:

Range and charging

Despite the powerful performance of the Ioniq 5N, the model comes with a decent range. The WLTP range is stated at 448 kilometers, while the consumption in mixed driving is stated at 2.12 kWh per mile.

Some may prefer longer range on a 2024 model, but they can take comfort in fast charging. The car comes with 800V charging and a maximum charging power of 239 kW.

The maximum charging power is the same as on the regular Ioniq 5, but despite the fact that the battery pack is larger on the 5N, they charge just as quickly from 10-80 percent. It must be done in just 18 minutes. The reason is a better charging curve of 5N.

The Ioniq 5N also comes with V2L, so you can charge external devices. Like, for example, a cabin, like here with regular Ioniq 5:

Still for families?

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is undoubtedly a good family car. The question is whether 5N can be the same. The answer to that is yes, but you have to deal with some changes. The Ioniq 5N comes with sports seats and is significantly more rigidly set up. The rigid setup is a matter of habit for many and does not have to mean much. Many Norwegian families are known to drive around in comparable Tesla Model Y Performance. The Ioniq 5N is both comfortable and quiet when driven in normal driving mode.

The boot itself is the same, and it is very practical that the rear seat is on rails and can be pushed back and forth. This means you can choose between larger luggage compartment space or larger legroom for the rear seat passengers. However, the well under the trunk is smaller, as Hyundai has prioritized more space for the rear engine. This gives you a boot volume of 480 liters on the Ioniq 5N compared to 527 liters on the regular Ioniq 5. The trunk is also gone on the 5N, again due to the need for more space for the engine. Here, however, you miss out on only 24 liters compared to a four-wheel drive Ioniq 5.

The roof load is the same – and it is a whopping 80 kilograms. Incidentally, the model comes without a panoramic glass roof, but Hyundai specifies that most of its traditional Ioniq 5 customers have bought a car without it anyway.

The biggest shortcoming of the Ioniq 5N is the trailer weight anyway. The sporty newcomer to Hyundai comes without a permissible towing weight. A dealbreaker for many Norwegians, unimportant for others. If you can manage without it, the Ioniq 5N is a perfectly good family car. Which also stands out and gives you something extra.

Price and competitors

The new Hyundai Ioniq 5N comes with a price tag of NOK 720,000. Then it is top-equipped and the only thing you really need to pay extra for are the winter wheels.

As mentioned earlier in the article, there are some models that stand out as natural competitors. The cousin Kia EV6 GT is obvious. The interesting thing is that with the EV6 GT you get a shorter range (424 km), fewer horsepower (585) and slightly slower acceleration (3.5 seconds). The Ioniq 5N is also NOK 30,000 cheaper, and then you get the impressive sound and transmission technology with the purchase. To mention something.

The Ford Mustang Mach-E GT is slightly cheaper (NOK 682,000) and comes with a somewhat longer range (490 km/h), but has fewer horsepower (487) and slower acceleration (3.7 seconds). It also appears somewhat older and less modern than the Ioniq 5N.

The toughest competitor for Hyundai’s sportiest electric car will probably be the Tesla Model Y. The Performance edition costs from NOK 574,000 and then you get a trailer hitch and trailer weight of up to 1,600 kilos. Model Y Performance has fewer horsepower (534), slower acceleration (3.7 seconds with 1 foot roll-out) and shorter range (514 km.) And then it’s important to clarify that you get a completely different sporty driving experience with the Ioniq 5N , among other things because of the sports seats, e-gear and raw sound effects. It is not difficult to understand those who want to pay extra for the experience.