Hyundai has shown almost all of the Ioniq 5 N before its official debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. As an electric vehicle that’s fun to drive, things look great, even more so after getting beat up on the German Nürburgring, where Hyundai’s N Division has a testing center. The idea is to give the trendy Ioniq 5 the N treatment as the company did with the Veloster N (RIP) and Elantra N in the past. But one major problem needs to be fixed immediately: how can an electric vehicle have the same bright, powerful personality as these cars? Said, sum it up! Hyundai made “N Active Sound +” and “N e-Shift” to give drivers more information and give them the same dramatic effects as slamming off gears. The turbocharged 2.0-liter engine in the Veloster and Elantra N is characterized by three different sound themes: Ignition, Evolution, and Supersonic. These themes are made up of the burbles and pops that come from the exhaust pipes. I’m not the only one who wants to try this. It’s a lot of fun or just a waste of time. Regenerative braking is another thing that makes driving an EV stand out. Hyundai says that the Ioniq 5 N’s regenerative braking can pull up to 0.6 G, which may not be suitable for regularly transporting people comfortably. But this is both funny and helpful for practice on the track. It will even start up again when the ABS kicks in, which is excellent for drivers who are used to trail-braking long into turns when driving exciting front-wheel drive cars. It will also be interesting to see how well all the brakes work together since this could lead to more laps. The brakes themselves look like they can handle the task. They are 15.7 inches long and have better cooling features. Hyundai says that the two technologies can work together, even if it seems like being able to use regen often might conflict with standard hydraulic actuation. Lastly, heat control and energy use get a lot of attention because they significantly affect how many laps the car can do and what kind of lap times it can set. The Ioniq can be set to any setting by using “N Battery Preconditioning” with its “Drag” and “Track” modes. Track increases the range, while Drag changes the temperature of the battery cells to increase power. “N Race” is also included, giving the driver the most power and direct control. No official information about the bolted-up suspension has been released, but if it drives like the Veloster N and Elantra N, the handling should be excellent.
