The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N electric sportster arrives in New Zealand

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, the firm’s first high performance electric vehicle, is now available in New Zealand.

With its dual-motor 478kW/770Nm AWD powertrain Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N can evidently hit open road speeds in 3.4sec when using the N Grin Boost facility. The sticker price of $134,990 plus ORCs slightly undercuts that of the Kia EV6 GT.

Hyundai New Zealand CEO, Scott Kelsey, commented “The Ioniq 5 N is a car we are immensely excited about introducing to the New Zealand market. 

“The Ioniq 5 N represents the pinnacle of research and development. There has always been a question mark of whether an electric vehicle can reproduce the enjoyment factor of a combustion vehicle. One quick spin in the Ioniq 5 N is enough to answer this question with a resounding yes.”

This performance car merges Hyundai N’s three core principles: Everyday Sportscar, Corner Rascal, and Racetrack Capability.

For the usable sportscar, the Ioniq 5 N ushers in new technologies including N Active Sound+ (simulated to sound like an ICE/EV performance car, or a jet fighter) and N e-Shift (virtual gearshift feeling). And it is engineered to be quiet, comfortable and cossetting during everyday driving.

As for the Corner Rascal, the I 5 N leverages its E-GMP platform to deliver dynamic capability and driving fun through features such as N Torque Distribution (11 settings, varying front to rear split), electronic LSD (varies torque between the rear wheels), adaptive damping and a reinforced body structure compared with the Ioniq 5. That car, incidentally, was the World Car of the Year, 2022.

Racetrack capability is delivered through such technologies as N Race, N Pedal, N Launch Control, N Grin Boost and Track State of Charge.

Pick the I 5 N by its exclusive bumpers, wheel arch extensions, orange luminous strip front and rear, black mirror caps and 21-inch forged alloys shod with P-Zero HN tyres. Inside are N Lightweight sports front seats clad in black Alcantara suede and natural leather. A sports steering wheel houses all the N mode controls. The pedals and footrest are optimised for convenient daily use and maximum driving pleasure.

Underneath the sporty exterior, the I 5 N’s body, cooling system, friction and regenerative braking systems, axle design and geometry are all reworked from the Ioniq 5. The body is stiffer thanks to extra welds and structural adhesives. Electric steering is quicker and modified for enhanced feedback. Up front, four-piston monobloc calipers act on larger discs while regeneration can evidently produce 0.6G of braking deceleration. There are two brake feel settings, one for road, the other for track.

The Ioniq 5 N has a battery capacity of 84kWh, for a driving range of 448km (WLTP). On a 300w DC charger a 10-80 per cent rezip takes roughly 25min, or 70min attached to a 50kW device. Mean energy consumption is a claimed 21.2kWh/100km.

Hyundai’s first performance EV from the N division is offered in a single fully-equipped variant with the option of a fixed glass vision roof. Both gloss and matte colours are available for the vehicle.