Hyundai’s Mighty New N-Branded 650hp EV Hatch Redefines Fun To Drive

South Korea’s Hyundai is trying its hardest to make electric vehicles (EVs) more fun. And it’s succeeding. If you have ever found EVs boring or dull, take a look at the new ‘Ioniq 5 N,’ an AWD hot hatch from hell that was just unveiled in the UK last week. It might just be the most exciting, cost-effective EV ever.

Why? Because in addition to offering a radical concept car-styled exterior design, it also delivers some cool tech including an ‘N Grin Boost’ mode, an ‘N Drift Optimiser’ that allows anyone to drift without spinning out, an ‘N e-shift’ mode that gives a manual transmission mission-like experience despite being an EV, and an active sound system that boasts three mesmerizing, if not synthetically created tones to match a driver’s mood.

Incidentally, the name ‘N’ has the same connotation as BMW’s ‘M’ or Honda’s ‘Type R.’ In other words, it means high performance. Last Sunday saw the end of the 30th anniversary of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the world’s biggest motorsport festival—a place where old meets new and the greatest racing stars make their mark. At this venue in Sussex, 60 miles south of London, where Porsche and Lotus both celebrated their 75th anniversaries, Hyundai made a huge splash with their new radical N-badged EV. Befitting the Korean brand’s first-ever launch at Goodwood, the Ioniq 5 N introduction was hosted by well-known British model and racer Jodie Kidd, who welcomed the Goodwood Estate’s owner, the Duke of Richmond, and Hyundai president Jae Hoon Chang on stage.

What Kidd did with the Duke and President Chang was debut the electrification of Hyundai’s performance division with the launch of the Ioniq 5 N, a hot hatch with ‘racing car DNA’ and capable of a sub-8 minute lap time around the famed Nurburgring in Germany. The aggressively styled car is the first Hyundai high-performance EV to undergo extensive modifications by the N division, the development team behind the acclaimed i20 N and i30 N, and led my engineering magician Albert Biermann, who just happens to be the former chief tech specialist at BMW’s M Division.

The N-badged Ioniq, which produces 600 hp and 545 lb-ft of torque in standard specification, beats the 577 hp Kia EV6 GT, with which it shares a platform and is technically related. In ‘N-Grin Boost’ mode, power is boosted to 650 hp and 567 lb-ft of torque for up to 10 seconds, with a 0-100 km/h time of just 3.4 seconds, a time that beats the BMW M3. To make the driving experience as exciting as possible, it also comes with an ’N-Drift Optimizer’ mode, which meticulously manages torque delivery to all four wheels, thus preventing drivers from spinning out, while also introducing an ‘N-Grin mode’, that sharply increases the boost of the motor. Only Hyundai offers these features.

Then, to maximize the brand’s exposure at this high profile event, Hyundai unleashed a new Ioniq 5 N and three of the company’s rally cars onto the Goodwood track to put on a spectacular 10-minute performance featuring multiple spin turns, donuts and clouds of white tire smoke. I got the impression that Hyundai—through its Ioniq 5 N launch—was making a super-human effort to make the biggest, splashiest impact it could. The very stylish Ioniq 5 already has a strong name in the EV world, having won multiple car awards—including the UK and German Car of the Year gongs and the inaugural Best Cars of the Year award, but its 5 N version takes performance and fun to a whole new level.

As someone who saw the presentation in person, what surprised me more than anything was the appearance on stage of the car’s three main development engineers and designers including Hyundai Group president, and head of R&D, Albert Biermann and design director Simon Loasby. While their comments were eye-opening, the enthusiasm they showed towards Hyundai, sports driving and each other was rare and unexpected. I have witnessed hundreds of car launches, but I must say that it is rare to see all major players in the creation of a car appear on stage and grin so much.

Their level of enjoyment and ‘grinning’ on stage was infectious and made it easy to see where they sourced the names for their ’N Grin Mode.’ It was abundantly clear that these guys really like cars and driving and are truly trying to inject some excitement into EVs. Because let’s face it—there’s a glut of electric vehicles on the global market now with cars piling up in dealer lots as customers delay their uptake of EVs due to high sticker prices, range anxiety and infrastructure issues. Injecting some passion into owning and driving EVs is what the market needs, and Hyundai, in its own way appears to be reaching for the lead.

Another aspect of the car that impressed was the “N Active Sound+” feature that employs 10 interior speakers and 2 exterior ones to simulate a variety of engine and exhaust notes both inside and outside the vehicle. There are a few different sound profiles available, including a “Supersonic” theme that Hyundai said was inspired by fighter jets. Of course, while all the sounds are artificially created, they are definitely worth listening to. And according to Biermann, the brand will add the odd extra sound in the near future that will be downloadable.

The brakes have also been significantly strengthened to cope with the 650 hp and high forces on track, while Hyundai has adapted the regenerative braking system to work in unison with the hydraulic brakes. Range has not yet been confirmed, but is expected to be between 200 and 220 miles. The 800V architecture of the standard car will be carried over from the standard Ioniq, with the battery able to charge from zero to 80% in 18 minutes. When asked about the car’s performance on the famed German Nurburgring track, chief development officer Albert Biermann said that his hatchback was the only EV capable of doing two full laps back-to-back at full speed, and in under 8-minutes each lap. Most EVs can only do one lap at present before running out of juice.

The 5N’s exterior differs significantly from the standard model. It has a lower, wider and more imposing stance and is 80 mm longer and 50 mm wider. The front grille and bumper have been aggressively modified for a more track-focused appearance, while the new ‘N-mask’ front end treatment incorporates active air flaps for brake cooling. Chief designer Simon Loasby says that the exterior modifications of the ‘5 N’ were made to enhance the car’s performance, with the fully flat underbody, large rear diffuser and huge sticky tires helping to realize the tech division’s goals, with the bespoke matte blue paintwork being the highlight of the cosmetic revisions. He was also raved about the car’s bespoke steering wheel which was specially designed to house all of the car’s ’N’ buttons and switches, while reportedly giving a new level of feedback to the driver.

As someone who finds it difficult to get excited about EVs, the level of the Ioniq 5 N’s tech, gizmos and ‘N’ innovations, plus Hyundai’s self-defined ‘grin’ factor, makes me want to test drive the Ioniq 5 N more than any EV since the Porsche Taycan way back in 2018. Imagine a 650-hp AWD electric car with a drift mode that makes it virtually impossible to spin while delivering reasonable range. Some EV fans may find the artificially-generated sounds—including that jet fighter engine roar—a little annoying, but I feel it’s a clever addition to the car’s fun-to-drive package as it allows a driver to ‘feel’ and hear the throttle when drifting. Prices for the ‘5 N’ are still under wraps, but with a standard Ioniq 5 starting at around $41,500, expect the radically modified high performance Ioniq 5 N to land in showrooms next year somewhere in the vicinity of $65,000.