It may not sound like I'm in an electric vehicle, but I am. This is the Hyundai ionic 5n, and I'm on the Laguna Sea. This is awesome. Some Enthusiasts know battery electric vehicles can be a hoot. Others see EVS as a sure sign of the apocalypse. The Hyundai ionic 5n could be the Messiah of Motorsports, the one to unite all damn Hyundai has brought Automotive.
Riders to the promised land WeatherTech Raceway Laguna sea in Monterey County, California, to demonstrate what happens when you push the engineering of an EV to the nth degree that this car has a certain magic, a combination of features which makes you feel uh one with the Road and not the vehicle controlling you but the other way around retailing for $67,500 including destination but not second sticker it's hard to find this much performance bang for the buck in
Any other showroom gas or electric ionic 5n is not a stripes and trim package. It's a very deep, high-performance variant, and after spending a day with it, you get the feeling that Hyundai really wants to prove something. Something Typically, the performance formula is to add power, bigger brakes, better cooling, stiffer suspension, sticky rubber on 21-in Wheels, and bolstered seats 5n gets all of that. Of course, it shares its EMP architecture with Kia's
Highly regarded EV6 GT, and I'll admit heading into this program, I figured those engineering chops were copied and pasted into me, but 5n is in a different league. This mot-inspired track endurance means that the ionic 5n can literally survive two laps on the nursing Nord lifer when most EVS, as we know, can barely make one lap on the north lifer for longer runs like that set the car to endurance for shorter maximum intensity dial it to
Sprint 5n has serious GID up, so obviously, this ended up being the most powerful Hyundai product ever produced for production cars. I think when the team set out to develop this car, there really was no Benchmark right, and the idea for this car was to set kind of the Benchmark of a performance EV, and what it can be and what it should be on a daily basis NS upgraded dual motor all-wheel drive punches out 601 horsepower and 543 lb-feet of torque to
Move 4,860 lb of Steel plastic and lithium-ion battery pack. Push this button, and it rises to 641 horses and 568 lb-feet for 10 seconds. Think Porsche sport Chrono button. Give it 10 seconds of recovery, and the Endrin boost is ready to fog again. Lather, rinse and repeat until the pack is spent. There was a lot of work done to enhance the the torsional rigidity of the car, so a lot more welding points uh much greater use.
Of structure adhesives, uh, there's actually some um uh steel members in the inner rear wheel well to kind of help add a little bit even more rigidity to the back of the car, so there's actually a significant amount of work just to kind of like I said to help you know to ensure that this car does handle properly uh when you're driving in a fun manner the transmission remains single speed there's no physical Cog swaps these add and subtract
Regeneration drags in some Drive modes in others; they're for toggling the artificial shifts custom settings can be stored in memory for a fast call-up. The Battery is larger, 84 watt-hours, with higher density than the neighbor ionic 5. The pack can be pre-cooled before tracking timelines from the air conditioning run through the Battery. Overall, there's more cooling. The motors and Batteries get separate channels because this is on the EGMP architecture.
Charging can be quick. We're able to maintain that 18-minute charge time, so 10 to 80% 18 minutes for the EV. It's a great uh capability right to be able to go out and have fun for 20 minutes, charge for 20 and go back out again, so it keeps you, you know, able to do it quite often. Ionic 5n is EPA range rated at 221 Mi, that's some 40 Mi lower than other all-wheel-drive 5 models. Every suspension component is a unique damper.
Are adaptive The steering rack has been strengthened, chassis reinforcements are significant power bias gets 11 levels of adjustment sending up to 70% to the [Applause] rear Hyundai vice president June Park is using end drift Optimizer here he can because he's a VP there's an electronic limited-slip rear differential I could go on for 20 minutes about tech upgrades and fine-tuning that's been done, but it's time to see what this machine can
Do many of you have been here before? You know that this is a very serious track um pay attention uh to the lines um because you can get caught out uh with the weight transfer uh and this vehicle has up to 641 horsepower so I'm a decent pilot hardly a pro I've not driven Laguna sea before and I don't play video games so this should be interesting it's lead follows so I can't get into too much trouble triple digit speeds will be a good test for my camera mounts we get
After three sessions of four laps in neutral, I'm greeted by a throbbing sound like Engine Idol. What a fun job I have. It's only sometimes this fun, no testing. Hyundai is claimed 0 to 60 times in 3.2 seconds today. Uh, that seems conservative to me. Heading out in active sound plus has been activated, in this case, a synthetic 2 L turbocharged four-cylinder. I really like the sound, um. I don't typically like noises in my EVS, but it
Certainly works for this route through the Bose speakers. This sounds better in person; I have more on my mind than switching to the synthesizer or jet engine tones at high speed on a difficult and unfamiliar track. More will likely be optional. Uh they can be turned down or off. You might have heard that the corkscrew's very intimidating Regent braking system is another pretty incredible one, so this one has a really.
A strong great amount of regen is a different kind of way of thinking about regen, right? It's less about efficiency and less about recuperating energy but more about having a dynamic feel and dynamic control of the braking uh while at the same time minimizing the mechanical wear on the car. The regen component of the braking will maintain throughout at a slightly minimized level but will still preserve even under hard like ABS breaking conditions and Rec.
Recovery can be adjusted for proper weight transfer when entering Corners. Okay, braking feels really natural. The regen and physical brakes feather in very nicely. I don't even want to think about the tyres and how I'm chewing these suckers up. No mercy for them on the second set of four laps. NE shift is activated torque kicks and micro deceleration mimic the feeling of selecting eight different dual clutch ratios, the amount of work that was done.
To ensure that the shifting feels extremely natural, every single individual gear has a different kind of torque map to it, so simulating that kind of like increase and buildup in torque that kind of plateau. You can bounce off of a virtual Red Line, but the shifts the feeling of shifts in between each shift, especially if you're under wide open throttle, that punch in the back's pretty.
Phenomenal, okay, so here's the thing: there's the sound, but you actually feel the shift, um, it's an actual physical [Music] thing. Oh wow, even a little bit of grumble downshifting BPZ. That's awesome. Wow, it really does feel like the real thing, um, which, you know, know, gives you cues. The best analogy I can offer is those virtual reality rides that only.
Move a little, but give Riders the feeling they're entering hyperspace. All right, let's check out the manual paddles up against the rev limiter glad I'm not doing that in an ice car. These simulations are organic and natural to my brain. Some will see them as gimmicks in use. The haptics and audio cues can be valuable again, and all can be adjusted or turned off. It sounds like this on the [Music]
Inside, but to the rest of the [Music] world, it's stealthy, drawing less attention to your shenanigans, and communities around racetracks won't complain so much. Who animal? A large mammal just went across the track guess they don't hear it? These things are quiet. The low centre of gravity is a huge asset one thing that Hyundai can't simulate is lightness Eevees are porkers; for sure, that mass is
Felt in hard Maneuvers, 5n feels as light on its parties as a 4800 lb car. Can this thing pull and pull and pull and pull? Um, it never runs out of power feels really natural. The regen and physical brakes feather in very nicely before the third set of laps. Let's check out the cockpit available in any colour as long as it's black. The big change from a normal 5 is this substantial console with knee padding for bracing in hard cornering it works.
As intended, grippy and well bolstered, the seats are heated and vented, no sacrificing. Creature Comforts for sports, uh: they are manual if that's a deal. Breer rounding out the major changes, a beefy heated wheel with buttons for storing custom Drive modes. I understand no sunroof is being offered, but I'd like to see a heads-up display selling this to your significant other. I took the n on regular roads for a half hour to soften the
With suspension and dial-back pedal response, it becomes a great everyday driver while keeping its chuckle fun. It never gets as soft and cosy as the standard Ionic 5, though other than the added console, the Interior Space remains identical, and it gets the full active electronic dash safety Tech package as top Ionic 5 models, including highway driving Assist 2 back here there's room for three average-sized adults the only thing compromised is foot room a little
And no pockets on the seatbacks 5n has a true jackal and hide personality right down to useful cargo space seats. Upthere are 26 cubic feet of stor storage, a foot less than normal. Fives dropped, there are 59, there are no spare, only a repair kit. On the third lap session, I play with the end grin button to see how fast I can go on this [Music] straight 119 not bad; the extra 40 horses
And 23 lb-feet can be felt on uphill stretches, but there's not much straightaway room to use the Boost Laguna sea. It's a challenging track. Wow, for most owners, ionic 5n will be like slicing cheddar with a chainsaw. It needs a track even to start exploring the capabilities. I've driven a Porsche Tyon GTS at Thunderhill Raceway, and the experience is remarkably similar at a third of the price for those wanting the
Ends haptic in audible feedback. The Hyundai might even get the nod just to power through corners with lots of energy. These cars have been running hard all day long with occasional 10-minute breaks. We're the second wave of journalists this week. These cars are being hammered. None have slowed down or faltered, damn it, hey, I'll admit getting into some trouble; ah, that's on me; Fortunately, 5n has a forgiving steering feel that builds nicely. There are
Proper understeer at the limit, boy, the control is spot on. You can drift stability control feathers in without being an overbearing babysitter. I have really good GoPro mounts, and, um, check that out. Yeah, that's the end of that shot. No real-world range testing today. Those 221 miles are being obliterated at high-speed last lap for track days. Hyundai has developed a track state of charge algorithm that calculates battery consumption on every lap in case the
Raceway doesn't have high-speed Chargers, and you driving [Music] home a quick design overview comparing this against the standard five N is a couple of inches wider and a sco longer to accommodate the tyres and aerodynamic front and rear. This is more pronounced when the slots and grooves reminiscent of 1970s-era clock radios are replaced by a checkered flag Motif, a graphic found inside to a lot of focus again on that.
Uh, that tracking capability, right? So it's a much more open front grill with active air curtains, active air flaps, uh a lot of focus on cooling, right? As you can expect on an EV, between batteries and Motors, you know you definitely need to have a lot of uh good airflow throughout the car. Ionic fives or game design with its Dart down the flanks are always polarized. Oddly, The high-performance tweaks give the styling a more mainstream appeal available in
Five Paints, the two best Hues, happen to have matte finishes and beautiful stuff. They add a th000 bucks to the price and require Extra Care. Maybe pass on performance blue and ecotropic grey if bird poop and tree sap are issues where you park. Let's wrap this up:
- It's red light
- Greenlight time
- Green lights track-ready
- All-wheel drive performance for less money than any Bas Porsche
Uh, yes, please, groundbreaking shift simulations and audio cues actually Aid drivers.
Sound on the inside and silence on the outside means fun without attracting attention. The end's racetrack personality switches to a useful family haulier with a single button push yellow lights, brilliant handling, yes. Still, there's heft felt in the hard cornering of the performance console knee brace eliminates space for backpacks and purses. Heated vented and bolstered chairs are manual no power or memory red lights at 221 Mi of rated.
Range a standard all-wheel drive ionic 5 travels 40 m farther per charge with no sunroof or head-up display for end models starting at 675. Tales of astronomical dealer markups are already happening. Haggle [Music] hard more than stripes and trim. Heck, more than just added power and suspension tuning, the Ionic 5n is a breakthrough vehicle offering unmatched Tech value drivers, not slack jaw by its
Capability and features are likely EV haters who want a hate look. Um, whether you like Eevees or not, this is an amazing machine on the track. Um, you have to get past the fact that gas-powered cars are the only performance Vehicles. This is a very deep car. It's loads of fun. You got to try it. You have to try it to understand it. You really do now. Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the seat, check my finances, and figure out how to get one of these into my
Driveway [Music]: as much as I try to give you the experience of being in the car with me here, I simply can't 5n needs to be driven to be understood, and for those never intending to track time, I'd love to see an online ionic 5 for Street fun at a lower price no extra power but with a sharper suspension and cosmetic package if you haven't figured this out full disclosure Hyundai brought me down to
Monterey County put me up and fed me good food, but the words that I speak are true before I go. I've been saying for years that electric vehicles have a place in the performance world, and this proves it. Hyundai has taken it up a notch's a very deep vehicle, and before you diss EVS, you really have to drive them on the track. They're different but loads of fun. They really are. Thanks for watching. Hey, if you haven't
Already subscribed to this channel? Could you do it now? Click notifications, follow me on social media, and if you have a question, leave it in the comments. I'll try to get to you that's driven. I'm Tom Vulk
