9 Coolest Features Of The 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

Hyundai has revealed its first-ever electric N car, and it doesn't disappoint. The Ioniq 5 N delivers all we expect of a performance EV in a straight line (0-62 mph in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 160 mph) but does something other EVs don't: it introduces flaws for the sake of entertainment.

This might be the most powerful Hyundai ever, but it has fighter jet sounds, a simulated dual-clutch transmission, the highest brake regen of any production EV, a drift mode, and more.

If you had doubts about whether Hyundai would do the same one-trick pony as every other EV maker, brand bosses told us that they didn't even benchmark other OEMs for the Ioniq 5 N's development. Instead, the focus was on hitting the goals the brand has always aimed for: offering daily usability, having race track capability, and being a corner rascal.

Hyundai didn't benchmark against rivals when developing the Ioniq 5 N and says this segment of vehicle doesn't actually exist yet. So instead, it looked in-house, taking tech from the RN22e and N Vision 74 concepts and the eTCR racer. Importantly, testing occurred alongside the i20 N Rally1 Hybrid. That last one is crucial, as the Ioniq 5 N took inspiration from the WRC car for its Integrated Drive Axles (IDA) at the front and rear, reinforced to be able to handle all of the torque (up to 568 lb-ft of it) from the enhanced e-motors while reducing unsprung mass.

The Ioniq 5 N takes the E-GMP skateboard platform and makes it better, with 42 additional weld points and 82.6 inches of extra adhesive to make it stiffer compared to a normal Ioniq 5. The front and rear subframes are stiffer, too, and the battery and motor mounts have been reinforced. That stiffness is good news for feel and feedback, but so is the steering...

A beefier steering column has an N-specific steering rack and a quicker ratio, as well as a rack-mounted motor for the power steering, with a focus on improved feedback and response. A new N-specific steering wheel is grippier and provides all the important controls at your fingertips.

Let's get this out of the way: the Ioniq 5 N is heavier than a normal Ioniq 5. Boo. But it has a bigger battery, more powerful motors, larger 21-inch wheels with Pirelli P Zero rubber, bigger brakes, and way more everything, so this was unavoidable. But Hyundai has done all it can to make the EV feel as agile as possible.

This starts with electronically controlled suspension (completely redesigned from the ground up for grip, agility, and a reduced center of gravity) and adaptive dampers.

But N Pedal is the most important feature, developed specifically to enhance handling and make a hefty EV feel lighter. N Pedal says, "screw efficiency!" in favor of fun, using regenerative braking to create weight transfer on the way into a corner, thus rotating the car toward the apex and pinning the front wheels. From here, brake-based torque vectoring minimizes wheel slip, while the e-LSD on the rear axle distributes torque to the outer wheel for sharper cornering.

That e-LSD has other benefits, like being able to get the rear end loose. Once you've got it sideways, the N Drift Optimizer helps you keep it there by adjusting power outputs, suspension damping, brake application, and more. And if that wasn't cool enough, the Ioniq 5 N can clutch kick like a traditional RWD drift car with a manual.

Torque Kick Drift is the name, using the e-motors to simulate a clutch kick and spin up the rear wheels, prompting immediate drift initiation or helping you keep the slide going for longer.

Capable of applying up to 0.6G of decelerative force, the regen brakes in the Ioniq 5 N are stronger than any other production EV in the world. N Brake Regen is the official name, and it importantly remains active even under ABS engagement, albeit at a slightly lower figure of 0.2G. In daily driving, the regen function handles 80-90% of braking needs, while at the track, as much as 50% of braking is done regeneratively.

By using electric motors for braking, Hyundai has vastly reduced the chance of brake fade, which is why the Ioniq 5 N doesn't need carbon ceramics. Instead, newly developed friction brakes are made from a hybrid compound, with rotors measuring 400 millimeters up front and 360mm at the rear. Four-piston monoblock calipers on the front axle have been designed in-house to reduce unsprung mass and channel airflow where it's needed for maximum cooling.

And Hyundai even lets you left-foot brake on track without the car losing its mind.

N e-shift is yet another new technology making its debut on the Ioniq 5 N, simulating the torque delivery and shift feel of the eight-speed DCT used in other N products like the Elantra N. Motor torque output is adjusted to simulate shifts and the jolt between them, giving the driver reference points for acceleration on track, and a little added pantomime. It also adjusts brake regen to simulate gears, so higher gears have less regen (simulated engine braking), while dropping to a lower 'gear' gives you more 'engine braking.'

Is it efficient? No. Is it making the Ioniq 5 N purposely flawed? Yes! And it's done for the sake of fun, not performance metrics.

This may be gimmicky, but Hyundai has leaned hard into making the Ioniq 5 N fun to engage with, like a combustion car, which is why it has various soundtracks for you to enjoy while driving. N Active Sound+ pairs with N e-shift above to deliver sensory augmentation to match the simulated gear you're in. That means it pipes a noise into the cabin (via eight speakers) and outside of it via two external Bose speakers so that the sound matches what the car is doing. This auditory cue will help you arrive at corners at the right speed without looking at the speedo, as you can correlate your gear with the sound of an engine revving or something else entirely.

Speaking of, three soundscapes are offered. Ignition replicates the sound of the 2.0-liter turbo four-banger from the Kona N, while Evolution leans hard into the sound of electricity with the soundtrack of the RN22e concept. Supersonic is all-new and was inspired by a twin-engine fighter jet, with volume levels that dip during cornering and low power usage.

N Road Sense uses the safety cameras otherwise used for road sign detection, but instead of telling you to slow down, it begs you to drive harder. When a road sign indicates a twisting road lies ahead, N Road Sense will automatically prompt you to engage N Mode for maximum fun. The bad news? This feature won't be available in America and is Europe-exclusive. Thanks, fun police.

EVs are fast; we know this. But most are only fast in a straight line, and if you take them around a track, they cook their brakes or run out of juice after a single lap. Not the Ioniq 5 N.

N Race gives you control over your power usage, dialing up the regen and letting you tailor the powertrain for 'Endurance' over multiple laps by curbing maximum outputs by 10% or a one-lap 'Sprint' that gives you everything the Ioniq 5 has to offer.

N Battery Pre-Conditioning helps, too. 'Drag Mode' pre-chills the battery to between 80 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit for a single short burst of power, while 'Track Mode' drops that target to 68-86 degrees so you can stay out on the track for longer.

N Launch Control gives you three different stages of traction control, letting you launch as hard as possible on surfaces of varying grip levels and getting you to 62 mph from a standstill in as little as 3.4 seconds.

Track SOC lets you monitor how much of the battery's charge you're using, specifically calculating battery consumption per lap.

N Grin Boost (NGB) is engaged via a red button on the steering wheel and gives you a 10-second overboost, letting you access the full 641 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque.

Driving modes are selected from the steering wheel, with the base modes being Normal, Eco, and Sport, but two N Custom modes on the wheel let you tailor power delivery, suspension, soundtracks, and more to your liking.