Categories: Techno

Hyundai Ioniq 5 N test: the electric car with virtual gearbox

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Big vroom vroom, gasoline smells and shifting gears, such are the prerogative of thermal racing cars. So many elements that appeal to motorsport aficionados, in front of a general public who see this as more of a nuisance than anything else.

Thus, these are a number of reasons why fans of thermal cars are so resistant to the massive arrival of electric cars on the market.

With the ban on the sale of thermal vehicles looming in Europe from 2035, rejection risks becoming all the more significant on the part of keen motorists. However, the Ioniq 5 N version from Huyndai that we tried might well make everyone agree here.

The Ioniq 5 is an electric vehicle already known in the industry. It obviously served as the basis for the Ioniq 5 N, very edgy version having some major differences. Why N by the way ? For Nürburgring, the famous German automobile circuit, where the Korean brand's sports machines are tested.

The changes result in a more aggressive design with a specific grille, 21-inch forged rims, a spoiler, as well as beautiful orange edging present on the exterior of the vehicle.

Inside, checkerboards are displayed to recall the racing DNA of this N version, with bucket seats, but also a steering wheel with two huge programmable buttons.

650 horsepower, 0 to 100 km/h in 3, 4 seconds and 260 km/h top speed. Clearly, the Ioniq 5 N is the most powerful car Huyndai has ever offered.

Thought for racing, it has an impressive number of parameters to make it a truly efficient car on the circuit. Like the vehicle settings possible in the Forza Motosport game, drivers and other experts will find here everything they need to have fun.

With a lap of the Nürburgring in just 7 minutes 45, it does better than the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, the Audi R8 V8 or even the Ferrari 599. The fact that a car that has all the makings of a compact SUV does better than these supercars is rather maddening.

The goal of the Korean manufacturer here is to offer a car which offers sensations similar to thermal vehicles. An objective which, we will agree, is really no easy feat.

Here, Hyundai skillfully uses technologyN e-Shift, which simulates gear changes with jerks. By changing gear using the paddles on the steering wheel, the sensation is truly striking. A simulacrum of a breaker has also been designed with a limitation to 6700 rpm. The design was pushed to the behavior of the car, which has difficulty moving forward when under revs, and which is noisy when over revs. Bluffing.

The set is accompanied by 4 engine sounds that can be chosen. Naturally, we chose the sound closest to a combustion engine. If we are used to this kind of frivolity on most electric models, we still have the surprise to find that specific speakers were dedicated to the exterior. Thus, it is also possible for people not in the passenger compartment to benefit from this simulated engine noise.

The Ioniq 5 in N version includes all that which makes its big sister, successful while offering a nice dose of fun. The gear change simulation is a real daily pleasure for motorists who are nostalgic for thermal cars.

Apart from the trunk which slightly loses payload, the rest of the vehicle is perfectly usable on a daily basis by a family. Because this is where the strength of this Ioniq 5 N lies , which does not require sacrificing the sporty aspect by choosing an everyday family car, and vice versa.

In addition, this version is offered an excellent range of 448 km in the WLTP mixed cycle, but also a charge from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes on fast terminals.

We're not going to lie, we took a lot of pleasure during this car test. But, the question that always runs through our minds here is: who is this N version of the Ioniq really aimed at??

Car enthusiasts will probably be rare to spend an amount equal to 78,000 eurosin an electric Hyundai. Even if it offers explosive performances and sensations, the artifices never replace the authenticity of a real thermal mechanism.

It remains none the less that this Ioniq 5 N is the electric car offering sensations closest to a thermal vehicle at the moment. It is the perfect combination of the everyday car and the sports car for a well-off motorist in short.

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Teilor Stone

Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116