Hyundai Ioniq 5 N leaked

Apparently everybody's favorite chunky cyberpunk EV hatchback is getting the N treatment and will offer 601 horsepower and 545 pound-feet of torque, and with N Grin Boost activated, the output jumps to 641 hp. It also features its own specific suspension calibrations, including bushing tolerances, three-position electronically controlled dampers, and spring tuning. Also, an aluminum two-piece lower control arm is added to the standard Ioniq 5s stamped steel unit. For a stronger structure, there’s 42 additional welding points and more structural adhesive. To improve lateral rigidity, the motor and battery mounting points have been reinforced, and subframes have been beefed up. It also looks terrific. The only thing I don't like is the simulated gear changes that mimic an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic and downshifts that are "rev matched" and accompanied by pops and bangs from the speakers during deceleration when Ignition sound mode is active. Manufacturers can stop with that dumb simulated nonsense.

Dude.... the Korean car makers are all in on everything. They're either going to be a global car superpower or they're going to go bust. There is no in between with their trajectory.

That's a good looking unit in that blue.  Looking forward to see how it stacks up.  

In reply to Puddy46 :

Yeah, the Ioniq 5 is a neat-looking car. I always take a couple seconds to ogle one whenever I see them.

I figured it would just be the Kia EV6 GT in the more boxy wrapper, but it sounds like more power and some pretty meaningful enhancements will separate this from the Kia. I like it!

WOW! That is brutal and sexy at the same time.  

"Leaked"

maschinenbau said:

"Leaked"

I mean, it was supposed to be unveiled at Goodwood today or tomorrow, and the specs and appearance were spotted on the internet yesterday. Seems like most enthusiasts eyes are on Goodwood, so it seems odd to steal your own thunder. 

They had a "Drift" version at Goodwood that looked great.  What I really liked was the N Vision 74, man that car looks great.

Car and Driver has an article on it, I assume the press embargo ended today.

The ICE emulation stuff is stupid, but probably necessary to convert a certain demographic. What's more interesting is stuff like the more rigid steering column, the extra welding, the V mount radiators, 20mm lower hip point, rear brake ducts (that I can't see working well) - this is a proper hot hatch.

Any idea whether the range is affected at all?

Seems really cool and it sounds like most of the silly things can be shut off. Where do we think this thing ends up at for MSRP? I'd love to get a "hot-hatch" EV but I need the pricing to come down such that I can cross shop it with a GTI. Any theories on when we'll see something like that? 

Slippery said:

Any idea whether the range is affected at all?

Hasn't been announced yet, but Car & Driver estimates 220-ish miles.

Keith Tanner said:

The ICE emulation stuff is stupid, but probably necessary to convert a certain demographic. 

At least it sounds like that can all be turned off. They list it as being a feature of "Ignition Mode", and even say that the simulated shifting slows it down.

Slippery said:

Any idea whether the range is affected at all?

Only if you press the accelerator.

EVs are different when it comes to efficiency and power. Unlike an ICE, the stuff that makes for long range also makes for speed and vise versa. So the crazy performance on a lot of EVs is more of a side effect than a design goal, although cause and effect is probably reversed here :)

From what I understand, larger motors are more efficient than smaller ones, so this car may be more efficient than its less powerful siblings. The increased battery capacity due to chemistry changes (I'd love to know more about that) will also help. So it may actually have more range than the standard model even before the extra battery capacity is taken into account.

CrashDummy said:

Seems really cool and it sounds like most of the silly things can be shut off. Where do we think this thing ends up at for MSRP? I'd love to get a "hot-hatch" EV but I need the pricing to come down such that I can cross shop it with a GTI. Any theories on when we'll see something like that? 

Total cost of ownership or initial purchase price?

This is probably more of a Golf R competitor than a GTi competitor.

CrashDummy said:

Where do we think this thing ends up at for MSRP? I'd love to get a "hot-hatch" EV but I need the pricing to come down such that I can cross shop it with a GTI. Any theories on when we'll see something like that? 

The Kia EV6 GT is this thing's slightly more sedate corporate cousin and starts over $61k. And right now I don't think the Korean EVs are eligible for any Federal Tax credits.

If you're looking for an electric GTI competitor, the Chevy Bolt is much closer in size, performance and price than this N will be.

STM317 said:

CrashDummy said:

Where do we think this thing ends up at for MSRP? I'd love to get a "hot-hatch" EV but I need the pricing to come down such that I can cross shop it with a GTI. Any theories on when we'll see something like that? 

The Kia EV6 GT is this thing's slightly more sedate corporate cousin and starts over $61k. And right now I don't think the Korean EVs are eligible for any Federal Tax credits.

On the flip side, consider that this thing, when overclocked, makes 641hp, which makes it more powerful than the 3rd-gen CTS-V. And that thing started at $86,995. 

Wow. I already liked the ioniq5's styling, but this one might just get me into a dealership.  

noise faking silliness aside, this is a pretty wild foray into approachable EV performance.

That's pretty awesome.  Would be a viable upgrade to my Focus ST.

I agree that all the fake-ICE features are kinda stupid.  Hopefully you can turn those off.

In reply to TVR Scott :

Apparently you can.

I'm digging this car, the press releases contain all the right sort of details for me.

Keith Tanner said:

CrashDummy said:

Seems really cool and it sounds like most of the silly things can be shut off. Where do we think this thing ends up at for MSRP? I'd love to get a "hot-hatch" EV but I need the pricing to come down such that I can cross shop it with a GTI. Any theories on when we'll see something like that? 

Total cost of ownership or initial purchase price?

This is probably more of a Golf R competitor than a GTi competitor.

Initial purchase price is easier to compare but I'm open to a total cost of ownership comparison. I know people like to say "you'll save $X on gas and oil changes" but I think a lot of that is canceled out by the increased sales tax, increased insurance premiums, and annual property tax bill. If total cost of ownership on this is actually on par with a Golf R I'm very interested. 

STM317 said:

CrashDummy said:

Where do we think this thing ends up at for MSRP? I'd love to get a "hot-hatch" EV but I need the pricing to come down such that I can cross shop it with a GTI. Any theories on when we'll see something like that? 

The Kia EV6 GT is this thing's slightly more sedate corporate cousin and starts over $61k. And right now I don't think the Korean EVs are eligible for any Federal Tax credits.

 

If you're looking for an electric GTI competitor, the Chevy Bolt is much closer in size, performance and price than this N will be.

The straight line performance of the Bolt might be similar to the GTI, but my understanding of the Bolt is that it's not tuned to be an enthusiast/driver's car. I also think GM is killing it off (but maybe I'm thinking of the Volt). I'd guess that the GTI is a much better tool for cone dodging or track days but I'm open to having my mind changed. I'd be willing to give it a look if the Bolt is actually a GTI competitor. 

CrashDummy said:

Keith Tanner said:

CrashDummy said:

Seems really cool and it sounds like most of the silly things can be shut off. Where do we think this thing ends up at for MSRP? I'd love to get a "hot-hatch" EV but I need the pricing to come down such that I can cross shop it with a GTI. Any theories on when we'll see something like that? 

Total cost of ownership or initial purchase price?

This is probably more of a Golf R competitor than a GTi competitor.

Initial purchase price is easier to compare but I'm open to a total cost of ownership comparison. I know people like to say "you'll save $X on gas and oil changes" but I think a lot of that is canceled out by the increased sales tax, increased insurance premiums, and annual property tax bill. If total cost of ownership on this is actually on par with a Golf R I'm very interested. 

Property tax and sales tax increases? That's gotta be state-specific. I did not shop insurance premiums specifically but the EV doesn't seem out of line for a new car.

The only EV-related increase in costs we've seen is a $50 surcharge on our registration to compensate for the fact that we're not paying into the gas tax. That's perfectly reasonable, and it's roughly equivalent to 9000 miles/year on a 40 mpg car.

The Bolt is indeed going away, at least for a while. But don't discount what a really low CoG and instant throttle response can do around cones. Maybe go for a drive in one.