Navak track, Serbia. mobile.bg team from the venue.
It doesn't take much convincing to get us to do a track day with a sports-oriented car. For us, every such adventure is a pleasure. The very fact that you drive on a track gives so much emotion and adrenaline that even if the car is not good, we will still have a great time. But when we saw the invitation for Hyundai's Ioniq 5 N, with its deceptive, DV-imitating sounds and fake gears, we had slight doubts about the pleasure in question. However, we quickly realized that our fears were in vain. We can safely say that the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the best sports electric car we've ever driven.
It took us less than one lap to establish that this car has some truly mind-blowing acceleration, but more interestingly, it also handles extremely well in corners despite being very heavy. The aforementioned fake sounds and gear simulation are also so precise and good-sounding that there's hardly anyone who won't appreciate them.
There are other reasons why the Ioniq 5 N is so good. It is very fast, with 650 hp. power to all four wheels. It has sharp steering, very good brakes and infinitely adaptable modes to suit the mood and style of almost any driver. This car has tons of grip, sporty yet comfortable seats and, strange as it may sound, an excellent ride (in one of three suspension settings). In other words, this car can be used both as a "Euredian" and as a sports car for pleasure.
The Ioniq 5 N has good visibility, plenty of space in the back seat and a boot with a fairly decent volume. Its price is also reasonable given what it offers and compared to the prices of both electric competitors and LPG counterparts, such as the BMW M3 Competition, for example. And in terms of dynamics and handling, this car is not inferior to any of its competitors.
But until this pleasant day in neighboring Serbia, we had never driven an electric car on a track, because these kinds of cars are simply not as much fun as gasoline cars. They have less feedback, worse handling for their weight, not to mention the inability to accurately judge corner entry speed without gears.
And with no disrespect to Porsche, we were blown away by the feel of the Hyundai, something we've never experienced in an electric car before. Suddenly the promise of a day at the track in an electric car became... very, very good.
Yes, manual gears are fake. Yes, the engine noise is fake, synthetic, artificial and generally everything is an imitation of a CNG sports car. But the lie is so convincing that after a few seconds we stopped caring. The lie gave us what we needed - to have fun in a car on a race track and that car was... electric. Her mimicry in a petrol rally car is literally as good as a real such car gets.
Steering wheel paddles simulate a 7-speed DCT, which has an almost real feel. Using manual mode calibrates the Ioniq 5 N's torque curves and they feel identical to those of a petrol hot hatch. There is also a "switch" for each gear. It kicks in when not shifting into a higher gear and the engine stops just like a gasoline car.
It's not just the sound, but the sound helps a lot. Sounds like a real hot hatch are available (or a selection of two other non-vehicle soundtracks, but not suitable for a sports car in our opinion). But those racy petrol engine-likes are honed to perfection, with even intake and turbo noise up front and imaginary exhaust noise at the rear giving you exactly what you need. And even though you know they're fake, they help you drive the car better.
Overall, if you want a sports car, the Ioniq 5 N drives like an Evo, as long as you get the settings right, which can take time or extensive study of the settings, or a lot of trial and error. It is here that we will point out a real criticism of this car. And she is that really “inflating the menu” it's too much. The other downside is that although it has perfect settings for sporty driving, the car feels heavy.
For the track, we chose drivetrain and differentials in Sport+, steering in Sport, dampers in Comfort and ESC Full Off, resulting in a noisy but controlled experience. You can also set the car in drift mode, which gives you a pretty good controlled slide by hitting the synthetic rev breaker.
As for drag or a sharp start from a standstill, the car is equipped with 40 additional horsepower. This happens by pressing a red button on the steering wheel, but if you use it, it disables the manual gears and the engine sound. So just… press it when you want to leave everyone behind. The 650 horsepower speaks for itself.
The pleasure is immense, but we asked ourselves: How long can an electric car last on a race track? Porsche boasts that its quarter-million-dollar Taycan EV can lap the Ring at full power. Hyundai, without much boasting, says the Ioniq 5 N can do two.
In practice, the Ioniq 5 N can do a full 20-minute track session, approximately 40 laps of the Serbian track "Navak", without any noticeable degradation in performance. Yes, if you measure laps, they may drop a bit. But for a fun day like ours definitely was, you can absolutely do a whole session on one charge and not have the powertrain overheating, even if you slide the car around the corners - the brakes and tires will hold up too.
On the other hand, as already mentioned, this car can be driven extremely calmly, the ride becomes soft, and the aggressive noises of a sports diesel engine disappear. And here we ask the question: Why should you buy a standard Ioniq 5, when for a relatively small sum on top you can have this jewel in your garage to serve as both an everyday car and a real pleasure car. In our country, the Ioniq 5 N is available for BGN 149,800, while the standard 4x4 version of the Ioniq 5 costs BGN 121,900. The difference is definitely worth it. For this money you will get, in our opinion, one of the best sports electric cars, and those that can compete with it are many times more expensive.
