The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N offers the best of both worlds: it accelerates as crazy as an electric car, but shifts and sounds like an eight-cylinder. N stands for Namyang, the Hyundai Motor Group's development center not far from Seoul.
But also for the Nürburgring and there for the legendary Nordschleife - where other e-sports cars such as the Porsche Taycan also have to prove their potential. Two N's can be found in the name of their creator, albeit only at the end. Alfred Biermann was once head of development at M before moving to the Korean vehicle manufacturer. Active for six years, then as a technical consultant, he played a key role in shaping Hyundai, especially on the sporty side. The Ioniqu 5 N was his last baby. And perhaps this birth was also the most difficult of his development life. The performance of electric vehicles is not the reason why they haven't really ignited yet. In the electric age, there is an abundance of power available. Could it be a little more? Please, please, now. Hyundai have created a virtual dual clutch transmission with mechanical shift paddles. As with the combustion engine, eight gears are available in the so-called E-Shift mode. The system behind it is so sophisticated that it even imitates the interruption in traction when changing gears. There is even a speed limiter. The drive is essentially a digital twin of the good old world of combustion engines. And sounds like it too. There it sputters and sputters, there it roars and trumpets from the non-existent exhaust pipes. When downshifting, the recuperation, which is up to 0.6 g, is used in such a way that you think you have an engine brake. The Grin Boost is helpful on the straights. Yes - it actually has something to do with grinning. Because for ten seconds, it even tickles 650 hp from the two electric machines. The Ioniq 5 N normally puts out 609 hp on the roads, and thanks to the excellent traction control, it's pretty clean too.