Three corners at the Kirkistown circuit is all that it took for me to sit up and notice that the Ioniq 5 N, from Hyundai’s N division which has produced Bonafide performance car hits in the i30N and i20N, was most likely the most fun performance EV I’ve driven to date.
This may come as no surprise to you – it’s been lauded in the motoring press. It did however come as a surprise to me, as I felt an immediate right-ness with the Ioniq 5N that I had to unpack. Usually these things happen in reverse.
Let me explain. What would normally be excitement of heading to the circuit on a manufacturer’s dime was overshadowed by a crap morning where all was seemingly going wrong. The weather was dull; Belfast traffic dire and the ‘Ards peninsula down to the track was a 30mph slog.
By the time I was in the paddock of Kirkistown Racing Circuit surrounded by Performance Blue, Cyber Gray and Atlas White Ioniq 5Ns, the prospect of punting 641bhp of dual motor EV around the circuit felt like going through the motions.
Thankfully within minutes of my arrival, Kevin from Daly’s Hyundai in Belfast had me promptly caffeinated and out with Kirkistown track manager and long-time friend, Donal O’Neill. I reached for the familiar shaver-style transmission stalk and lined up at the gate, unloading my day onto my passenger.
Unlike the grey skies, my brain fog slowly starts to lift. Cathartic conversation aside, I notice a synthetically generated rumble, and what suspiciously looks like a rev counter on the 12.3″ drivers display. The N-performance seats remind me of an optioned up i30N, with that great hugging feeling of a superb sports seat.
The flag drops and we are off like a shot, the 5N mimicking an 8,000rpm engine with DCT box and paddle shift, coupled to drama-free dual motor EV delivery. We are close to 100mph at Debtors Dip from the pit lane, and as I try to keep us tucked into the circuit the Hyundai obliges in an instant. This isn’t your normal, cooking EV.
Instinctively I brake early for the right-left complex of Colonial, and there’s a strong, responsive middle pedal in place of the EV de facto regen/spongey mix. Body control is very much in check and I can comfortably position the car in the middle of the track ready for slicing two apexes. I go for full throttle early as all has settled so quickly and it’s as if the Hyundai has shed a third of its weight.
By the time we are at the medium speed Fisherman’s right hander, I’ve opened the electric wick and relishing the neutral stance, no doubt helped by some imperceptible turn-in guiding torque vectoring, we are flying. I’m grinning, the worries of the day cleared from my mind. I’m suddenly optimistic for the future. Hyundai have answered the long-debated question, can an EV be properly fun? It’s an emphatic yes.
The Ioniq 5N’s lead feet are in a custom pair of Nike Air Max, and the rest of the regular car’s dynamics are nowhere to be seen. Think 3-Series SE versus M3, and triple that jump in competency.
And of course there’s performance, but you don’t feel short changed above the ton mark. In fact the pseudo-engine noise and fake gearing (which of course you can turn off) helps my dinosaur ICE brain to remain within the bounds of physics. 110mph at the Debtors Dip is fine, but that rising synthetic note is the trigger, 140 is not.
A lap completed and the Ionic 5N is comfortable at the aforementioned BMW M3 pace here. That’s astonishing. The performance is so accessible and the chassis so predictable that you can quickly move to working on your lines and less on the machine. It gives you all the confidence up front, a real sense of rightness and belonging on track.
Of course the sizeable 82KwH battery pack is taking a pounding, think four laps of the 1.5 mile high speed circuit per ten percent of battery capacity, with power noticeably dropping off once you head under thirty percent. That’s still pretty decent, however you do currently need to go off site to find a DC charger between sessions.
Hiding all that weight in clever chassis and dual motor trickery does take its toll on the huge 275 section 21″ tyres, the bespoke Pirelli PZeros quickly heating after a few laps resulting in flickering traction control and the sharpness of turn-in fading. That being said, they did recover quickly as the cars were under hard rotation all day on track. In fact even the brakes were still strong session after session.
It felt as if I was leaving Kirkistown as soon as I had arrived. But I was heading home a better person in a more positive frame of mind. I had enormous fun at the hands of a capable EV, and with the thought that an EV track day future might be as fun as the noisy ICE ones we so love.
Car as Tested:
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
OTR: £65,000
Power: 641bhp
Weight: 2235kg
WLTP Range: 278 miles
