I know I'm late to the party. A friend encouraged me to drive this car last year when it won the Wheels Car Of The Year. I don't know why it took me so long to get into it.
Hyundai didn’t just want to build a ludicrously fast EV. With the IONIQ 5 N, they set out to create the ultimate, modern hot hatch - and for those of us who were born in the 70s or 80s, a hot hatch was one of the greatest cars you could buy. They still are.
On paper, the IONIQ 5 N is outrageous: up to 478kW (around 640hp) from dual electric motors, all‑wheel drive, and tech that deliberately mimics a petrol performance car with simulated gearshifts and engine noise. It’s also pitched as the most track‑focused EV currently on sale in Australia.
The big question is whether all this theatre translates into something that works in the real world - from the weekday commute, and the motorway run, to the odd track day.
Design & Exterior
If you’ve seen a regular IONIQ 5 on the road, the 5 N looks like its angry cousin who spends too much time at the gym. It's all kinds of 'buff'. Wider track, flared arches with vents for better air-flow. It's significantly more rigid with 42 extra welding points and over 2 metres of added adhesive, improving handling and reducing flex. It's also 50mm wider, 80mm longer, and 20mm lower, providing a wider track for significantly better grip. The Performance Blue Matte paint accentuates the origami styling on the side profile view. For Australian conditions, I would highly recommend PPF for the front of the IONIQ 5 N - you're not going to miss too many bugs on the open road.
Other key differences:
- N‑specific front end: Larger openings, extra vents and active air flaps aren’t just cosmetic - they’re there to keep the motors, battery and brakes cool on the road and on the track.
- Rear diffuser and wing: The rear gets a chunky diffuser and N wing treatment to visually plant the car and trim some lift at high speed.
- Big wheels and brakes: Massive alloys wrapped in performance tyres sit over enlarged, high‑performance brakes designed to cope with repeated hard stops.
In the metal, it’s more “hyper‑hatch” than a city commuter. Park it next to a normal mid‑size EV, and the 5 N looks like it’s about to bully it out of the fast lane.
Interior & Technology
Inside, it’s peak Hyundai: clean, tech‑heavy and mostly very user‑friendly, but with a welcome dose of Hyundai N‑division madness.
Highlights:
- Supportive N bucket seats that hold you in place on a twisty road yet remain comfortable enough for a long highway run.
- Dual widescreen displays for infotainment and driver info, running Hyundai’s latest software and EV‑specific menus.
- N buttons on the steering wheel: You can program these for your favourite drive modes (for example, a quiet Comfort mode for commuting and a full‑attack N mode for a Sunday morning blast).
- N Menu with deep customisation: Torque split front‑to‑rear, steering weight, simulated gearshift aggression, synthetic sound profiles - it’s all customisable.
The party tricks are what set the IONIQ 5 N apart from every other EV:
- N e‑shift: Simulates an 8‑speed dual‑clutch gearbox, complete with shift jolts and rev‑matching feel. It's uncanny how realistic this feels - even 'blipping' the throttle for the downshifts.
- Engine‑like sound: Multiple sound modes piped through 8 internal and 2 external speakers to make it feel like you’re driving an ICE performance car, not a silent appliance.
- Thermal Management: The 84kWh battery system is strengthened with improved cooling, a heat pump, and a separate chiller to prevent overheating.
These features genuinely change the experience. You can drive it like a “normal” EV in silence, or flick into N mode and it suddenly feels more like a rowdy turbo hatch.
Practicality is still decent:
- Five seats, and thanks to the 3,000mm wheelbase and very low overhang front and rear, it's also got good legroom in the back
- A usable boot with under-floor storage for charging cables and a tyre-repair kit, and some extra storage up front.
It’s not as cavernous as a mid-sized SUV, but for most Aussie families, it will do the school run and Bunnings trips without drama.
Performance & Driving Experience
This is where the IONIQ 5 N goes from “interesting” to “unhinged”.
- Power: Up to 478kW and 770Nm from dual electric motors via the red NGB button on the steering wheel (N Grin Boost), giving you roughly 640hp in old money.
- Planted Drive: All‑wheel drive with highly configurable torque distribution front‑to‑rear and an electronic LSD on the rear axle for sharper response out of corners.
- Weight: Around 2,230kg, so not light - but the chassis and software work hard to hide it.
Hyundai has built this car with track work front of mind:
- N Race modes (Sprint and Endurance) optimise power delivery and thermal management for either maximum attack or longer sessions.
- N Battery Preconditioning lets you pre‑heat or cool the battery so it’s in the sweet spot when you roll out onto the circuit.
- N Launch Control with configurable grip levels helps you fire off the line with absurd consistency. This is truly eyeball-wrenching.
On a circuit, it’s hugely impressive: vicious acceleration, strong and repeatable braking, and a chassis that feels far more playful than a 2.2‑tonne EV has any right to. You can adjust the behaviour from safe and grippy to tail‑happy and engaging with the N settings.
In the real world, though, it needs to be more than a track toy.
- Around town: Instant torque means effortless gaps and easy overtakes, while the N gimmicks can be switched off so it’s quiet and calm in traffic. Steering in Comfort is light enough for tight car parks.
- On a motorway: This is where the car surprises. It’s happily at home on a motorway - stable, quiet (once you kill the fake exhaust noise), and with plenty of cruising range from the large battery. Adaptive systems help reduce the load on longer trips. The IONIQ 5 N does suffer from horrendous 'range economy' on motorways when using Active Cruise Control. Put it into Limit mode, and the range and comfort are significantly improved.
- On a back road: It feels like an oversized hot hatch - wide and heavy. The N Pedal function adjusts deceleration to help rotate the car into corners, mimicking left‑foot braking and engine braking. The result is a very pointy front end for something so heavy.
Is it genuinely the ultimate hot hatch? In terms of straight‑line shove and configurability, yes. In terms of a actile, lightweight feel, the basic laws of physics still exist. You always know there’s a big battery underneath you. But Hyundai has got closer to the Honda Civic Type R of today (and yesteryear) than most would think possible.
Safety Features
Hyundai has loaded the IONIQ 5 N with the latest SmartSense driver‑assist tech, so even though it’ll happily monster a back road, it still behaves like a well‑mannered family car in traffic. You get the full suite: Forward Collision‑Avoidance Assist, lane‑keeping and lane‑following aids, blind‑spot monitoring with active intervention, rear cross‑traffic assistance and adaptive cruise that can handle stop‑start conditions.
That focus on stability and control at high speed isn’t just about lap times; the N‑specific suspension, massive brakes and sticky tyres also translate into cleaner emergency lane changes and shorter, more confidence‑inspiring stops on the road. The extra structural reinforcement - more welding points and adhesive over a standard IONIQ 5 - boosts crash protection, as well as sharpening up the chassis.
Battery and electrical safety are also taken seriously, with heavy‑duty thermal management, upgraded cooling hardware and dedicated software modes keeping cell temperatures in check even when you’re leaning on the full 478kW. It means the pack is better protected against heat‑related degradation or failure, whether you’re lapping a circuit in N Race mode or stuck in summer traffic.
The safety net continues at lower speeds, with a 360° surround‑view camera system, parking collision‑avoidance and even remote parking functions that make tight car parks and busy driveways far less stressful. Inside, a full complement of airbags and Hyundai’s high‑strength body shell provide serious crash protection, backing up the strong performance shown by the broader IONIQ 5 range in independent safety testing. Here in Australia, the IONIQ 5 range has a 5 Star ANCAP safety rating.
