Hyundai Ioniq 5 N First Drive Review: Mega fun everywhere, not just 0-60

SALINAS, Calif. – For people who love to drive – beyond a straight-and-narrow stoplight blast – EVs present a conundrum. They’re swift, seamless and squeaky-clean. But they tend to be isolating, shy on character and driver engagement. Early exceptions to the rule, your Porsche Taycans or Lucid Airs, are beyond the reach of many buyers.

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N seeks to change all that, heightening sensation, sound, rally-car moves and even DIY gear changes. History’s most powerful Hyundai is 641 horses worth of newfangled tech that aims to feel old and familiar. And it mostly succeeds, as I discovered while chasing 11-time Pikes Peak Hill Climb winner Paul Dallenbach around Laguna Seca. To burnish the racing bona fides, Dallenbach will drive a showroom-spec Ioniq 5 N up Pikes Peak’s 156 turns in hopes of setting a record time for production electric SUVs, a feat the team believes is well within reach.

Dallenbach’s quiet confidence bodes well for the N division’s first EV, a lavishly upgraded Ioniq 5 that starts from $67,475 in near-loaded guise. A sweet $1,000 coat of Performance Blue Matte paint and floormats kicked that to $68,675. For comparison’s sake, Porsche’s 630-hp electric Macan Turbo starts at $106,950 before the first option is rung up. Even the 402-hp Macan 4 will start from $80,450, and give up 239 horsepower to Hyundai’s latest overachiever.

We amateurs feel good about our own chances, as we spur Hyundai’s little “Corner Rascal” through Laguna Seca’s stomach-flipping elevations and 11 curves. OK, not so “little,” considering its chunky 4,861-pound curb weight. But the Hyundai is no poseur, down to a revised-chemistry battery that squeezes 84 usable kilowatt hours from the same-size pack as the Ioniq 5 with 77.4 kWh. Aerodynamics, radiators and (electric) motor oil cooling are all upgraded to track spec – plus, it adds a unique battery chiller to the equation.

As with every N division model, including the Elantra N, the fingerprints of Hyundai’s retired uber-engineer (and former BMW M division chief) Albert Biermann are all over this baby. They show in the car’s delightfully frisky, balanced handling. I force a few easy-peasy slides on bespoke 21-inch Pirelli P Zero “Elect” series tires. The car is clearly heavy relative to its footprint, but a 641-hp boot balances that equation, as does expert tuning and a low center of gravity. A Drift mode can even simulate the clutch kick of a manual car to initiate rotation.

Versus a standard Ioniq 5 or even Kia EV6 GT, the chassis is 10% stiffer with 42 more welding points and 6.9 feet of added structural adhesives. A longer, lower body drops ground clearance and the driver’s seat by nearly an inch; and grows 2 inches wider to fit handsome 21-inch forged wheels. A driver’s hip point drops by 1.6 inches in snugly bolstered, microsuede-covered sport seats; a welcome edge in any tippy-toes crossover. There are retuned springs, bushings and three-position electronic dampers, alongside lighter aluminum lower control arms.

Some fans might prefer stealth, but the Ioniq 5 N wears its racy heart on orange-embroidered sleeves. An enlarged front grille and a new nosepiece integrate active air flaps and curtains, with black side mirrors and aluminum N badges. A lengthened roof spoiler and rear diffuser pair with checkered-flag-inspired rear lighting. A “Luminous Orange” strip wraps the lower body. Inside, a fixed, full-length center console replaces the open floor plan of a standard Ioniq 5 for a more cockpit-like feel.

Before pulling out onto pit lane, I dial up battery preconditioning and an N Race setting that manages battery output for all-out Sprint or Endurance runs. Hyundai says the 800-volt architecture matches the speediest charge of a standard Ioniq 5, so this Hyundai is designed to romp on circuits for about 20 minutes, recharge to 80% in about 18 minutes – assuming a 350-kilowatt DC fast charger is nearby – and head back out to embarrass your buds at track days. N engineers put in more than 6,200 Nürburgring miles to develop an EV that can run two Nordschliefe laps back-to-back. Many EVs can barely manage one before they’re spent or overheated.

Peeling onto Laguna’s front straightaway, I mash the orange "NGB" button on the N’s chunky steering wheel. Its clunky “N Grin Boost” name appears spitballed from a soju-fueled marketing meeting in Seoul. But the welcome effect is a 40-horsepower boost (from 601 to 641) in 10-second squirts. Torque rises from 545 pound-feet to 568, the latter topping a Model Y Performance by 71 pound-feet. Summoning launch control elicits a 0-60 mph scalding in a claimed 3.25 seconds. Top speed is a healthy 162 mph.