I Went For A Ride In The Hyundai IONIC 5 N, And Holy Crap It’s Fast!

While it’s hard to get excited about EVs, there’s been a lot of buzz around the Hyundai IONIC 5 N. So when I heard that they were offering ride-alongs at the New York Auto Show with a pro driver, I hightailed it to the test track (follow the sounds of screeching tires) and got in line.

Naturally, I wasn’t able to get the full experience here since it’s a rather small indoor track that limited our speeds, but over the course of four quick laps (emphasis on quick), I was absolutely blown away by this little EV’s performance.

For those of you who haven’t been following along, the Hyundai IONIC 5 N is the high-voltage N model, which delivers a maximum of 641 horsepower, a 0-60 time of about 3 seconds, and a top speed of 162 mph. Designed for the track, it’s equipped with a large rear diffuser, larger wheels, stickier tires, big brakes, wider fenders, and a racier front-end.

There’s even a dedicated drift mode that lets you hang out the back end, a simulated gearshift feature that replicates the feel of a shift when you pull the steering-wheel-mounted paddles, and a whole slew of tech goodies to dial in the car’s handling and performance.

With a starting price of $66,100, the Hyundai IONIC 5 N is considerably more expensive than the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT or Tesla Model Y Performance. But based on what I’ve seen, it’s WAY more performance oriented, and it just looks plain bad-ass to boot. I can’t wait to get some time behind the wheel of one so I can really see what it can do. Stay tuned!