Thursday 30th March 2023

N Drift Analyzer confirmed for Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

Upcoming EV hot hatch will be 'the true driving enthusiast's choice'

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It would be reasonable to say that hopes are high for the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. The base car is a brilliant EV, the N hot hatches so far have been ace - bringing the two together must make something great, right? We can’t say for sure just yet, but Hyundai has released a few encouraging details ahead of the reveal.

First of those is the N Drift Optimiser, which sounds like N Grin Shift and N Power Shift - i.e., just the sort of silliness that’s made the i30 and i20 N such a laugh. In Hyundai’s own words, the NDO ‘integrates front and rear torque distribution, torque rate, suspension stiffness, steering effort and the e-LSD system to create a driving mode dedicated for drifting.’ Probably not the sort of thing to encourage on the public highway, but a little squiggle here and there never hurt anybody. Apparently the N Drift Optimizer ‘helps drivers of all skill levels to enjoy drifting and it is designed with particular care for drivers who are entering the sport of drifting for the first time.’ Regardless of skill level it’d be rude not to try it out, basically.

The Ioniq 5 is also going to be equipped with something called N Torque Distribution, which works with the e-LSD and the drive modes to give really distinct splits to each axle - presumably each wheel - depending on the setting. ‘N Torque Distribution and e-LSD work together to distribute power to all four wheels in varying ratios and are specifically designed to quickly respond to the instantaneous and seamless power delivery inherent in EVs’, says Hyundai. The e-LSD has been specifically tuned for this installation.

Hyundai is showing all this tech off in a little video with its i20 N WRC Rally 1 car, Ioniq and i20 skidding side by side in the Swedish snow. Which, again, has no relevance at all to the real world - but is quite fun. This is Hyundai N’s first all-wheel drive car, as well as it’s first EV, showing just how far it’s come since the division was only created in 2015.

“Just as our N models are honed at the sharp corners of the Nürburgring, our N models are also honed at the sharp corners and icy surfaces of our proving ground in Arjeplog, ensuring maximum performance in the most extreme winter conditions,” said Till Wartenberg, vice president of N Brand Management & Motorsport. “We’re proud to demonstrate the Ioniq 5 N perfectly meets our broad performance criteria, ensuring N Brand success as our first EV production N model.” Expect to see it shorn of disguise and out of the snow (but probably still sideways) in July.

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• 2021 Hyundai Kona N | PH Review
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[GeeTeeBee]

If this thing really is the choice for driving enthusiasts, that would be an amazing thing. The odds, however, seem mighty slim.

[86mmx70.4mm]

Link to the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0Ht8MaC58Q

Look like a whole lotta fun.

[filski666]

kinda takes all the fun out of it though, surely - where's the excitement and sense of accomplishment if the car is doing it all for you, and it isn't a skill you gradually build up over time

Might as well do it on a playstation?

[s94wht]

Hardly a hatchback though, is it? They're massive.

[457892345]

I wonder what it will weigh...

Google says 2.5 tons? That can't be right. 577hp too but that's ev power so how long can you drive it like a loony before it needs to plug back in?

Edited by 457892345 on Thursday 30th March 16:38

[Krikkit]

457892345 said:

Google says 2.5 tons? That can't be right. 577hp too but that's ev power so how long can you drive it like a loony before it needs to plug back in?

575hp is 428kW - with a 77.4 kWh battery you'll drain it completely in 11 minutes at full power, but that doesn't really give you anything like real-world use. But even so, not long.

[GeeTeeBee]

457892345 said:

I wonder what it will weigh...

Google says 2.5 tons? That can't be right. 577hp too but that's ev power so how long can you drive it like a loony before it needs to plug back in?

Current high performance version is 2-2.1 tonnes, so doubt this will be 2.5. Still heavy, but not quite that heavy.

[nismo48]

s94wht said:

Hardly a hatchback though, is it? They're massive.

+1

[paradigital]

s94wht said:

Hardly a hatchback though, is it? They're massive.

You do realise that “hatchback” is a body style that has nothing to do with size or weight?

[whp1983]

s94wht said:

Hardly a hatchback though, is it? They're massive.

Was going to say the same! Styling it like a hatch doesn’t mean it’s not an SUV! See them on the roads and they dwarf everything but big SUVs.

[457892345]

Krikkit said:

575hp is 428kW - with a 77.4 kWh battery you'll drain it completely in 11 minutes at full power, but that doesn't really give you anything like real-world use. But even so, not long.

Its probably great fun at the nurburgring then, you get to do one flying lap and then the second lap you can practice hypermiling before a nice refreshing few hour break for a charge and lunch. Lovely.

[Leon R]

paradigital said:

s94wht said:

Hardly a hatchback though, is it? They're massive.

You do realise that “hatchback” is a body style that has nothing to do with size or weight?

whp1983 said:

Was going to say the same! Styling it like a hatch doesn’t mean it’s not an SUV! See them on the roads and they dwarf everything but big SUVs.

[Sion111R]

457892345 said:

Krikkit said:

575hp is 428kW - with a 77.4 kWh battery you'll drain it completely in 11 minutes at full power, but that doesn't really give you anything like real-world use. But even so, not long.

Its probably great fun at the nurburgring then, you get to do one flying lap and then the second lap you can practice hypermiling before a nice refreshing few hour break for a charge and lunch. Lovely.

Few hours! Nah. Hyundai are leading the way with batteries which can accept rapid charge going from 0 to 80% in 20 minutes or less.

[fantheman80]

paradigital said:

s94wht said:

Hardly a hatchback though, is it? They're massive.

You do realise that “hatchback” is a body style that has nothing to do with size or weight?

It’s not though is it, an urus has a hatch back, are we calling that a hot hatch?

[Dombilano]

Hot Hatchsuv

[Dombilano]

paradigital said:

s94wht said:

Hardly a hatchback though, is it? They're massive.

You do realise that “hatchback” is a body style that has nothing to do with size or weight?

You do realise your logic means an Audi SQ5 is a hot hatch in your world?

[Dynion Araf Uchaf]

Krikkit said:

575hp is 428kW - with a 77.4 kWh battery you'll drain it completely in 11 minutes at full power, but that doesn't really give you anything like real-world use. But even so, not long.

That reminds me of my Tamiya RC car from the 80s

[JAMSXR]

To this point I’ve found all the performance EVs (Kia, Polestar and Tesla) that I’ve driven totally pointless compared to their base or long range counterparts. If Hyundai can engineer some fun into the Ioniq 5 that would be awesome.

You can make any car look fun on a snow packed circuit, the real test will be do you feel like getting up at 6am on a Sunday morning and going for a b-road blast or track day.

I highly doubt it’s going to be more fun than the i30n, but hopefully it’s a positive step in the right direction. Plus, I’m on the lookout for a family EV/utility vehicle in the not too distant future, it would be great if this can inject a bit of excitement into that category. The cynic in me still thinks the base model will be a better day to day car and the performance dynamics won’t bring any more joy to the experience, hopefully I’m wrong.

[_ppan]

filski666 said:

kinda takes all the fun out of it though, surely - where's the excitement and sense of accomplishment if the car is doing it all for you, and it isn't a skill you gradually build up over time

Might as well do it on a playstation?

I agree. There is enough demand to have driving done for you - the Golf R is a huge success and Audi S and RS models are also popular. So yes but it's not an ev-thing, it's a thing of this generation.

And it's not just with cars. I feel like people in general do not know anymore how to try, make mistakes, try again, perhaps fail again and try again and when it all comes together having a great sense of accomplishment and pride in having it done all by yourself (and some mates perhaps).

Edited by _ppan on Friday 31st March 08:12

Edited by _ppan on Friday 31st March 08:45

[blearyeyedboy]

This is interesting but I wonder whether it misses the point.

While I don't wish to demonise those who enjoy their cars sliding a little on a B-road, no sane enthusiast is going to do a 100 yard powerslide on the Cat and Fiddle. The ability to drift doesn't make a fun road car and a good road car requires many more subtle things to be right...

... including feelsome steering. I'm not saying it can't be fine in the electric era (even if simulated) but for me, that's the but that really needs work if we're going to have fun EVs.