The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is proving to be a formidable drag racer. The little electric crossover recently shamed several high-end, high-powered SUVs, including a Lamborghini Urus and a Brabus-tuned Mercedes-AMG G63. It's now unleashed its fury on a more appropriate opponent—the Mercedes-AMG GT.
The coupe has AMG’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 engine under the hood, which delivers 585 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels. The Hyundai has two electric motors that give it all-wheel drive, together producing 650 hp and 545 lb-ft of twist. The AMG has a weight advantage, weighing about 298 pounds less than the electric crossover.
The Hyundai is a quick family hauler. It beat the coupe off the line in the first run and stayed ahead past the finish line. The GT got a much better start in the second race, launching ahead of the 5 N, but the EV reeled in the AMG and beat it by a bumper to the finish line. Both cars completed the quarter-mile race in 11.4 seconds—impressive for a $66,000 electric family crossover that can create fake gearshifts and corresponding exhaust sounds.
The Ioniq also has a few software tricks that were deployed during the rolling races. The EV’s fake gear shifts didn’t help it against the AMG, losing by quite a gap. However, a simple setting change and a press of the boost button in the Ioniq made the second run a completely different race, with the Hyundai leaving the Mercedes behind.
We live in a wild time when reasonably priced Hyundai crossovers outperform six-figure sports cars in a straight line, but that’s the big benefit battery-electric vehicles offer. They democratize horsepower, and it feels like the 5 N is just the beginning of a new age of performance cars that could alter the automotive hierarchy built on combustion power.
