The first electric Hyundai to wear the new N performance badge is the Ioniq 5. Our spies have sent us photos showing different prototypes testing, but this is the first time we are actually able to see one of these test vehicles on the move. Mind you, it’s an EV so the sound it makes (or rather doesn’t make) doesn’t really reveal much, yet we can draw some conclusions just by watching the video.
We can, for instance, look at how much the vehicle leans through corners, in order to try to anticipate how stiffly sprung it will be. For reference, the Ioniq 5 has a 4-inch (10 cm) longer wheelbase than the Kia EV6 that is based on the same platform, and the Hyundai is set up more for comfort, so it does exhibit noticeably more body roll through the corners than the Kia.
We therefore expect the Ioniq 5 N to retain some of this comfort orientation, so it should be a slightly more comfortable than the predictably very stiff and sporty Kia EV6 GT. The wheelbase also helps the Hyundai achieve a more accomplished ride quality, so it’s no surprise that the camouflaged prototype in this video by Car Spy Media does roll under hard cornering.
Gallery: 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
At the same time, the suspension setup does appear to be considerably stiffer than on lesser versions, so the driving experience should be transformed too. Hyundai has so far not made any performance numbers public, but the Ioniq 5 N will probably have similar power to the EV6 GT, which has 576 horsepower and sprints to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.5 seconds, topping out at 161 mph (260 km/h).
Top speed will most likely be identical for the two models, since it is electronically limited, but there is a chance the Hyundai will have less power, so the sprint time may be closer to the 4-second mark. Keep in mind that this is pure speculation based on watching this video and correlating it with what differences we know are between the Ioniq 5 and the EV6 whose hot GT variant has been revealed with specs and it gives us something to go on.
