The EV onslaught is taking place all over the world. The hardcore ‘petrolheads’ are mostly against it, but automakers are charging ahead with EVs of all descriptions. One of the biggest criticisms of EVs is the lack of noise and anodyne driving experience. Hyundai seems to have solved both issues with its Ioniq 5N EV.

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Packing a Punch

The Ioniq 5N EV isn’t on sale in SA and it’s a pity. The Ioniq 5N  dishes up a massive 478 kW of power and 770 N.m of torque. Those are supercar outputs in something just little larger than a VW Golf. The all-wheel-drive system has a rearward bias and a drift mode, cool! AWD helps it sprint from 0-100 km/h in 3,4 seconds, and it has a top speed of 260 km/h.

Click here to watch the Drift King himself slide the EV at will.

Just Like ICE

One of the Ioniq 5’s party tricks is its ability to sound and behave almost like an ICE-powered car. Hyundai has added a few options to the car’s programming to make it feel more like the performance cars we are used to. First is the soundtrack. Hyundai has added a ICE-like sound that is played selectively from different parts of the car. Intake and turbo noises come from the front, and exhaust burbles from the back. Let’s face it, automakers have been doing this for years in various ways.

The, second, and arguably more interesting aspect is the ‘simulated’ ICE driving experience. Once you select manual mode the car’s electronics apply a torque curve that resembles a petrol-fed performance car. There is a redline for each gear. There are slight pauses on ‘gearshifts, and there is even ‘engine braking’ from the regen system. Watch all of these at work on the road and around Laguna Seca Raceway in the video below.