The multiple award-winning Hyundai IONIQ 5 N has added two more coveted honours to its expanding trophy cabinet by being named Best EV Hot Hatch at the 2024 TopGear.com Electric Awards, and being named the best electric performance car in the world by CAR Magazine.
Now in their fifth year, the annual TopGear.com Electric Awards are a celebration of the finest choices in the swiftly evolving world of electrified vehicles, recognising impressive innovation across a number of diverse categories. TopGear’s expert panel of judges voted the IONIQ 5 N a clear winner as the Best EV Hot Hatch, praising Hyundai’s dedication to infusing it with a spirit that ensures every drive is one to be savoured.
Jack Rix, TopGear editor-in-chief, said: “In a world where pure electric hot hatches are a rarity, Hyundai has clocked the game at its first attempt. Experimental, capable, but best of all filled with a sense of humour that so many EVs lack, the IONIQ 5 N is a benchmark moment for the electric car.”
In their turn, CAR Magazine’s team of experts reached their verdict after conducting the title’s first in-depth test of hot EVs since 2022 at Germany’s iconic Nürburgring circuit and on the roads surrounding it. The seven-car shoot-out featured models from a variety of brands, including established premium manufacturers and the world’s most high-profile EV-only makers.
Despite facing models with significantly higher price tags, including one hypercar that costs in excess of £2 million (about R46 million), it was the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N that was acclaimed as the best buy by the test team, who described it as a thrilling hot hatchback reminiscent of old-school combustion-engine cars.
Ben Miller, CAR Magazine editor, said: “What a difference two years makes. The quality of the field versus 2022 defies belief, and the EV is finally starting to evolve as a driving machine. Among a host of great cars, the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N proved scintillating from behind the wheel, driving like a love letter to some of the great four-wheel-drive hot hatches of the past and present, despite lacking an engine and gearbox.
“It’s a car you drive as much with the throttle pedal as the steering wheel, and it begs to have its limits explored, flattering the driver like few we’ve ever had the good fortune to experience. Turn-in is sharp and accurate, the steering precise and rich in feel and there’s magic in the chassis. Plus, it’s genius in the way it produces a cacophonous soundtrack that really does resemble a highly strung forced-induction petrol engine being worked hard. The IONIQ 5 N is brimming with original thinking and a sense of fun, and Hyundai deserves great praise for putting it into production.”
The high-performance IONIQ 5 N combines the Electrified-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) of the standard IONIQ 5 – the 2022 World Car of the Year – with the motorsport-bred technologies and expertise of Hyundai’s N division to take driving fun to a new level.
Among the IONIQ 5 N’s array of key technical advances is a powertrain which delivers greater power output and enhanced performance in battery cooling and braking. The IONIQ 5 N’s electric motors spin up to 21 000 r/min., providing up to 448 kW in normal conditions, or 478 kW when the car’s N Grin Boost (NGB) feature is engaged, maximising acceleration for up to 10 seconds. 0 to 100 km/h is achievable in 3,4 seconds, while a top speed of 260 km/h is attainable on tracks.
A memorable drive is guaranteed by a host of upgrades, including a strengthened steering column for improved feedback, Electronic Controlled Suspension that adapts suspension stiffness according to the drive mode, and a suite of sophisticated electronic control technology in the E-GMP platform. Highlights include N Pedal, an intelligent software function that provides instant turn-in and enhanced throttle sensitivity for exhilarating cornering, and fully variable front and rear N Torque Distribution.
The IONIQ 5 N also sets a new benchmark in terms of emotional engagement for a performance EV, courtesy of N e-shift, which simulates the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission of internal combustion engine N cars, and N Active Sound+, which provides a compelling soundtrack that highlights the EV’s power.
Despite having been available for only a matter of months, the IONIQ 5 N has already collected some prestigious accolades, including recently being crowned World Performance Car in the World Car Awards. In December it was named TopGear.com’s overall 2023 Car of the Year, and it has also recorded the fastest electric SUV lap time at the Nürburgring Nordschleife with Germany’s Sport Auto.
