The Ioniq 5 N is the first electric car to take the enthusiast complaint seriously — that EVs are fast but emotionally flat — and answer it with software instead of apologies. Hyundai's N division took the E-GMP platform, added 42 additional welds and structural adhesive, stiffened the subframes, fitted bigger brakes with a 400 mm front rotor, and produced 641 hp in N Grin Boost mode.

The interesting features are the invented ones. N e-Shift simulates an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox, complete with torque cuts on upshifts and a rev limiter that will bounce off and stop accelerating if you ignore it. N Active Sound+ pipes a synthetic soundtrack through interior and exterior speakers, including an option that mimics an internal combustion engine tracked to the simulated gear. Both sound gimmicky described in writing, and both make the car dramatically more engaging to drive quickly.

Underneath, N Race lets you choose endurance or sprint battery strategy, there's a pre-conditioning function to cool the pack for a track session, and a drift mode with adjustable torque bias.

Its market position is strange and important. It costs about the same as a Golf R and BMW M2, weighs considerably more than either, and out-laps both. It's the first EV that answers the question "but is it fun?" without changing the subject.

03 / How to use

Owner's walkthrough

Practical guide for everything a new owner asks on day one — starting the car, finding the gear selector, drive modes, infotainment, driver aids, and easy-to-miss features.

How to start it

Sit down, the car wakes. Step on the brake, click the selector to D, and you're moving — there is no start button on the new EV platforms.

Where the gear selector is (and how to use it)

Column-mounted rotary dial on the right of the steering wheel — rotate forward for D, back for R, press the center P button to park.

Drive modes

Drive modes are accessed via the Drive Mode button on the steering wheel or console. Available modes typically include Eco, Normal, Sport, Snow, N Mode (N models). Each mode reshuffles throttle mapping, steering weight, adaptive dampers (if equipped), exhaust valves, and stability-control thresholds. On performance trims, an 'Individual' or 'Custom' slot lets you save your favorite combination so you can recall it with one click instead of nesting through menus.

Cluster & head-up display

The driver display is a 12.3-inch digital cluster. Use the steering-wheel left thumb-pad to cycle layouts (Classic, Sport, Navigation, Minimal). When in Sport / Track mode the cluster automatically swaps to a wide tach with gear indicator and tire-temperature readout. The head-up display brightness, height, and content are configured from Settings → Displays → HUD.

Infotainment & voice control

Infotainment runs on ccNC dual 12.3-inch displays. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard; pair from Settings → Connections the first time, then it auto-connects whenever your phone is in range. Steering-wheel push-to-talk wakes the in-car assistant for nav, climate, calls, and messaging without touching the screen. The main display also hosts vehicle-specific apps: tire pressures, performance data recorder (where fitted), drive-mode customizer, and the camera views.

Driver assistance

Standard driver aids include adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Toggle each system individually from the driver-assist menu (steering-wheel left-pad → Assistance). A surround-view camera and parking assist may be optional — turn them on once in settings and they default to active in tight spaces from then on.

Charging

DC fast-charging happens through the CCS1 (or NACS, for newer 2025+ US-market models) port. Plug in, the car negotiates power automatically — typical 10–80% takes 18–28 minutes on a 350 kW charger. Level-2 home charging via J1772 covers a full charge overnight (8–11 hours). The car app schedules charging during cheap off-peak hours and pre-conditions the cabin while still plugged in so you don't drain range warming up.

Keys & phone-as-key

Beyond the physical key, this car supports Hyundai Digital Key 2. Set up phone-as-key from the Bluelink app: it provisions a secure credential to your phone's wallet so a tap on the door handle unlocks the car and placing the phone on the wireless charging pad authorizes ignition. You can also share temporary keys to family members (with optional speed and area limits on performance trims) directly from the app.

First-week tips & easy-to-miss features

A few things every new owner tells us they wish they'd known on day one:

Enable one-pedal driving in the dynamics menu — once you adapt (about 30 minutes), you'll rarely touch the brake in town and regen does the slowing.
Pre-condition the battery before fast-charging by entering the charger in nav — the car warms the pack for full-speed charging.
Download the brand app (Bluelink) and pair it with your VIN before your first long trip — remote climate, charging/fuel-level checks, and remote lock-status save you walking back to the garage in winter.

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