The track-ready Hyundai Ioniq 5 N electric crossover has been spied undergoing last-minute testing ahead of its reveal at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, which will run from July 13 to 16.
This Ioniq 5 N prototype is covered in fewer bits of camouflage than previous prototypes, allowing us to get a better glimpse at what the car will look like.
It appears the Ioniq 5 N will be available in the performance division’s N Performance Blue hero paint colour as it can be seen on the roof, door handles and on the side air intakes.
Compared to the regular Ioniq 5, this hotter model has a reworked front fascia with a number of air intakes, wider wheel arches, larger alloy wheels and brakes, and a tweaked rear bumper.
On the back there’s also a proper rear wiper, unlike the regular Ioniq 5 that doesn’t have one at all, as well as the staple N triangular third brake light covered by camouflage.
The Ioniq 5 N has been developed to make sure it follows Hyundai N’s three pillars – that it be a ‘corner rascal’, have racetrack capability, and yet also be an ‘everyday sportscar’.
At this stage Hyundai hasn’t confirmed what outputs the Ioniq 5 N will have, but it could produce more than the related Kia EV6 GT which puts out 430kW.
It uses a next-generation battery pack with a capacity of around 80kWh, offering superior energy density to the regular Ioniq 5. It’ll have an 800V electric architecture and support charging at up to 350kW on DC and 11kW on three-phase AC power.
In the lead up to the Ioniq 5 N’s reveal at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, Hyundai N has been publishing a series of teaser videos that show off different elements of the hot electric crossover.
The latest teaser showed the Hyundai N team putting the finishing touches on the Ioniq 5 N at the Nurburgring, which it has used to validate “motorsport-bred” technologies on N vehicles.
Hyundai says it has put particular care into heat management with the Ioniq 5 N as it’s more challenging to cool than internal-combustion N vehicles.
The Ioniq 5 N has an enlarged cooling area with N-specific radiator packaging and enhanced motor oil cooler and battery chiller.
There are N Battery Preconditioning and N Race modes designed to maximise performance and longevity.
The N Battery Preconditioning function is split into two modes – Drag and Track. The former is set to optimise temperature for immediate use of maximum power, while the latter optimises the battery temperature for an increased number of laps.
The N Race drive mode helps drivers have more control over the car’s energy usage, prioritising ‘Sprint’ or ‘Endurance’ racing.
Given the Ioniq 5 N is an electric vehicle (EV), it has been designed with regenerative braking in mind in addition to traditional hydraulic braking.
The Ioniq 5 N is set to have a unique regenerative braking system that can provide a maximum of 0.6 G decelerative force. Even under ABS activation the regen braking can provide a maximum of 0.2 G decelerative force.
As previously reported, the Ioniq 5 N will have a raft of new performance features, including a dedicated Drift Mode, an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, a manual shift mode with simulated gears, and artificial engine noises.
The Ioniq 5 N is the N division’s first electric car. The line-up currently includes the petrol-powered i20 N, i30 N, i30 Sedan N, and Kona N.
Hyundai has previously teased a high-performance version of its recently released Ioniq 6 with the RN22e concept.
