Hyundai IONIQ 5 N: The Happiness Machine

If you’re feeling a bit gloomy about the future of driving, here’s something to cheer you up: the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N hyper-hatch. Yes, it’s electric. But it hacks into a world of digital tools that unlock the joy of driving, turning battery power into a superpower. Think of it as an EV with a super-unleaded soul – one guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, every time you jump in.

This is the first time Hyundai’s N division has worked its magic on an EV, and it hasn’t held back. With dual motors and 650PS, it does 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds and keeps going to a top speed of 161mph. But it’s those new technologies that really define it, and propel it into the premier league of great driver’s cars, electric or not.

Take N e-shift. It’s a fully simulated, eight-speed paddle-shift gearbox that does everything a real one does – interrupting the torque to give you a little kick on upshifts and a little blip on the way down, bouncing off the imaginary 8,000rpm redline, even matching the sound to the throttle position, revs and what gear you’re in.

Yep – sound. With N Active Sound+ you can choose from three modes: Ignition for combustion-style revs, pops and bangs, Evolution for a sci-fi thrum like the swoosh of a lightsaber, or Supersonic if you’re in the mood for lighting the afterburners. Or turn them off and glide around in stealthy silence (but why would you?).

On the track – or in our case, a frozen lake – Hyundai has even electrified the art of drifting, thanks to N Drift Optimizer. Instantly converting from four-wheel-drive to real-real drive, it sends 100% of the torque to the back, then deploys its processing power to help you hold a stylish slide. You can even simulate a clutch-kick with Torque Kick Drift, to snap sideways on demand. N Torque Distribution also lets you vary the front/rear split, with 11 different settings. Drift level: professional.

For the full 650PS hit, simply push the red button on the steering wheel and you’ll get a 10-second burst of maximum power. It’s called N Grin Boost and it does exactly that, as well as teleporting you up the road like a cattle-prodded dragster. Or from a standing start, activate N Launch Control and that 3.4-second 0-62mph time is do-able over and over again, as all four wheels grip and go.

Track days? No problem. With N Battery Preconditioning the battery cells are optimised for the most power-efficient temperature – select ‘Drag’ mode for short bursts of full power or ‘Track’ mode to unlock more laps. Or for endurance-style sessions, N Race makes further tweaks to maximise energy and performance for hot lap after hot lap.

In other words, it’s not just a hot hatch, it’s a happiness machine. And the reigning Topgear.com Car of the Year. Still not convinced? Watch this. Then head to www.hyundai.com/eu/experiment-n to find out more.

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 N is now available to order, from £65,000.