There is an electric performance car that has made me excited for a long time. It was born for the racetrack and can complete two laps at the Nürburgring without overheating. It is more powerful than many fuel performance cars.
Yes, it is Hyundai's IONIQ 5 N (pronounced “Aini K”).
Yesterday, Hyundai officially announced the pre-sale price of this car in China, which is 398,800 yuan.
When seeing this price, the editorial department’s first reaction was: Hyundai is crazy.
Our previous prediction was that it would be around 40. You know, this is a pure imported car, and its price in the UK is close to 600,000 RMB, and its price in the US is about 480,000 RMB.Even in its hometown of South Korea, the price is 76 million won, which is about 399,200 yuan.
This time, the Chinese market is the lowest in the world. The Koreans really came with sincerity.
When talking about performance cars, the first thing that comes to mind is either the famous Mercedes-Benz AMG, BMW M, or Japan's Toyota GR, Honda Type-R.
What? Korea also has performance cars?
Well, the Koreans did start later than them, but what they make is no less impressive.
Hyundai's high-performance N brand is often compared with BMW M. Some even say that the pure BMW M bloodline lies in Hyundai N.
Although it is a joke, it is not a random joke, because one of the big men behind Hyundai N, Albert Biermann, has worked at BMW for more than 30 years and was the head of BMW's M department before joining Hyundai.
The name N comes from the initials of its two R&D centers: Namyang and Nürburgring. The two Ns together make up the BMW M.
Placing the R&D center at the Nürburgring is enough to show Hyundai N's emphasis on the track, and this is also the case with the IONIQ 5 N.
The IONIQ 5 N's dual motors have a total power of 478kW (175kW front, 303kW rear), 650 horsepower, and a torque of 770N·m. It is equipped with a ternary lithium battery with an electricity capacity of 83.3 kWh and an 800V fast charging system, and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds.
These parameters may seem ordinary, but its top speed can reach 260km/h, while most electric vehicles can only reach over 200km/h. Such a top speed means that the motor can withstand high speeds and has good heat dissipation capabilities.
There are at least three radiators in the cabin of the IONIQ 5 N. Each radiator is located in a different position and has a different effective area. At least I have never seen so many on other electric cars.
It also has two types of coolant, red and blue, which are responsible for the motor and battery system respectively.
But what's interesting is that I found that there is only one pot here for domestic models. Could it be optimized?
In addition to the engine compartment, the heat dissipation capacity of the 5N brake is also online. Its front wheel uses a caliper integrated brake disc, 4 pistons, and a brake disc diameter of 400mm. In comparison, the Xiaomi SU7 is 350mm.
There is also a circle of openings in the center of the brake disc, which not only reduces the unsprung mass but also accelerates heat dissipation.
The tires that match this set of brakes are 21-inch Pirelli P ZERO with a width of 275mm at the front and rear. In order to fit such wide tires, the IONIQ 5 N has wide wheel arches with air guide slots on them.
Just buy this set and you don’t need to modify anything, you can go straight to the track.
The IONIQ 5 N weighs 2.2 tons, which is not light. It has to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife twice, and even with such powerful brakes it is not enough, so it has added the NBR energy recovery system.
The NBR is similar to the single-pedal kinetic energy recovery in our ordinary electric cars in principle, both of which use the wheel to push the motor back to achieve deceleration. However, it has a deceleration of 0.6G just by releasing the accelerator pedal, while a heavy brake is about 0.8G, which means that it can replace part of the brake to a certain extent.
Now that we have brakes, we also need to provide some areas that reflect the fun of driving.
The 5 N's rear wheels are equipped with an electronic limited-slip differential (e-LSD), which allows for faster cornering on the track. The key is that drifting is very enjoyable and you can drift however you want.
Not only that, it also has a simulated shift paddle. When you press it, the motor really has the shifting feeling of a sudden change in speed like a gasoline car.
The red button on the steering wheel is the Real Man NGB enhanced mode, which allows the motor to burst out to maximum output within 10 seconds and can be used again after an interval of 10 seconds.
Xiaomi SU7 also has a similar button, but everyone's feedback is that it is useless. However, many bloggers have tested that this button on N can really increase the tail speed.
In addition to its performance, the appearance of the 5 N is also quite appealing to me.
For example, the pixel headlights are highly recognizable and become more and more pleasing to the eye the more you look at them. Unlike some electric cars, which all have squinty headlights that cover the car logos and you can't tell which one is which.
There is a red skirt on the side of the car, which may be due to the color matching of the car body. I feel that the red side skirts of many cars are a bit tacky, but I think the red color of 5 N is quite matching.
The rear of the car also has pixel-style taillights, and on top is a spoiler that is longer than the ordinary IONIQ 5. The rear diffuser with bright orange trim below is also exclusive to N, so it must always emphasize its N identity.
As for the interior, the upper part looks okay at first glance. The steering wheel and armrests are upgraded Alcantara exclusively for the Chinese region. The central console has wireless charging, and there are sports seats that support seat heating/ventilation. After all, it's so hot on the track, and your butt needs some fresh air.
But if you look more closely, you will find that many areas are filled with various types of plastic. Don’t ask why, the reason is to reduce weight.
When it comes to intelligent and comfortable configurations, there is nothing much to say.
It is said that this car will have the ability to change lanes by turning on the lights. As for the high-end intelligent driving such as NOA in the urban area that new forces are attracting, don't count on it.
The advantage of the car computer is that it has N track maps, including Tianma, Jingang and other tracks. Other audio and video entertainment are definitely not as good as those of domestic car manufacturers, but it is provided with Carplay+Carlife, which is barely enough.
You can't keep talking about the refrigerator and the dozens of seat adjustments. Don't affect my control.
Of course, people who buy this car won’t worry about these things at all, as long as it runs fast on the track.
All in all, IONIQ 5 N is indeed an electric car that is very fun to drive. Although I think it is not expensive, I also think that it will not be too popular in the Chinese market.
It is the second N model introduced by Hyundai in China. The first model they introduced last year was the Elantra N, which was also enhanced in various track aspects and its price was not expensive among performance cars, but it has lost some popularity now.
The Car Owners' Home shows that 47 vehicles of this type were registered in January, and no data can be found for other months.
It is possible that IONIQ 5 N will end up with the same result, but no matter what, for those of us who like control, we are very happy that this car can be successfully introduced.
As for the Hyundai brand, Korean cars are no longer as popular in the Chinese market as they used to be, and they simply cannot compete with domestic brands in the family car market. At this time, introducing the niche models that they are good at might be a good idea to find a new way out.
Anyway, Brother Neck is hoping that there will be more and more such driver's cars on the market to let consumers know that electric cars are not just available in the form of refrigerators, color TVs, and large sofas.