Besides the new BYD Seal and Atto 3 variants, Sime Darby Motors (SDM) has yet another surprise under the wraps during its event today, coming from its Korean arm, Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM). Previewed for the first time in Malaysia today is the manic Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, the brand’s flagship EV hot-hatch that has garnered many accolades worldwide.
What’s also interesting is the fact that the display unit here turns out to be a right-hand-drive (RHD) model, indicating that there’s a high chance we’ll get to see this manic EV hatch go on sale here.
Unlike its plain-jane twin, the Ioniq 5 N has been given a dramatic makeover, as it features tons of aggressive visual upgrades. Key highlights include the sporty N bodykit with tons of red-hued accents, large 21-inch N-specific alloy wheels with red-hued brake callipers hiding beneath them, and many more.
The N visual treatment continues as we get inside the car, as front passengers will be greeted with N-badge door sills and Hyundai N bucket seats once they enter the car. Apart from those N-specific trims and its button-laden N steering wheel, the Ioniq 5 N is still a relatively practical car with ample comfort amenities and cabin space, just like its non-N-badged twin.
Christened by Hyundai’s N performance division, the Ioniq 5 N is essentially a much souped-up version of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 with tons of N-specific performance upgrades such as the N Drift Optimiser, N Grin Boost, N Launch Control, N Race driving mode, N Brake Regen, N Active Sound+, and many more.
By far the biggest highlight for the Ioniq 5 N is the unique N e-shift function that simulates the gearshifts made by an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission by controlling the torque output out of the car’s twin-motor setup rated at 609 PS (448 kW) and 740 NM. With the N Grin Boost mode engaged, said dual-motor setup can develop up to 650 PS (478 kW) and 770 NM for a brief 10 seconds, allowing the car to go from 0-100 KM/H in just 3.4 seconds and a V-Max of 260 KM/H.
Battery-wise, the Ioniq 5 N is juiced by an 84-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which is the same unit used on its facelifted vanilla twin. Except that in the Ioniq 5 N’s case, this sizable battery pack only grants the EV hot-hatch with up to 448 KM of WLTP range, although the DCFC rate is being kept the same at 350 kW, allowing a 10-80% charge to be completed in just 18 minutes.
As of now, HSDM has yet to give any indication of whether the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N will be sold in our markets in the near future, which explains why the company didn’t even give us any tentative pricing for this manic EV hot-hatch. Rumours, however, suggested that the Ioniq 5 N will be priced somewhere around the RM390,000 region, which puts it in a relatively similar spot as several ICE-powered, race-bred hot-hatches in our market, such as the Volkswagen Golf R Mk 8 CKD (RM332,990), Toyota GR Corolla (RM355,000), and the Honda Civic Type R FL5 (RM399,900).
