Think electric vehicles are just quiet, sensible commuter boxes meant for saving money on petrol? Hyundai clearly didn't get the memo.
With the official arrival of the high-performance N brand in Malaysia at KLIMS 2026 (happening right now at MITEC until 21 June), they’ve unleashed two absolute monsters: the Ioniq 5 N (RM443,888) and the sleek Ioniq 6 N (RM449,888).
These aren't just fast cars, they are basically real-life driving simulators. Hyundai has packed both models with insane software tricks that feel less like traditional automotive engineering and more like actual video game cheat codes designed to turn everyday drivers into track pros.
Both cars are already pushing out a massive 609 PS from their dual electric motors. But just like hitting a nitro boost button in Need for Speed, pressing the bright red NGB button on the steering wheel instantly overclocks the motors to an insane 650 PS and 750 Nm of torque for 10 seconds of pure, unadulterated straight-line violence.
2. The 'Instant Drift King' Cheat: N Drift Optimizer
Ever wanted to pull off a perfect, smoking, sideways drift without spinning out into a tyre wall? This clever system manages the torque distribution, suspension stiffness, and wheel spin in real-time. It literally allows you to select your drift angle and initiation assists based on your skill level, helping you look like a seasoned pro overnight on a closed circuit.
3. The 'Fake Gearbox' Cheat: N e-Shift
One of the biggest complaints petrolheads have about EVs is that they lack engagement because there are no gears to shift. Hyundai solved this by coding software that perfectly mimics the hard, mechanical jolts and rev-matching drops of an 8-speed dual-clutch petrol engine. You get steering wheel paddles, actual "RPM redlines," and you can even play around with it in Eco mode with cruise control turned on!
4. The 'Fighter Jet' Sound Pack: N Active Sound+To go with the fake gearbox, these cars use an intensive 10-speaker audio layout (8 inside the cabin, 2 outside) to blast performance soundtracks. You can choose "Ignition" to make it rumble like a traditional 2.0L turbocharged engine, or go full sci-fi with "Lightspeed" (on the 6 N) and "Supersonic" which literally pipes in the screaming sound of a military fighter jet accelerating down the highway.
5. The 'Left-Foot Braking' Cheat: N Pedal
In racing, professional drivers use a highly advanced technique called left-foot braking to aggressively shift a car’s weight forward, helping it bite into sharp corners and eliminate understeer. Instead of forcing you to learn a difficult footwork dance, the N Pedal software uses aggressive, intelligent regenerative braking to automatically simulate this weight transfer the moment you lift off the accelerator, pulling you tight into the apex.
Is It A Pricey Toy Or The Future Of Fun?
Let's talk numbers. Surprisingly, both track weapons landed in Malaysia with price tags slightly lower than industry rumors predicted. You can drive home the boxy Ioniq 5 N for RM443,888, while its sleeker streamliner sibling, the Ioniq 6 N, will cost you just a fraction more at RM449,888 (both prices are on-the-road without insurance).
To give you some peace of mind while you're shredding tyres, Hyundai is throwing in a massive eight-year or 160,000 km bumper-to-bumper warranty, meaning it covers the entire car, not just the battery pack!
Since these are exclusive, made-to-order machines built on an indent basis, early buyers get some serious bragging rights and freebies. If you lock in your order during the launch period, you’ll score a sweet bundle: your choice of a complimentary AC home wallbox charger or RM1,800 in JomCharge credits, a mountain of official N lifestyle swag worth up to RM2,000, and crazy-low financing interest rates starting at just 1.97% per annum.
So, what’s the consensus? Is this just another overhyped, overpriced EV launch, or has Hyundai actually managed to inject some real mechanical soul into a battery?
While a lot of car enthusiasts dismiss modern EVs as sterile, boring appliances on wheels, the Ioniq N duo completely flips the script by using clever software to trigger actual driving emotions. By programming artificial gear changes that kick you in the back and pipe in military fighter jet soundscapes, Hyundai is making a bold statement: electric cars can actually be wildly entertaining.
