Can the all-electric Ioniq 5 N drift? Well, there is only one way to find out. Put the Drift King in the driver's seat and set them both free on the racetrack.
Let's start with the numbers, because no matter how we go around this, that is where we are going to end up anyway. So the Ioniq 5 N is a 601-horsepower (609 PS) car, going all the way up to 641 horsepower (650 PS) when Boost mode is engaged.
Those come from two electric motors fed by an 84-kWh battery pack. The one on the front axle brings 223 horsepower (226 PS) into the equation, while the one on the rear deals with 378 horsepower (383 PS).
Once the N Grin Boost mode is on (for 10 seconds only!), the car goes from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 3.4 seconds. That is as fast as the Ferrari Roma or the Lamborghini Huracan. In terms of top speed, we are dealing with a 162-mph (260-kph) car. And keep in mind that those motors are pulling a car that weighs 4,850 pounds (2,200 kilograms)!
But what is behind all these numbers? And can the Ioniq 5 N drift? Hyundai brought pro driver Keiichi Tsuchiya, known as the Drift King, to the World Time Attack Challenge in Australia to check on that.
Hyundai understood that it is not enough to offer free home chargers and discounts on installation to get people to buy EVs. Customers need more than just charging perks. They also need to have fun behind the wheel. And that is what the Ioniq 5 seems to be for. The Ioniq 5 N is a car born in Namyang, South Korea and honed at the Nurburgring, with N being the password for fun.
For that 'fun' factor, the car also got the N Drift Optimiser feature, which simulates a clutch kick to initiate a drift, analyzing the driver input to keep the desired slip angle. That sounds like it was made for the Drift King Keiichi Tsuchiya. The Japanese pro driver is the co-founder of the D1 Grand Prix and served as a stunt coordinator and stuntman in Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift.
The experience with the Ioniq 5 N was his first time drifting an electric car. He was surprised to find out that the model is so agile, considering its weight.
But not surprising at all was the fact that he could go drifting on and on in the 5 N, and the video below stands proof. The model is soon going to hit the market. There is no word on pricing just yet, but it is estimated that the US customers are going to receive it with a price tag of around $63,000.
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