Hot Stromer in icy test

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Mercedes has AMG, BMW has M GmbH. And Ford is sticking an ST on the back of its sporty models. In Hyundai, N stands for Motorsport. By the end of 2023, the South Korean automaker wants to have its first electric model with this letter on the back, based on the Ioniq 5, which can also win the hearts of fans of internal combustion engines.

The biggest challenge: In an electric sports car, you’ll likely miss the high revs and idling chatter, powered by the flaps in the tailpipes. In addition, they lack the roar of the engine during rapid downshifts in dual-clutch, the steering feel is synthetic and their continuous brake assist system.

Electronics instead of exhaust

Hyundai takes this into account and uses electronics. One of the two prototypes of the Ioniq 5 N, still covered in snow in Arjeplog in northern Sweden, sounds like a real petrol engine. Depending on speed and engine RPM, an audio system produces the right engine sound – it’s still a bit bass-heavy and muffled, but when it launches in late fall it will sound realistic. The idea is not entirely new – Ford has long been raising the engine sound of the Focus ST to provide a sportier sound. The Ioniq 5 N now tries to do the same through the speakers.

But sound isn’t the only thing that should provide a familiar driving experience in the electric Hyundai. When accelerating, an electric car normally overtakes in one go – there are no gears, whether manual or automatic. Artificial vibrations are designed in the Ioniq 5 N to simulate the feeling of shifting up or down.

Performance is still a secret

The Ioniq 5 N is the first model of the Hyundai sports department with all-wheel drive and two motors. This offers multiple attack points to make brisk driving safer. An electronically controlled locking differential regulates the transmission of power to each wheel. Sensors tell in fractions of a second how much torque is needed for adequate grip. This not only helps to quickly correct the vehicle’s skid in Sweden’s icy lakes and when cornering quickly. A special drift mode can be activated at the touch of a button. Individual front and rear wheel torque, torque ratio, steering effort, suspension stiffness and traction control work together to provide optimum slip. It’s fine on the Eissee, but of course there’s no problem on public roads.

Hyundai has not yet made a statement about the engines and driving performance of the Ioniq 5 N. An electric motor is tuned for each axle. In addition, thanks to the battery, the center of gravity is particularly low. The Kia EV6 shows what can be done on the same platform. The GT version has a whopping 585 hp (430 kW) and 740 Nm of torque. This allows Kia to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 260 km/h. However, it is not yet known how long the battery will last at this speed. But at least the 800-volt system can be recharged relatively quickly.

Source: Blick