09/05/2024
Got quite the privilege yesterday to test drive an OWNERS 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 N
Spoiler - it was lovely...
MY experience with Hyundai automobiles has not been overly positive with countless negative ownership experiences from friends so I went into this rev new feeling tarnished about the brand. This is a completely electric vehicle so the complaints and issues would not be applicable and approached this with the opportunity to change my experience.
The styling is nice, it has an adequate amount of vents, wings and highlights to make it feel special and sporty vs the standard model.
Interior was surprisingly spacious and comfortable. The sport seats were well bolstered and ideally shaped for a vast amount of body types and I could see hours on the road being very comfortable even with my arthritic hips.
The gauge cluster and tech inside the vehicle was quite special. Customization was miles ahead of anything I have ever seen, you can fine to driving experience in dozens of ways and have you perfect ride.
The performance... yes. The brakes are huge and have a delightful/natural feel. The 0-60 time is 3 seconds and it definitely reminds you... Handling was sharp and the lower centre of gravity over a conventional vehicle is noticeable.
Let's finish this with gimmicks and gadgets, the reason why you might be buying this vehicle is the simulated 8 speed transmission. Many EV's have artificial sounds and whether thats your thing or not is unto the settings menu and whether you turn it on. Personally I shut them off ALWAYS OFF. The electric car can be enjoyed with its native sounds but this was different. The 8 speed transmission simulation was wildly accurate and did things that a conventional ICE car would do. Bogging while you bounce off the artificial rev limiter, a vibration on deceleration, denied shifts based on speed/RPM and a reward for timing your shifts. Note- it's not faster to simulate the manual transmission but it does give you a more rewarding experience.
As an automotive enthusiast and recently changed my vehicle from a 455 HP v8 sports car to a 44 HP Kei Truck we are all in a similar quest to achieve an experience. The IONIQ 5 N delivered the JDM track, American V8 launch, weekend track car experience all in one.
If your in the market this car delivers.
Weird and negatives are simple. The phrases and labeling of features feels like an attempt to copy off APPLE's homework but did not deliver. Example is the NGB button of the steering wheel, the purpose is to give you full power for a few seconds to really blow your shorts off. They could have called it BOOST, MAX or anything but its NGB which stands for NNN Grin Button. Apple cannot make a iPad gold its Starlight and they give every feature more exotic name and this seems to be bleeding into other markets with some hits and misses. The function of the IONIQ 5 N buttons are fine and do the job but the titles are a bit confusing.
Thank you to the owner Shane for letting me drive his car, and sharing the endless features of it with his endless enthusiasm.
Cheers
Enjoy the Video
The honest to goodness, uncut driving impressions of the all new Hyundai IONIQ 5 NNeedless to say this vehicle sold me on the future of electric performance ...
