The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5N is the electric hot hatch you want

Respect. That’s all Brian O’Conner wanted in Fast and Furious. I get it – he did the wrenching. He did the driving. There’s a certain sense of accomplishment when it all comes together. But that movie is nearly a quarter-century old – is the theme still relevant today when cars like this 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5N exist?

Does Gen Z want an angry Pufferfish for a car? Or uh…do I?

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5N Overview

Every time I get an electric car to review, someone invariably asks me how I, a red-blooded American male, could ever even see myself in such a thing. I used to search for awkward answers – it’s really fast, or it offers better handling, whatever I could think of. 

But the truth is that I’m probably not like your typical automotive enthusiast, all of whom seem to be hyper-focused on the environmental element of these cars instead of their performance. No, they won’t save the planet and no, they probably won’t ever have the proper infrastructure needed to recharge them – but you could say the same about an ICE-powered car a hundred years ago. Stop worrying about that and just look at the damn car.

And what a car this is. Over 600 horsepower. Four-piston brake calipers with 21-inch wheels wrapped in P-Zeros. Matte blue paint. It wouldn’t look out of place on that Fast and Furious movie set, but it would be faster than everything on the screen.

Dig deeper though, and find a car that’s simply fun to drive, handles well, and puts a big smile on my face. The kids growing up today – this is what they look at as a halo car. And I’m a big kid at heart. 

Performance Score: 9. Speed freak

The Ioniq 5N is similar to Kia’s EV6 GT I reviewed awhile back, but the N division adds more Go juice and a host of chassis upgrades to truly make this variant stand out. Some publications call is an SUV, but the Ioniq 5 is too low for me to be considered as such. More fun to call it a big hot hatch!

Engine

There’s something to be said for power that’s simply there. No turbo lag, no falling off the torque curve. You need never fear the passing lane – just about any opening you see can be yours in the blink of an eye.

Truth be told, you rarely need all 641 horsepower when out and about. Leaving the car in its normal mode is more than enough. Placing it in Sport mode offers BMW-esque throttle response and the ability to crush souls over and over again. Press the “N” button to activate N Grin mode and unlock all 641 horsepower for ten seconds – and you better make sure there ain’t anyone in front of you, because holy shit will the horizon come fast. It’s unsettling until you get used to it, then it’s simply fun. The Ioniq N will then need ten seconds to cool down before attempting another land speed record, and you’ll need at least thirty seconds to catch your breath.

All of this is underscored by a soundtrack that’s more Tron then Toretto. You can choose to have your 5N sound like a Hyundai Rally car, a spaceship, or silence. I chose the latter – there’s no need for the fakeness (and it actually gets loud). I don’t mind the quiet – you’d be amazed at how loud the motors of a windshield wiper can be without engine noise to drown it out.

Transmission

This car has a stalk protruding from the steering column, one of three – that looks like a weird tree hanging above your lap. But the problem is how you engage drive – twist the knob up to go forward, and twist it back to go into reverse. It needs to be the opposite, and there’s no sense in arguing with me. Between this and an upcoming Sonata N, I never got it right and almost hit the garage door multiple times.

Anyway, technically speaking this car has no transmission, but you can make one minus the “Danger to manifold” warning. Engage N mode, and it’ll mimic a DCT-like vibe, complete with a redline and little shift sensations as it pulls through the gears. This makes the car slower and in my opinion, worse. Get an Elantra N with a stick if you want the real deal, otherwise let the Ioniq 5N be the beautiful electric butterfly it was meant to be.

Chassis and Steering

The inherent basic design of any electric car is good – a flat battery pack located on the floor means that weight is kept very low and evenly distributed. But the problem is usually that weight – in the Ioniq’s case, over 4,800 pounds. But like the best BMWs, Hyundai has found a way to make the heft disappear.

Two motors give the 5N all-wheel drive, and they send power to 21-inch Pirelli P-Zero tires similar to what you’ll find on an M3. Once you sort through the myriad of menu options and drive modes (four, including Sport and “N”), you’ll find a superbly balanced car with minimal body roll. You can drift with confidence, as I did, and hang out the tail as well as any M2 I’ve been in. Sure it’s Blue Pill stiff, but we’re here to have fun.

When you’re not feeling jovial, place in a normal mode and the electronic suspension makes the ride as comfy as a cloud. Ahhhh. Regardless of setting the car is composed, but I do wish for a bit more overall body control when not in max attack.

The steering is heavy in that maddest N mode, but in a serious sort of way. Wish it had more feedback, a complaint I can hardly only level at this car. Overall, great chassis.

Brakes

The Ioniq 5N has regenerative braking with three settings, and for 99% of the time it’s all you need. Brake regen is one of the coolest features of electric cars – the ability to use only one pedal to drive is easy once you get the hang of it.

But for those times when you engage maximum warp, a set of four-piston brake calipers are ready. They offer great resistance and pedal feel, and despite this Hyundai’s weight, were remarkably stout when it came to fade.

Lifestyle Score: 8. The goodest of boys

It might not be the prettiest girl at the ball, but we’ll talk more about that later. For now, let’s pop the rear hatch and admire all that space. It’s interrupted only by a severe rake in the rear glass – looks cool, but hinders cargo loading. The Ioniq doesn’t have a frunk – it’s taken up by gizmos and magic boxes.

The back seat is roomy, with no transmission tunnel to block legs, and wide doors to make ingress very easy. Passengers also get their own N logo on the front seatbacks, so my daughter can contemplate the meaning of the badge for a two-hour road trip.

Up front are a pair of supportive bucket seats that work very well. Maybe the bottom cushion can be a bit longer, but that’s a me problem. An everyone problem is the lack of power seats. This car is nearly $70k, and reaching down between your legs to release the bar is not only uncivilized, but unbecoming of a premium car. It also doesn’t allow you to ever get that just right spot for perfect footwork placement. 

Fuel Economy: NA.

For now, in the year 2025, it costs less to recharge your car at your home than it does to fill it up with gas. If you have the ability to recharge it at will as oppose to relying on limited electric infrastructure, you will also enjoy never visiting the gas station again.

For a real-world comparison, the Ioniq 5N gets 78 MPGe combined, while BMW’s hybrid M5 manages only 54 (and only for 23 miles). If you are judicious with the throttle, you’ll see a little over 200 miles of range, which is plenty to get you to work and back each day. Drive like you’re taking off from Newark airport constantly, and that range decreases at an alarming rate.

Like any electric car, if the Ioniq fits your lifestyle, I see no downside to living without an engine.

Features and Comfort: 6. Premium is as Premium does

Hyundai has long been trying to shed their bargain basement beginnings, and for the most part have succeeded. But a few things remain…

What does this button do?

Maybe it’s a youth thing – I used to sit inside my 3000GT, which was full of buttons haphazardly placed everywhere, and think “I’m in a fighter jet!” Those buttons have since been replaced with screens, and the Ioniq 5N has many many variations. Aside from normal infotainment functions, the N menu in particular is tough to get through. Make sure you’re parked and have about 20 minutes to set the car up to your liking.

Otherwise, the cabin is nice. There’s some ambient lighting, Alcantara on the seats, and plenty of storage. But everything is black plastic, and it can feel pretty cheap, especially without much leather to speak of. What is there is faux, and the overall quality is on par more with an Elantra than a BMW 2 Series.

Which brings us to price. Our fully loaded sample here comes in at $68,685 – paint is the only option. The Ioniq 5N’s performance and chassis warrant that MSRP, even if the interior doesn’t present quite as premium. 

Funk master flex

This isn’t a pretty car, but it is a funky one, and that can be cool too. The Ioniq 5 already has some futuristic details in the lights, and slathering it in N makes it look like a ‘roided up fish.

Painted in Performance Blue Matte paint ($1,000 please), N adds black and red accents throughout, along with those big 21-inch polished wheels, N-exclusive wheel arches and side skirts, and enough vents and spoilers to fill an aviation convention. Looks tough – like a kid with spiky hair and tattoos, capable of making you have a bad day at a moment’s notice.

I can tell you that it drew attention, including from an F80 M3 bro that happened to drive by while I was shooting. But no one above the age of 30 glanced over. Whateves – old people don’t know what they’re missing.

Other sedans and wagons to consider

• 2023 Kia EV6 GT
• 2025 Subaru WRX tS
• 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6
• 2023 Porsche Taycan
• 2022 BMW i4 M50

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5N gives me the fizz. Deal with it.

Thirty seconds. Yup – that’s all it takes. Thirty seconds of driving to know whether or not a car is going to “do it” for me. It’s just a sensation you get – James May called it the “fizz”, and I feel it at 5 miles an hour, or 90. It’s just there.

Sometimes this car trips over itself trying to provide that fizz. The fake engine sounds? “N grin”? All those checkered-flag graphics? Maybe the kids like it, but it’s all superfluous – the Ioniq 5N just works. Stomping on the gas never gets old, and the chassis offers enough touchy-feely to make me smile. This car might seem silly to anyone without a belly-button piercing, but the best cars are often the ones that don’t conform to societal norms.

N comes after M in the alphabet (go ahead and sing it, I’ll wait). And this N is a better car than the last M I drove – the M5 Touring. That big boy is twice the price, heavier, far less efficient, and offers the same kind of fake engine sounds that the 5N does. Turn them off in the M5, and it’s just as quiet as the 5N, even though the engine is spinning. So what’s the point?

No – this is the better car. The more fun car. It deserves your consideration and your respect.

To some people, that’s more important.