German publication Sport Auto has been conducting its own independent lap tests at the Nürburgring Nordschleife since 1997. Everything from hot hatchbacks to hypercars has been put through the magazine’s “Supertest,” and now Sport Auto has done its first hot lap with an EV: the new Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
Sport Auto’s Supertest requires a car to be stock (aside from safety gear like a racing harness), and fully road-legal and registered. Up until 2015 all Supertests were done by former chief editor Horst von Saurma, who had set the Nürburgring lap record in a Porsche Carrera GT in 2004, but since 2015 the laps have all been done by Christian Gebhardt, a journalist who has had 17 starts at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. As the Supertests are conducted during industry testing days, Gebhardt is not allowed to go full speed past turn 13, which adds about seven seconds to a lap on average.
Hyundai says the 641-horsepower Ioniq 5 N is capable of doing two laps of the Nordschleife in Endurance mode or one full-power fast lap in Sprint mode; the latter of which is what was used for this test. As Hyundai has yet to release its own lap test at the ‘Ring, this is the first time we’ve been able to see just how fast the Ioniq 5 N is at the race track that it takes its name from and was developed at — and it’s pretty damn fast.
Wearing its stock Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires, Gebhardt put down a time of seven minutes 45.59 seconds in the Ioniq 5 N, which is quicker than Sport Auto’s times of cars like the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, Ferrari 599 GTB, and both the 997 and 996-generation Porsche 911 GT3 RS models. It’s only a couple seconds off Gebhardt’s own laps of the Porsche Cayman GT4 and BMW M2 CS, as well as Honda’s front-wheel-drive lap record with the Civic Type R. Gebhardt’s time also almost matched Porsche’s original lap time for the Taycan Turbo, previously the electric car record holder. (The Taycan’s new track-focused variant just took that crown back from Tesla.)
The onboard footage of Gebhardt’s hot lap is awesome. Turn-in looks sharp and immediate, and the Ioniq 5 N corners flat and stays composed even when he uses the curb or has to make a quick correction. It handles the corkscrew well, too. Gebhardt exceeds 150 mph in some stretches, reaching as much as 165 mph — the car’s top speed — on the track’s main straight.
While the hot lap was done with the Ioniq 5 N’s powertrain in its “normal” setting, in which it has a single-speed transmission and acts like a traditional EV, the beginning of the video features a clip of the car accelerating when using the DCT-aping mode and fake engine noises. Even with the simulated shifts activated the Ioniq 5 N looks extremely quick; Hyundai says the car will hit 60 mph in just 3.25 seconds, which Sport Auto seems to just about achieve. And honestly, I think the fake turbo-four engine sound is pretty cool, though I’m more excited to experience the “Supersonic” noise, which Hyundai describes as “a unique concept inspired by twin-engine fighter jets.”
The Ioniq 5 N will reach U.S. dealers in March. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but it will likely come in at around $65,000. Earlier this month at the Tokyo Auto Salon, Hyundai unveiled the NPX1 concept, which previews performance parts like an upgraded suspension and racing-inspired body kit that will be sold through official Hyundai channels. With the brand also set to reveal its Ioniq 5 N–based race car in the near future, maybe we’ll see an even higher-performance Ioniq 5 N road car in a few years. An Ioniq 5 N RS, if you will.
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