For those who don’t know, the review embargo for the Ioniq 5N has been lifted, and the reception was quite astonishing.
The most interesting thing about this performance EV isn’t its actual performance, but how it gives driver the *option* to use software to simulate an ICE driving experience, from the engine noise to gear shifts to exhaust pops and crackles.
Jason Cammisa was gobsmacked by it (just watch it to see how absurd a job Hyundai did here): https://youtu.be/xoavzFHyIQY?t=722
For those on mobile go to timestamp at 12:00 mark.
Matt from The Smoking Tire said this on his new podcast episode:
>”If every other OEM doesn’t instantly copy this, they are going to be left behind. This is the thing. This is exactly the thing they need to do to make electric sports cars fun. If the electric Cayman and Boxster don’t do this, they’re in deep shit because this is exactly the thing that it needs.”
I know most people on this sub aren’t your traditional car enthusiasts, and before you say “fake noise and gear shifts are stupid!”, I have 3 counter points:
1. It’s fully optional. You can customize it or turn it off completely.
2. Performance cars are bought as toys, and people enjoy toys for *subjective* reasons, not objective ones.
3. If this isn’t for you, the much cheaper, longer range and overall more practical Ioniq 5 is still available.
If anything, this sounds fun as hell and makes me even more excited for all the possibilities of EVs in the coming days.
by cookingboy
32 Comments
I read the 3 points you listed at the end, but still feel compelled to say it’s a stupid feature that makes the driving experience worse.
Sorry, it’s nothing personal. I just can’t help myself on this one. Hopefully you can understand
I am not going to buy the 5N, but I am happy it exists for people who want it.
I don’t know why people think the artificial engine sounds and stuff are stupid. Do you think star wars should remove all the sounds that happen in outer space too? Of course not.
I’d love to have a quiet drive down the freeway and then turn on some of this stuff when driving through windy country roads
Very curious to see how some of this sub’s regulars will react after dunking on Toyota last year for filing a patent for fake EV gear shifting (without any announced plans to actually put it into any car). Will it be “Hyundai knows nothing about building EVs” or might we actually agree that different people might care about different features even if you and I both think that some feature is stupid?
As a car enthusiast myself, I’ve been waiting for an EV like this. The 5 is still a little too SUV-y for me to actually consider purchasing it, but as soon as the ID2 GTI version or another hot hatch comes out that’s in a similar vein, I will have a new dream car.
I love the ability to fake ICE sounds and experience, even though I’d turn it off for like 95% of my driving. If I were to strike an open road or want to liven up a road trip, it would be simply amazing to have the option. I’m with you OP, I’m all for it.
I am a “traditional” car enthusiast whose 2nd and 3rd cars are a Golf R and Honda S2000. I was pretty set on replacing the Golf whenever the R3X comes out, but I will certainly be testing a 5N.
The issue I have is that pretending it’s an ICE car is silly. I would much rather them discuss adding an actual 3 or 4 speed transmission, as it could actually help the performance in some cases. I would rather them amplify the electric motor whine instead of adding fake noise. I would rather them add a supercapacitor or some other mods to let tuners start to play with EV mods at home (and if MOPAR doesn’t do this they’re crazy) to increase performance. There are a lot of cool “real” things they could have done that would actually have made the car better. This is the equivalent of the 6 foot wing I saw on a Civic S today. Useless and I would be too embarrassed to actually use it.
Beyond the mechanical aspect, running through the gears and hearing the engine also keeps you more connected to your speed and power at any moment if you know the vehicle well. It’s part of the engagement, and not just because it’s a mechanical necessity. It’s the same reason why an F1 video game is more fun and engaging when you shift the gears yourself even though you could put it on an easier mode and just ignore that. If you are sitting in bumper to bumper traffic shifting gears in your Ioniq 5N, that would probably be weird, but when you’re out to have some fun it totally makes sense that this option is available to you. I can’t wait to try it personally.
The last thing I want is a feature to make an EV drive like an ICE car. But I have never cared about performance cars anyway. If it costs extra, I’m not paying.
The one thing that gives me pause is that apparently the ride is quite stiff. It seems to me that if you use the latest technology to create a car that is so capable of transforming itself into driving differently for different people in different situations, it should be capable of having a smooth ride when that’s what the driver wants. A rough ride is my biggest complaint with my current car (Polestar 2 Performance) as well.
I’ve been looking/waiting for a Tesla alternative, and 5N caught my attention but 221mi range is pathetic out of the battery size and it weighs 700lb more than a Model 3 Performance.
I’ve probably been on more race tracks than just about anyone in a Tesla and nothing is really competing on the overall package and value.
I’ll test drive a 5N if I can find one but most likely upgrading to the new 3 Performance asap.
For the same reasons mentioned here, this may not do well in the used market. That will surely make it quite an attractive vehicle to grab in coming years. I will consider this, but I am not happy about losing certain features such as powered and ventilated seats. I hope they consider retaining all those features in their next revision.
>Performance cars are bought as toys,
Some are very practical. Our Model S P100D came with lifetime free supercharging, lifetime free internet and 8 year driveline coverage. We have 150K miles on it, A few track days, endless time at the drag strip yet it commutes silently and comfortably every week day.
“… it’s alarmingly fast. This is the problem we have with these EVs, with these performance EVs, is they are way faster than you will ever need a car to be”
Oh nooooooo.
What a beautiful problem to have.
What in the actual duck
For me this removes one of the most positive things about an EV the lack of noise from them.
If fake noise is your thing more power to you but that would be a direct negative for me.
I’ve always wished you could upload your own engine noises to EVs. I wouldn’t use it often. Most of the time, I don’t even listen to the radio, but every now and then, v10 F1 noises on the evening commute would be fun.
I am so saddened that manufacturers feel the need to add annoying engine sounds to EVs as a selling point. I really, really hope these can only be heard inside the vehicle.
I got mine a couple of weeks ago (uk) and loving it.
I like that it doesn’t take itself seriously. It’s like a toy and I’m going thru midlife crisis. Shut up and take my money.
>It’s fully optional. You can customize it or turn it off completely.
It still amazes me to this day that flipping a software switch is a selling point because so many things force features on, or off, when they could have just tucked the option somewhere in the settings menu.
Redline Review guy was equally impressed.
After watching the TopGear episode on the software allowing simulated gear changes, I was sold! Coming from mostly manual and DSG gearboxes it only feels natural to swap gears! I hope others follow this trend! Driver engagement is good way to convert hesitant drivers like myself to EV’s.
Good that it drives to interest to EVs.
However as a car guy that also love EVs I personally can’t understand this. I don’t want Porsches PDK to shift slower to simulate older transmission, I don’t want Hellcat to randomly fluctuate throttle on idle to simulate blower surge I also don’t want a modern turbo car to wait multiple seconds before building boost to simulate the older Turbo widowmakers.
All of those old characterics are cool as hell when paired to whatever car they came with. However there’s absolutely nobody that want to get modern cars to act worse just to simulate that feeling.
EV powerline is beautiful as is and has its own charm. Only thing a track ready EV needs IMO is audible noise linked to engine RPM to keep track of your speed and possible wheelspin without checking the speedometer all the time.
But good for Hyundai if this is actually what people want. I’m a little bit skeptic that there’s enough people that want a track ready EV SUV with all of these gimmicks when they could buy a lot cheaper baseline EV and a dedicated track car.
I’d think that MX5 EV might be a lot bigger hit with this implementation. Or the Boxster.
Thanks, I hate it. It looks like Yet Another Generic Crossover with the addition of a high price tag, poor range, idiotic fake noises and gear shifts. Worst of all, they’re talking it up as a **Performance! Performance! Performance!** car. But it’s no sports car. It’s a crossover. Even its straight-line acceleration is only “pretty good” by EV standards, not fantastic.
Meanwhile, I’m sitting here, year after year, waiting impatiently for a suitable replacement for my aging Tesla Roadster. *Give me an actual sports car!*
Well if it helps some people buy cars that don’t emit any NOx/PM/CO/HC, who otherwise wouldn’t have, I’m not complaining.
221 miles for 67k and it look dorky futuristic? Nope.
The main thing I like about my EV is that it doesn’t make engine noises. After driving with mine for about 6 months now, whenever I hear a loud exhaust pop or black smoke billow out of it, I just cringe. Why would anybody want to emulate that crap on a clean EV?
my parents bought the ioniq 5. its a phenomenal car.
very quick, spacious, comfortable, great range. etc etc.
As a car enthusiast I was VERY skeptical about the artificial sound and simulated shifting. Color me pleasantly surprised.
Laguna Seca was a good choice to showcase this car. I’ll be interested to see what reviewers say if they can get it out to some tighter tracks where the weight may be more of a liability.
The reality is that for EVs to go mainstream, they need to appeal to more than just early adopters who like the tech.
The vast, *vast* majority of cars that get that job done are probably not going to appeal to the “EV enthusiast”, just as the vast majority of cars in the market today don’t appeal to the “car enthusiast” – but they’re going to be necessary if anyone wants to see widespread EV adoption.
The companies that crack that nut will see a lot of sales.