The Ioniq 5 N was a revelation. Hyundai’s N division took a soft and slightly thick electric crossover and turned it into an engaging, oversized hot hatch with terrifying straight-line speed, a fake paddleshift gearbox, and a proper tire-shredding drift mode.
Now it’s time for the difficult second album, and thankfully, Hyundai has decided not to stray from the original recipe. Mixed metaphors aside, the first thing you should know is that this new Ioniq 6 N gets the same basic powertrain as the 5 N, which means a twin-motor setup for a total of 601hp. However, as you may remember from the 5, there’s also an ‘N Grin Boost’ button which gives you 10sec of 641hp and 770Nm of torque. Engage that and you’ll be able to do 0-100kph in just 3.2sec. Yikes.
And while power figures are the same, Hyundai reckons it has improved the motors with new magnets to “postpone the point of derating” on track or during hard driving.
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The battery is also carried over from the 5 N, so it’s an 84kWh unit that should rapid-charge from 10-80% in 18min and provide around 467km of range when full, although that’s currently just Hyundai’s own estimate and an official WLTP figure will follow. There have been tweaks here, too, with a revised ‘N Battery Conditioning’ system that allows the driver to select either ‘Drag,’ ‘Sprint,’ or ‘Endurance’ modes to heat the battery to the optimum temperature for that type of driving. Drag is apparently somewhere between 30-40 degrees Celsius for max acceleration in one burst, while Endurance is down between 10-20 degrees for longer-lasting performance.
Small software tweaks from the 5 N seem to be the order of the day here, with N division boss Joon Park making it clear that Hyundai has listened to customer feedback. That’s why the ‘N Drift Optimizer’ now gets more settings to customize your drift initiation, angle, and wheel slip. A 2025 model year update of the 5 N added 10 levels to the system for beginners right up to a pro setting, but we’re told the 6 N goes even further.
The ‘N e-Shift’ (the simulated eight-speed paddleshift gearbox) has also been updated so the ambient lighting tells you when to shift up, and you can also now use it in all drive modes. Yep, even Eco. Good news for all the hypermiling track day lovers out there. The system will also now work in conjunction with N Launch Control and the Ioniq 6 N’s drift mode, so you can pull off massive ‘fourth gear’ slides to impress your pals.
There’s more: The ‘N Active Sound+’ now has a new erm… sound, plus we’re told there’s better sound quality for the fake engine noise or futuristic spaceship soundtrack. There’s also an ‘N Track Manager’ function that allows you to create custom circuits and then monitor your data and lap times. You even get a ghost car visual when running laps for the full Gran Turismo experience.
We should probably discuss the looks too, because while the 5 N is a little more aggressive-looking than its standard car, the 6 N—based on the recently facelifted 6—looks like it’s been dosing.
“All of the styling changes serve a purpose,” chief designer Eduardo Ramirez tells Top Gear. “Form follows function.” Those changes include a much larger front grille with active shutters, a new front splitter, and a wider body with arches that have been stretched out by 30mm on each side, at the front and the rear. The sills have also been rather dramatically extended out to match, and you get lightweight 20-inch forged wheels, while around the back there’s an extended rear diffuser and a large black mask that’s dotted with tiny little pixel lights. Giant swan neck rear wing too, of course, although if that’s not eye-catching enough for you, then you’ll want to delve into the N performance parts catalogue for an even bigger one.
Hyundai believes this thing will be sharper, harder, and more track-focused than the 5 N. You can see the new rear strut brace from the boot, and we’re told the suspension geometry has been completely redesigned, with the chassis also re-engineered for less body roll. There are new ‘stroke-sensing electronically controlled dampers’ and stiffer springs, and Hyundai has also been working on the brakes so that even more regen can be deployed when you stamp on the stop pedal.
There’s an electronic limited slip diff on the rear axle, and while we don’t have a weight figure just yet, we wouldn’t be surprised if this were a little lighter than the 5 N. Inside, you get bucket seats, an N-specific steering wheel, and lots of Alcantara.
Hyundai’s N division is now 10 years old, but Park tells TG: “That was just the first lap.” What on earth is it going to cook up next?
More photos of the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N:
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
