Electric crossovers are proving to be a bargain in terms of performance.
Car Wow
July 27, 2024 in 3pm ET
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is proving to be a formidable drag racer: the compact electric crossover recently outdid several premium, high-powered SUVs, including the Lamborghini Urus and a Brabus-tuned Mercedes-AMG G63, and now it’s taking its anger out on a more worthy opponent: the Mercedes-AMG GT.
The coupe has AMG’s twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine that delivers 585 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels. Hyundai has two electric motors that provide all-wheel drive and together produce 650 horsepower and 545 pound-feet of torque. The AMG has a weight advantage, weighing in at about 298 pounds lighter than the electric crossover.
The Hyundai is also a quick family car. In the first race, it got off to a head start ahead of the coupe and stayed in the lead after the finish. In the second race, the GT got out in front of the 5N and got off to a much better start, but the EV edged out the AMG to the finish line for a narrow victory. Both cars completed the quarter-mile race in 11.4 seconds, an impressive time for a $66,000 electric family crossover that can fake gearshifts and make exhaust noises to go with them.
The Ioniq also had some software tricks that were used during the rolling race – the EV’s fake gear shifts didn’t help the AMG, which lost by a fair margin – but a simple setting change in the Ioniq and the press of the boost button made for a completely different race on the second run, with the Hyundai leaving Mercedes behind.
We live in wild times when an affordable Hyundai crossover can outrun a six-figure sports car in a straight line, but that’s the big advantage of battery electric vehicles: They’ve democratized horsepower, and the 5N feels like just the beginning of a new era of performance vehicles that could change the hierarchy of cars based on internal combustion engine power.
read more
