Hyundai Ioniq 6 N: Bi-engine concept with even more spectacle

The upswing was just as enormous as the subsequent turnaround: Within just a few years, the N-hatches i20 and i30 transformed the Hyundai brand from a sporting nobody to a darling of the Nürburgring racers, only to give way in 2024 – thanks to climate change (as per the European Parliament) – to a concept that is a far cry from the one that made its name. The Ioniq 5 N may be a brother in spirit to the four-cylinder rascals, following the same principles, but in some crucial respects, the oversized hot hatch is the exact opposite of its founding father – because it's fully electric, highly complex, lead-heavy, and incredibly expensive.

Well, for now, N development continues in the same direction, which isn't a huge surprise. After all, the new Hyundai Ioniq 6 N has been casting its shadow for three years now. Origin? The RN22e concept car, which, in 2022, had to simultaneously educate the automotive world about the impending electrification of the N range and the ambitious styling of the all-electric sedan—although we're still not sure which of the tasks was the more thankless.

Either way, the time is now ripe for the N version, which stylistically positions itself between the wild concept study and the more staid production version. Instead of the ducktail, a stately wing sits on the flowing rear, and the eight-millimeter-wide track makes room for 275-series Pirelli tires, though not quite the drama of the RN22e, which was significantly wider, more muscular, lower, and more firmly planted on the road. However, the 6 N can showcase its stripped-back rear end, as well as a drivetrain concept that indulges entirely in driving pleasure—as the developers unanimously and incessantly emphasize. The chassis has been finely tuned—more feel despite the added weight.

Now, of course, it would be unusual for manufacturer representatives to stand before the assembled press and claim to have built the most boring hut on the planet. Of course, everything is always the best, greatest, and coolest – at least in its class. Don't ask me why, but the genuineness of this N team's conviction is somehow evident. This may be due to N Vice President Joon Park, who can hardly suppress a childlike grin as he reports that they have now – hehehe – devoted even more attention to the drift program. And Manfred Harrer is also in a mischievous mood. The Bavarian has held several prestigious positions, is now the development leader of all group brands, and on top of that, has such a big heart for the sports faction that he had the chassis design redesigned down to the last detail – to tease out more driving dynamics and, above all, a more intense driving experience.

Technical details are still scarce before the ceremonial unveiling at the Festival of Speed ​​in Goodwood, but they arise from the direct relationship to the Ioniq 5 N. The drive concept, consisting of an electric motor on each axle and a controlled limited-slip differential on the rear, was carried over into the sedan essentially unchanged, as was the 84 kWh battery and the highly laudable claim to be able to withstand the stress of two consecutive laps of the Nordschleife in the endurance program.

Differences arise from, or were achieved through, details. Like the compact, classic-style 5 N, the 6 N also distributes its weight around 2.2 tons in a fifty-fifty ratio. However, the lower roll center of the body and the sophisticated suspension, modified at the pivot points for feedback and support, which includes stiffer springs and more sensitive ZF dampers, create the impression that the Ioniq 6 N now wraps itself around commands just a bit more tightly.

Of course, first impressions should always be taken with a grain of salt, especially when they're made with a camouflaged prototype on a concrete surface with cones, a short (but challenging) handling track, and a wet circuit. Two things are clear after the session, however: The 6 N takes its fun-to-drive approach just as seriously as its performance aspirations, but it's improved on both. The most obvious beneficiary of the optimized kinematics is the steering. Thanks to a modified lever in the connection, it feels tighter, transmits the increasing lateral force buildup more authentically to the wrists and, accordingly, also the point at which the front rubbers tip out of the guide.

Understeer is only really encountered when you're overconfident – ​​or when the specially tuned Pirellis give way under the pressure of the weight, causing the air pressure to skyrocket and ultimately the grip to buckle. Aside from the tire load and slight, rapidly changing body roll, Hyundai has the inertia of the mass perfectly under control. Grounded by its low center of gravity – the constant plus point of the E-Performer – the all-wheel drive vehicle plunges down the roller-coaster of Area C in Namyang without a feeling of bulk, can be braked deep into the two hairpin bends, and can punch its way around the corner using the lock and brake vectoring. As soon as the vehicle is under load, the torque distribution demonstrates its full variability. Up to 90 percent of the 770 Nm are discharged to the rear axle in N mode, allowing the electric all-wheel drive vehicle to slide at will on the power exit of tight corners and whistle around wide bends with super-neutrality.

The drift mode allows the basic oversteering tendencies to be taken to extremes, which is nothing new up to this point. However, for the Ioniq 6 N, the system has been expanded to the extent that the control can be adjusted in terms of – I'm translating freely – initiation, angle, and slip. The deep dive into this has already been agreed upon and will follow as soon as we have the device under our butts here in Germany. For now, just this much: The spectrum ranges from sliding around with plenty of intervention to completely uninhibited, in which case you can then grip the steering wheel without restrictions. And must!

The N-Shift option, the ultimate link between the new and old drive systems, is also making its comeback. As in the Ioniq 5 N, it channels the otherwise linear electric power into a combustion-engine-style power flow: including a natural power and torque curve, simulated gear ratios, and a robust, leathery high-revving sound, complete with the burble of an exhaust that doesn't exist.

Opinion? Awesome! Not only because the N team went into detail here, synchronizing the playback show functionality with that of the cruise control and playing the sharp rattle of a "limiter" during launch control. But above all because the standard function ties driving at the limit into a familiar pattern. The progressive power delivery may lose sheer power, but in return, corners can be measured with gears as usual. And believe me, it's significantly easier to approach a "fourth gear left" in, well, fourth gear than somewhere in the middle of a diffuse acceleration path that leads in a straight line from zero to 260 km/h.

And that grip is what matters. It defines the style of the N-Ioniqs, which (whether out of technical necessity or genuine conviction) prioritize entertainment value over numerical values. That's a good thing! But Hyundai isn't entertaining the masses with them.

Like the 5 Series, the 6 N will also be priced around €75,000, which raises the question of whether the N division will go back to smaller slates in the future. Just like in the beginning...

Technology boss Harrer wouldn't elaborate on this, but there is a glimmer of hope. He added that the company hasn't forgotten where it came from and wants to accommodate the original N fans again in the future – to what extent, and especially with which technology, remains to be seen.