Watch A Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Lap The Nürburgring Faster Than A 997 GT3 RS In Sport Auto’s First EV Take a look at

German publication Sport Auto has been conducting its personal impartial lap assessments on the Nürburgring Nordschleife since 1997. The whole lot from scorching hatchbacks to hypercars has been put by means of the journal’s “Supertest,” and now Sport Auto has achieved its first scorching lap with an EV: the brand new Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.

Sport Auto’s Supertest requires a automotive to be inventory (other than security gear like a racing harness), and absolutely road-legal and registered. Up till 2015 all Supertests had been achieved by former chief editor Horst von Saurma, who had set the Nürburgring lap file in a Porsche Carrera GT in 2004, however since 2015 the laps have all been achieved by Christian Gebhardt, a journalist who has had 17 begins on the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Because the Supertests are carried out throughout business testing days, Gebhardt shouldn’t be allowed to go full pace previous flip 13, which provides about seven seconds to a lap on common.

Hyundai says the 641-horsepower Ioniq 5 N is able to doing two laps of the Nordschleife in Endurance mode or one full-power quick lap in Dash mode; the latter of which is what was used for this take a look at. As Hyundai has but to launch its personal lap take a look at on the ‘Ring, that is the primary time we’ve been in a position to see simply how briskly the Ioniq 5 N is on the race observe that it takes its identify from and was developed at — and it’s fairly rattling quick.

Sporting its inventory Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires, Gebhardt put down a time of seven minutes 45.59 seconds within the Ioniq 5 N, which is faster than Sport Auto’s occasions of vehicles just like the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, Ferrari 599 GTB, and each the 997 and 996-generation Porsche 911 GT3 RS fashions. It’s solely a pair seconds off Gebhardt’s personal laps of the Porsche Cayman GT4 and BMW M2 CS, in addition to Honda’s front-wheel-drive lap file with the Civic Kind R. Gebhardt’s time additionally virtually matched Porsche’s unique lap time for the Taycan Turbo, beforehand the electrical automotive file holder. (The Taycan’s new track-focused variant simply took that crown again from Tesla.)

The onboard footage of Gebhardt’s scorching lap is superior. Flip-in seems to be sharp and quick, and the Ioniq 5 N corners flat and stays composed even when he makes use of the curb or has to make a fast correction. It handles the corkscrew properly, too. Gebhardt exceeds 150 mph in some stretches, reaching as a lot as 165 mph — the automotive’s prime pace — on the observe’s major straight.

Whereas the new lap was achieved with the Ioniq 5 N’s powertrain in its “regular” setting, during which it has a single-speed transmission and acts like a conventional EV, the start of the video incorporates a clip of the automotive accelerating when utilizing the DCT-aping mode and faux engine noises. Even with the simulated shifts activated the Ioniq 5 N seems to be extraordinarily fast; Hyundai says the automotive will hit 60 mph in simply 3.25 seconds, which Sport Auto appears to simply about obtain. And truthfully, I believe the faux turbo-four engine sound is fairly cool, although I’m extra excited to expertise the “Supersonic” noise, which Hyundai describes as “a novel idea impressed by twin-engine fighter jets.”

The Ioniq 5 N will attain U.S. sellers in March. Pricing hasn’t been introduced but, however it can possible are available in at round $65,000. Earlier this month on the Tokyo Auto Salon, Hyundai unveiled the NPX1 idea, which previews efficiency elements like an upgraded suspension and racing-inspired physique equipment that shall be bought by means of official Hyundai channels. With the model additionally set to disclose its Ioniq 5 N–primarily based race automotive within the close to future, possibly we’ll see a fair higher-performance Ioniq 5 N highway automotive in a number of years. An Ioniq 5 N RS, if you’ll.