Porsche Loves the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N:They Made It Really, Really Well

Hyundai has certainly made significant progress over the past few decades, especially considering that even the renowned Porsche praises the Seoul-based automaker. For car enthusiasts, the Ioniq 5 N is arguably the most fascinating electric car to emerge from South Korea. Zuffenhausen has recognized the high-performance EV by using the first N model without a combustion engine as a benchmark. In a candid interview with the Australian magazine Drive, a senior executive at Porsche praised the Ioniq 5 N. Frank Moser, vice president of the 718 and 911 model lines, admitted that driving the high-performance Hyundai EV was an "eye-opening" experience, adding that the engineers "made it really, really good." He also particularly enjoyed the artificial engine sounds and simulated gear shifts, known in Hyundais marketing terms as N Active Sound+ and N e-shift. Moser revealed during the interview that Porsche will draw inspiration from the Ioniq 5 Ns features for the electric 718 models:"This is the way." However, he stressed that drivers should have the choice of whether to turn these gadgets on or off. If activated, they’ll hear a simulated flat-six engine sound and feel virtual gear shifts. Moser recalls having to convince Andreas Preuninger, Project Manager GT Vehicles, to join one of the test drives. The man in charge of Porsche’s track-focused cars initially refused.:Leave me alone, I don’t want any of that electric stuff. Eventually, he was persuaded to ride shotgun in the Ioniq 5 N and ended up impressed by its N Grin Boost mode.:Wow. Activated by a red button on the steering wheel, N Grin Boost unleashes the full power of the dual motors. It lasts just 10 seconds but increases combined output to 641 hp and 568 lb-ft, allowing a 0-60 mph sprint in 3.2 seconds. However, it only works if the battery has at least 30 percent charge. After use, a 10-second cooldown is needed before pressing the NGB button again. Porsche is still committed to launching the 718 EV, but the gas-free Boxster and Cayman wont arrive until early 2027 at the earliest. Originally supposed to be fully electric, the next-generation models will now retain combustion engines, but only in the high-end versions. Predictably, Moser said the all-electric Boxster/Cayman will be "a little bit heavier" than the outgoing 718, which Porsche ceased producing last month. He didn’t provide an exact number or even an approximate guess, but assured that it would be a "really lightweight car" for an EV. As some of you might remember, the Cayman-based Mission R weighed about 3,306 pounds and had an 82.0-kilowatt-hour battery. However, the Mission R was a stripped-down race car concept, so the future road-going model might not be the same. If you want the lightest possible next-gen 718, its smart to start saving for the top versions with combustion engines. The upcoming ICE Boxster and Cayman are reportedly keeping the flat-six engine, likely combined with the T-Hybrid system from the 911 GTS. As a result, even the gas-powered models are expected to be heavier than the recently retired 982 generation.