This writer has only ever owned petrol performance cars – usually Japanese or German and usually modified. Stepping into an EV for the first time, let alone a performance electric vehicle like the IONIQ 6 N, then, was unfamiliar territory.
Rather than focusing on its “go fast” capabilities, instead we wanted to see if it could handle the school run, commute, city traffic, groceries, kids’ sport and weekends away, while still feeling like a genuine performance car.
Let’s get the obvious bit out of the way: this thing is ridiculously fast – Back to the Future DeLorean kind of fast. Two electric motors, one on each axle, produce 448kW and 740Nm, while an N Grin Boost mode temporarily increasing that to 478kW and 770Nm.
You get 10 seconds of that level of insanity – a mode that sees the car’s ambient lighting turn red, in a car that suddenly feels like a cheetah waiting to be unleashed. N Launch Control allows for 0-100km/h in 3.2 seconds. It’s positively grin-inducing.
Outright acceleration isn’t what impressed most though; it’s how easy that performance is to live with. Coming from a turbocharged petrol car, there’s no gearbox searching for a gear, no waiting for revs and no turbo building boost. Press the go pedal and the response is instant.
Around town, the IONIQ 6 N is surprisingly smooth and tame, while the power makes merging, overtaking and pulling into traffic effortless. At expressway speeds, simply press the accelerator and you’re gone.
Just keep an eye on the speedometer, because gaining considerably more speed than intended requires remarkably little effort. But, if the IONIQ 6 N was simply an enormously powerful EV, I wouldn’t have come away nearly as impressed.
The best thing about this car is its chassis and handling. At around 2.2-tonnes, it isn’t light, yet from behind the wheel it feels balanced, agile and remarkably light on its feet. Electronically controlled suspension continuously adjusts the damping, for example.
The rear electronic limited-slip differential helps manage the power and puts it onto the road effortlessly. On twisty roads, it’s an absolute barrel of fun. The steering is precise; body roll is minimal and the 275/35 Pirelli P Zero tyres on 20-inch wheels provide enormous grip.
Point it into a corner and it simply does what you ask. Better still, that handling doesn’t come at the expense of everyday comfort. The suspension is firm, but never uncomfortable or backache-inducing.
Perhaps that’s no surprise given the car was developed under the leadership of former Porsche chassis-development executive Manfred Harrer, with a focus on improving performance without compromising everyday usability.
And that’s what matters. Most prospective owners will spend more time commuting, doing school/grocery runs and navigating suburban roads than attacking a race track. The fact that the IONIQ 6 N can make those everyday drives enjoyable is one of its greatest strengths.
N e-Shift adds petrol car theatre, simulating an eight-speed gearbox, while N Active Sound+ adds artificial performance sounds. They’re clever features, but neither really work. Neither feels quite right.
Surprisingly, I preferred letting the IONIQ 6 N simply be an EV. It’s quiet, smooth and composed, with only the occasional mechanical whine from the electric motors providing a soundtrack. Even regenerative braking became second nature.
At stronger settings, lifting off the accelerator at around 60km/h could bring the car almost to a stop approaching traffic lights when timed correctly. After years of petrol performance cars, I expected the transition to feel alien, but it was remarkably easy to adapt to.
Not everything is ideal though. The IONIQ 6 N is a big car, measuring 4,935mm long and 1,940mm wide excluding the mirrors, and you become more aware of its size in tighter spaces. Its turning radius is also diminished compared with a regular car.
Tight car parks can require a little more planning, and a simple three-point turn can occasionally become a five step process. Thankfully, the excellent 360-degree and reversing cameras make parking easier.
If you’re squeezed into a tight spot, the remote can even inch the car forwards or backwards without you being inside. Ground clearance also proved surprisingly practical, which became apparent when tackling a steep car park entrance.
The interior reinforces the IONIQ 6 N’s performance car feel, but it’s one you can genuinely use every day. The Alcantara N Light bucket seats with leather inserts are heavily bolstered, reminding me of the Recaro offering in my Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7 back in the day.
They’re heated and ventilated, with three settings, although surprisingly, seat adjustment is manual rather than electric. They can become a little uncomfortable on longer drives, but for everyday use, they’re supportive and comfortable.
The round leather steering wheel is another highlight and, in my view, more ergonomic than a flat-bottomed design. The controls are logically positioned, while the paddles operate regenerative braking or simulated gear changes depending on the mode.
The cabin is refreshingly intuitive. Without referencing any guides, I easily connected my phone, used the navigation, adjusted the climate control and found the vehicle settings. There’s also a sensible mix of physical and touchscreen controls.
A 12.3-inch touchscreen delivers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, alongside eight-speaker Bose audio, 15W wireless charging, a 12V outlet and two USB-C ports. Where it falls short is in its luxury, or lack thereof.
There’s plenty of soft plastic and the buttons lack the solid tactile feel I’ve experienced in German cars. At this price, I’d expect more premium materials, although the ergonomics and N touches – blue stitching, illuminated seat logos and N scuff plates – make it feel special.
Rear legroom is generous, but the sloping roofline limits headroom; at 180cm, my head almost touched the roof. Families get ISOFIX child-seat anchors on both outer seats and three top-tether anchor points.
The 371-litre boot easily handled kids’ sporting gear, groceries, gym equipment and weekend bags. Just remember what you’re driving after leaving the supermarket. I discovered that 448kW and a carton of eggs aren’t natural companions.
The IONIQ 6 N is loaded with driver assistance tech, including forward collision-avoidance assist, lane follow and keep assist, blind spot collision avoidance assist and rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist. Some are way too intrusive.
The constant warnings can become distracting. The saving grace is some of these systems can be minimised or turned off easily. On the charging front, the IONIQ 6 N has an 84kWh battery and a stated range of 487km.
Your actual range will depend heavily on how you drive it, and let’s be realistic, buying this car and resisting its instant torque requires considerably more self-control than at least this writer possessed.
A 350kW DC ultra-fast charger (if you can find one) can take the battery from 10–80 per cent in around 18 minutes, while a 50kW charger takes approximately 81 minutes. Charging remains my biggest barrier to EV ownership.
I found myself constantly checking the range and, as a first timer, experiencing range anxiety I’m simply not used to. It requires more forward planning on longer trips, and your charging situation is arguably more important than the car’s performance figures.
Consider your weekly driving, where you park and whether you can conveniently charge at home. The IONIQ 6 N itself is incredibly easy to live with; adapting to EV charging was the bigger challenge for me.
My Performance Blue Pearl test car with sunroof lists at $110,128 plus on-roads, or around $124,423 drive away in NSW. There’s only one interior colour scheme – Black with Performance Blue accents.
Exterior choices include Performance Blue, alongside an array of more standard options, including some matte finishes. If carbon fibre is your thing, there’s a suite of optional accessories, including my favourite, the carbon rear wing, at a cool $7.5k.
Tick all the carbon-fibre options and you’re looking at roughly $160k drive away. Servicing is every two years or 30,000km, impressively. A 5-year unlimited-kilometre warranty can extend to 7-years if you maintain it through an authorised Hyundai dealership.
The high-voltage battery gets 8-years or 160,000km. Impressively, non-competitive track days don’t automatically void the factory warranty, although racing and timed or competitive events are excluded.
Before this test, I expected to return the IONIQ 6 N, climb back into my petrol car, hear the exhaust and turbo spool and immediately remember what I’d been missing. The opposite happened, and I’m not sad about it.
I found myself missing the instant torque, serenity and its handling. Even my 9-year-old daughter decided it was cooler, smoother and faster than dad’s turbo car, so apparently years of cultivating her appreciation for petrol performance vehicles was undone in a week.
The IONIQ 6 N isn’t simply a very fast EV; it’s a comfortable commuter, practical family car and genuine performance offering when the right road appears. Do you need 448kW for the school run? Of course not, but it’s not about what we need.
What surprised me most was that living with this level of performance every day required far fewer compromises (if any), than I expected. I started this review wondering whether I could live with a performance EV and finished convinced my next car will probably be one.
Considering where I started, that’s perhaps the strongest recommendation I can give the IONIQ 6 N. You can find out more on the Hyundai website, or by talking to your local dealership.
To get a low rate finance quote, talk to Australia’s best reviewed car finance broker; Credit One. To see a great range of vehicles for sale, check out OnlyCars.com.au.
Our test vehicle was provided by Hyundai Australia for independent review purposes. Exhaust Notes Australia has not been paid to review this vehicle.
