Tesla's Model 3 Flagship Finally Has A Serious Rival

Forbes

3 days ago

The Ioniq 6 N packs 641-hp.
Launched just over a year ago, the Tesla Model 3 Performance pumps out 510-hp from its twin electric motors and sprints from 0-60 mph in a supercar-equalling 2.9 seconds thanks to a potent all-wheel-drive system. But now, there's a new kid on the block and it's looking to knock horns with the American EV superstar.
The Ioniq 6 N packs a 641-hp punch
Hyundai's Ioniq 6 N is by far the hottest sedan to come along since the Model 3 Performance surfaced in April 2024. Launched at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the world's premier motor sport gathering last weekend, the new halo car—which borrows mush of its underpinnings from the Ioniq 5 N—is expected to generate up to 641-hp and hit 0-60 mph in 3.0 seconds flat. Like BMW's high performance 'M' division, the 'N' division inside Hyundai denotes the brand's 'N' philosophy of 'Corner Rascal, Racetrack Capability and Everyday Sportscar.'
The 6 N comes with all kinds of wizz-bang N-spec tech to elevate the driving experience
The 6 N's battery is also carried over from the 5 N, referring to an 84kWh unit that should quick-charge from 10 to 80 per cent in under 20 minutes and deliver around 290 miles of range, or so says Hyundai. The 6 N also gets a revised 'N Battery Conditioning' system permitting the driver to choose either 'Drag', 'Sprint' or 'Endurance' modes which heats the battery to the optimum temperature for the selected driving mode.
Where as performance is expected to be almost identical—as both the Tesla and Hyundai hover around the 3.0 second mark from zero to 60mph, the Model 3 Performance sells for around $56,000 where as the Ioniq 6 N is expected to land in showrooms nearly five figures more at around $65,000.
The 6 N is fitted with re-engineered suspension geometry, stroke-sensing ECS dampers, and a new battery management system that's optimized for performance in a wide range of driving situations. Aerodynamics has an important role as portrayed by beefier fenders, a swan-neck rear wing and aggressive downforce modifications. Inside the car, the Ioniq 6 N employs features like the N e-Shift boasting simulated gear changes and N Active Sound+ produces simulated engine and exhaust sounds through the speakers.
That's right, simply put, the 6 N is a high performance electric sedan with fake gear changes and fake engine noise. It just seems so poetic that carmakers are swapping manual transmissions for automatic gearboxes and replacing the vocal internal combustion engines from today's cars with silent electric powertrains, and then they are forced to create synthetic gearbox gimmicks because drivers miss changing gears, and add fake engine and exhaust sounds because drivers feel more at home behind the wheel with actual sound. And Hyundai is not the only one doing it.
Tailored for track days and serious sideways-to-glory drifting sessions, the 6 N's 'N Drift Optimizer' now employs more settings to customise your drift initiation, angle and wheel slip. A recent 5 N update added 10 levels to the system for beginners right up to a pro setting, but we're told the 6 N goes takes that to a whole new level.
But what is arguably the most fascinating aspect of the 6 N is the fact that Hyundai apparently told its engineers to just 'do it,' despite the fact their marketing types said it might be a hard sell. Hyundai's Performance Development Tech Unit head and ex-Porsche engineer Manfred Harrer told Australia's Drive.com.au that the company was aware of the Ioniq 6's limited sales success, but that the purpose of the Ioniq 6 N is not to be a best-seller. So just how well this showcase for Hyundai's latest hot tech will sell in anyone's guess.