If you were thinking of getting a daily driver that you could also take to the track, I’m sure for most of you reading this, an EV isn’t part of that discussion. Hyundai wants to change the conversation, though, and thus the automaker has cooked up an EV for the enthusiast. At least, that’s the goal here with the Ioniq 5 N.

Is it ready to battle it out for lap times, then battle it out in traffic come Monday morning? The answer is… absolutely.

[Disclaimer: Hyundai put me up in a hotel near Laguna Seca and gave me food. I didn’t fly to this event, though, instead, I drove a different EV there and back, and that one had even more power.]

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N takes the now familiar hot-hatch-esque CUV-sized shape and turns up the juice. The I5N is two inches wider compared to the standard car. There are more vents to aid in air flow and also help with cooling. Pirelli helped develop the tire for the I5N to balance the needs of performance with daily drivability. And then the suspension has been reworked, the chassis stiffened, and the steering ratio made more quick.

The biggest upgrade, of course, is the power jump. Feeding from an 84-kW battery pack, the I5N generates 601 hp and 545 lb-ft of torque. There’s a button on the steering wheel labeled NGB, or N Grin Boost, which gets you up to 641 hp for ten-second bursts. This is particularly useful in a handful of spots around Laguna Seca, where Hyundai has decided to show off its latest creation for Stateside buyers.

To sum all the upgrades up, the car rips. It pulls hard. The steering is nicely weighted. It wants to dance a bit through corners if you’re feeling playful, but you can keep it composed if you’re going for time. With extra bolstering, the seats hold you in place as you’re pushing through Monterey, California’s best corners.

Still, the weight is there. Over Laguna Seca’s ever so slight left Turn 1, which is a kink and a crest, the car really lifts up, then settles, and then there’s a secondary motion which is at first unnerving. But you get used to it, the speeds keep climbing, and the I5N is a joy the rest of the way around the circuit.

There are gimmicks here, though, too. There are three different sounds you can choose between, but my favorite is off. The car can simulate an 8-speed DCT, complete with the physical feeling of actual shift points and a rev limiter. But my favorite shift setting was off. Still, there’s also a drift optimizer, you can adjust the torque distribution front and rear to your liking, and you can even put the car in an endurance race mode to maximize energy or a sprint mode for an all out attack session.

This being an 800-volt architecture car, it also charges quickly too. The Ioniq 5 N can take on energy at a rate up to 235 kW. It will go from 10-80% in under 18 minutes. And there’s enough juice available that Hyundai says the I5N will complete two laps of the Nurburgring before needing to charge back up.

It’s still heavy. It’s not cheap. But this is a tremendous level of performance for a vehicle below the $70,000 mark. This one is just over $67k, and the only options are the color choices. The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N represents a wonderful step forward for a world with ever more entertaining electric options. It truly is a hilarious good time.