Laguna Seca, California — Out of slow, 90-degree Turn 11 onto the Laguna Seca Raceway’s pit straight, my 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N performance SUV instantly put down 545 pounds of torque and 601 horsepower to all four fat Pirelli P Zero performance tires. No downshift to second gear. No turbo lag. Just pure thrust. Zot! Seconds later, the EV crested the hill into Turn One at 120 mph.

Welcome to the electric track car.

The Ioniq 5 N hot hatch is the first track-focused EV from a major manufacturer, and it is a marvel. Despite its 4,900-pound girth — 60% more than a Volkswagen Golf R hot hatch — Hyundai pro test drivers here were recording 1 minute, 35 second laps. That is on par with a 640-horsepower, all-wheel-drive Porsche 911 Turbo S. That’s crazy.

That’s what instant torque, extensive body bracing and suspension stiffening will do for you. It’s what BMW does to make its M-badged cyborgs quicker than the average Bimmer sedan. Indeed, at the world’s greatest racetrack, the formidable 13.9-mile Nürburgring (Ioniq N’s namesake) in Germany, the Ioniq 5 N nearly matched the time of BMW’s premier driver’s car, the M2 CS, at 7 minutes, 45 seconds. Craaaazy.

Crazier still, we’re comparing a ute with a coupe thoroughbred. Like the M2, the 5 N has been screwed to the ground with chassis performance enhancements and sticky Pirelli P Zero tires. But it still exhibits the inherent high center of gravity of an SUV and its tall seating position. Over Laguna’s signature Corkscrew turn, I managed the throttle as the top-heavy ute navigated the turn’s extreme, downhill switchback. So how is it possible this shoebox’s lap times are on par with Porsche’s finest?

“It maximizes the tire,” deadpanned engineer Robin Shute, the accomplished Pike’s Peak and off-road rally ace who I chased around Laguna at obscene speeds. “The electric motors are feeding maximum torque all the time.”

So whatever the shoebox loses to the Porsche in the corners, it makes up with Thor’s Hammer acceleration off every turn. I’ve experienced this shocking performance before — albeit from the passenger seat of Ford CEO Jim Farley’s Transit SuperVan 4.0 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, another e-Kong in a box. Imagine what these drivetrains could do in a proper, low-center-of-gravity sportscar.

I have tracked my Tesla Model 3 Performance and crave its instant, AWD torque. But the 3 Performance is not optimized for track use, and its Brembo brakes will cook after six laps around Pontiac’s 1.5-mile M1 Concourse. I hammered the 5 N for 26 miles around Laguna’s 2.2-mile rollercoaster (12 laps) with no brake fade. Indeed, Model 3s outfitted with properly tuned aftermarket brakes from Unplugged Performance have recorded similar track times to the 5 N despite giving up 100 pound-feet of torque and 150 horsepower. The future of electric performance is bright.

But … tracking an EV at hyper speeds comes with the same compromises of any EV: namely, range.

The Ioniq 5 N’s 84 kWh battery holds just 221 miles of range, and I sucked down nearly half of that over my 20-minute session around Laguna. Oof. That’s about four miles off the battery for every mile on the odometer (0.8 kW/per mile), which is at least better than my Tesla’s 6:1 ratio since the Model 3 hasn’t undergone the extensive aero-and-heat management intervention engineers administered to the Ioniq bot. Around two 14-mile laps (28 miles total) of the Nurburgring and its extended, full-throttle straightaways, Hyundai says I5N drank over half the battery.

Travel to Laguna from, say, Silicon Valley 80 miles to the north, you’ll need to plan multiple fast charger visits to get laps on a track day.

As California bans new gas car sales over the next few years (and likely makes it hard to use older, internal-combustion cars with increased taxes and geographical bans), will Laguna nix gas racing? Figuring out how to charge at racetracks will be a priority. Some tracks, Laguna included, have already installed Tesla Superchargers due to the volume of Tesla enthusiasts who track their steeds.

Our Hyundai track day was supported by a Mullen natural gas fast charger, which topped up the Hyundai between four media track sessions. Mullen’s charger (and similar generators) tend to be prohibitively expensive for non-corporate events.

My track day pals own Mustang and Corvette muscle cars — or Subaru WRX and Civic Type R pocket rockets — and don’t suffer charging inconvenience. Gas refueling takes minutes and you can bring gas to the track. If you live in Metro Detroit and commute to either rural Gingerman or Grattan racetracks, you’re looking at 350-mile round trips with limited fast charger support nearby.

Most buyers will simply use their I5N as a daily driver — its AWD and luxurious interior (twin 12-inch digital displays arching across the dashboard, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, roomy rear seats, hatchback cargo storage). Plying California’s Route 68 to Monterey, the IN5 was easy to drive while turning heads with its Hyundai Racing-inspired blue-and-red-trimmed exterior and Camaro-like front cowl.

Lean into the throttle, however, and the hot hatch is stupid quick. Zero-60 mph passes in a blink — 3.1 seconds (nearly on par with the Model 3 Performance despite weighing 800 pounds more) — and Hyundai has provided electronic toys to augment the experience. My favorite? Supersonic jet fighter audio that sounds like you’re breaking the sound barrier.

The sheer speed and novelty of IN5 are sure to attract track enthusiasts. Will it be the small-displacement, pocket-rocket crowd or big-block muscle car owners?

I’m guessing the latter, given the Ioniq’s colossal straight-line speed — and matching price. Where hot hatches tend to be $40K machines, the IN5 weighs in at $67, 475. That’s Corvette and Mustang GT350 money.

But the roots of Hyundai’s N brand are in 4-cylinder fun boxes like the terrific Elantra N and (defunct) Veloster N. To evoke those vehicles, Hyundai has equipped Ioniq 5 N with an IGNITION sound option that perfectly mimics the brand’s turbo-4 cylinder engines.

Muscle car enthusiasts may pass — waiting for the coming V8-simulation of Dodge’s Charger Banshee EV that, like the I5N, has a useful hatchback for hauling tires to the track. I found the I5N’s fake-ICE sound remarkably realistic on track laps — including the ability to shift through multiple gears (with rev matching) just like a gas car.

Unlike a petrol car, however, the so-called GRIN SHIFT option won’t make you faster. Single-speed, uninterrupted electric torque is the quick way ‘round. Want to go even quicker? Press the N-boost button for an extra 40 horsepower when you want it.

Zot! Crazy.Next week: 2024 Genesis G90

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

Vehicle type: Electric, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger performance SUV

Price: $67,475, including $1,375 destination charge

Powerplant: 84-kWh lithium-ion battery with dual electric motor drive

Transmission: Single-speed

Weight: 4,861 pounds

Power: 601 horsepower, 545 pound-feet of torque

Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.3 seconds (mfr.); top speed, 162 mph

Fuel economy: EPA est. range, 221 miles, 78 MPGe

Report card

Highs: Instant torque everywhere; electronic performance toys

Lows: Porky; track laps suck battery

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.