Cars
ELECTRIFYING PERFORMANCE
The cars, bikes, scooters and battery-powered transport that is reinventing the need for speed
Words: Leon Poultney
CARS
BMW i5 M60 XDRIVE
We are still eagerly awaiting a pure, all-electric M-car from BMW, but its revered tuning division got its grubby mitts on the current i5 and the results should have appetites satiated for now.
For such a grown-up, business-like machine, it sure loves to play the hooligan when prodded. An M Sport Boost mode (activated by a paddle behind the steering wheel) delivers the full whack of the machine’s 593bhp powertrain, allowing for rapid overtakes and neck-snapping acceleration off-the-line. If this is just the amuse bouche before a ‘real’ electric M5 arrives, we are in for a very tasty main course.
From £99,995, bmw.co.uk
HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 N
When we look back on the dawn of the EV era, we will gaze at the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N with misty-eyed romanticism, as it will go down in history as the first battery-powered hot hatch that proved electrification could be fun.
It is not just the outright power available (although 650hp is properly punchy), but the way Hyundai engineers have baked in convincing engine sounds (complete with pops and bangs), simulated gear shifts and even a dedicated drift mode. It is an absolute hoot on the race track, but also tackles the everyday stuff with aplomb… like all good hot hatches should.