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HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 N E-SHIFT
HARRY HOUDINI MIGHT be considered the world’s greatest magician, but we reckon the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is every bit as magical – because while this electric hot hatch doesn’t feature a traditional gearbox, it fools you into thinking it does.
By simulating the experience of an eight-speed paddle-shift gearbox, the e-Shift system aims to make an electric vehicle (EV) just as engaging to drive as a combustion-engined equivalent.
The effect is as wondrous as finding a rabbit inside your favourite hat. Press the accelerator pedal to the floor and the virtual ‘revs’ will flare as you’d expect, and if you pull one of the wheelmounted paddles, there’s a momentary pause in the power delivery as the e-Shift changes ‘gear’, as you’d experience with a conventional ’box. Each gear responds as you’d expect, too, with performance being relatively muted in higher gears and gradually building as you gain speed. In the lower gears, the acceleration is enough to press you back into your seat.