It was hard to know quite what to expect from the DK Edition Ioniq 5 N, given Keiichi Tsuchiya hadn’t had any car input before and the Ioniq - despite its tech - isn’t the most obvious drift car in the world. Would it be a cynical cash-in on the name? You’d hope not, given the rep built up by Hyundai. Would it be rear-drive only? Seems a bit extreme with all that power. Might it just be a nicely optimised version of a really good electric car?
The latter seems probably closest to the truth for now, going off what’s been shared in the first part of a YouTube series. Certainly the car looks as cool as hoped for, its stance spot on and the carbon lending it a motorsport aura. As far as can be told, the DK doesn’t boast any more power than standard, though if the Ioniq 5N needed anything it definitely wasn’t an output increase.
Instead, the focus has been on the chassis, with Tsuchiya-san spending time alongside the N team to perfect the setup. While the standard dampers were left alone, they settled on a set of H&R lowering springs that have dropped the Hyundai 15mm at both ends and upped the spring rate by an undisclosed amount. The change promises ‘enhanced track handling’ as well as ‘more agile driving’, which is certainly encouraging. The Drift King seems impressed in the video, though he’s unlikely to have implemented mods he doesn’t like.
The brake upgrade is a pretty serious one, too, with six-piston monoblock aluminium alloy calipers up front; they get racier pads that cover 54 per cent more of the disc than before, too. DK says it brings “reliable braking performance even in the most demanding environments”, with greater power and stamina. Uprated rear pads should balance out the braking effort. And the green looks great.
The DK Edition also benefits from some lovely forged wheels, which shave 10kg from the unsprung mass despite still being 21-inch diameter and actually a little wider (10.0J) than stock. Bring those together with a full carbon bodykit (front splitter, side skirts, diffuser and gooseneck rear spoiler) that promises a tangible downforce benefit - 93kg at 87mph - and the DK Edition really seems like a proper job. Japan’s most famous racing driver says it offers an “incredible” driving experience, “where Hyundai N performance meets the DK style”.
All sounds right up our street: a performance car that’s really fun to drive, hopefully made even more so by a man and a team that knows all about entertainment. A shame, then, that for now the DK Edition looks set only for Korea and Japan, with sales kicking off this year. Let’s hope one or two could find a way here at some point - it’ll be like the good old days of Japanese imports all over again…
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