Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs MG Im5

What's the difference?

What is it about single letters and performance cars? 

BMW has M, Volkswagen has R, Lexus has F, and with only 23 choices left Hyundai opted for N - which stands for Namyang, site of the brand’s sprawling proving ground and development centre in South Korea, and Nurburgring, the famous German racing circuit where its performance cars are fine-tuned.

And like BMW M Sport, VW R-Line and Lexus F Sport, the Korean giant has N Line as a ‘lite’ option. Sporty models that add a little more punch and visual flair without crossing the line into hardcore hot-rod territory. 

And this is one its latest examples, the pure-electric Ioniq 5 SUV in top-spec Epiq AWD trim and equipped with the N Line Option Pack as well as the tricky Digital Mirror Pack.

In this configuration it slots into the $90K price band, which means it has a lot to live up to in terms of performance, safety, driving dynamics, value and more. 

So, stay with us to see if this premium five-seater is the kind of sporty EV SUV that gets your heart racing.

Yep, it’s like deja vu all over again! Yet another fresh name in the Aussie new-car market, but this time in the form of a sub-brand from a carmaker that itself feels like it’s only been around for five minutes (but has in fact been in market here for a decade or more).

We’re testing the MG IM5 Performance, the IM badge standing alone in other markets. There, as here, signifying a new level of equipment, performance and quality.

And we’ve been steering this top-spec, dual-motor AWD version of the pure-electric, five-door liftback IM5, priced and specified to challenge a rapidly expanding group of high-performance mid-size EV sedans now occupying local showrooms.

 So, read on to see if this premium electric performer has what it takes to tempt you into a new option from the latest challenger brand to jump into the ever-intensifying, no-holds barred contest for your new-car dollars.