Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs MG Im6

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.

Meet the IM6 Performance, “presented by MG”. And that last bit’s important, because while it’s marketed and sold by the Chinese mainstream player, it really is unlike any other MG going around.

Think of it as like a Lexus to Toyota, or an Audi to Volkswagen, with the Chinese brand going premium, and seemingly making a direct play for Tesla’s fan base. How so? Well, there’s only two models in IM line-up (sound familiar?) with the IM6 a rival for the Model Y, and the IM5 (which we’ve also tested) a competitor to the Model 3.

The IM6 is spacious, pretty sumptuous and ridiculously fast. And it offers up some features I’ve only ever really seen in high-end German metal. But it’s also got some quirks.

So, can MG run with the big dogs of the premium car world with the IM6 Performance? And should Tesla be worried? Let’s find out.