Mazda MX-5 vs Hyundai Ioniq 5

What's the difference?

It's not often a car is elevated to 'icon' status, cars like the VW Beetle, Porsche 911, Toyota LandCruiser or Ford Mustang - but the Mazda MX-5 has quietly been the best choice for keen drivers who don't want to break the bank with a big sticker price or costly maintenance.

The ND MX-5 has been around since 2015, and while it’s been praised as a return to the original, simple formula of the NA MX-5 from the late 80s and early 90s, it’s getting close to a decade old.

So, a little refresh with some new tech and a mechanical tweak is here to make the roadster feel like a playful pup once more.

And what better place to test that out than a combination of the winding roads of the Adelaide Hills wine region, paired nicely with a main course of track driving at The Bend Motorsport Park?

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.