Hyundai RN24 prototype review: a 4WD hot hatch with supercar firepower

What is it?

The RN24 might not look particularly road relevant, but it’s the latest of Hyundai’s ‘rolling labs’ that signpost the N division’s current thinking around future mainstream models. They have form here, too. Back in 2022 we drove the RN22e, which previewed the N e-Shift (the strange-sounding but highly effective ‘virtual’ gearbox) that would soon appear on the Ioniq 5 N road car.

This time they’re investigating slightly less tangible qualities… plus a delightfully silly e-Handbrake, which uses the rear motor to replicate a good old fashioned hydraulic handbrake. So, the RN24 melds the Ioniq 5 N’s twin motor powertrain with a WRC-inspired chassis and radically shrinks the package down to more traditional hot hatch dimensions.

The result is an EV gymkhana car that sounds like it’s tackling a rally stage whilst destroying tyres in spectacular style. A serious engineering exercise wrapped up in a frivolous package…

So, is it as light and extreme as it looks?

Extreme? Yes. The RN24’s wheelbase is down to 2,660mm (very similar to the i20 N Rally1 car that competes in WRC) from the 3,000mm of the Ioniq 5 N, it features a full roll cage to competition spec, fully adjustable Sachs dampers from the stage, the 5 N’s rear e-LSD and a new mechanical differential for the front axle.

The total power output is 650bhp, but the RN24 is much more concerned with agility than pure performance. Even so, it will hit 62mph from rest in 3.0s and run on to 149mph. Which could be interesting with no windscreen.

But even with no bodywork to speak of and just two race seats, the RN24 weighs 1,880kg. That’s a huge saving over the 5 N (which weighs 2,235kg) but illustrates that the mass of a battery still can’t really be mitigated by simply stripping away things like, um, doors and a roof. The RN24 retains the 84kWh battery of the 5 N, by the way.

Just like a rally car the RN24 also has a long lever sprouting up between the seats. This is the N e-Handbrake and has the same effect as a hydraulic handbrake - but as it simply works by locking the rear axle with the e-motor, it requires no warm-up and is lighter, too. Expect to see it on future N models… we hope.

Four-wheel drive, rally dampers, locking diffs… sounds like fun.

How did you guess? Our time in the RN24 was limited to just a couple of hours in a large car park with slaloms, chicanes and drift circles marked out by cones, and then a couple of very wet laps of Sonoma Raceway in famously cold and wet California. Even so, it made a vivid impression.

Given a limitless supply of tyres, a large open space, a rally car-derived chassis with 650bhp and something approximating a hydraulic handbrake, it’s pretty hard not to have fun. In fact, identifying the finer points of the RN24’s dynamics amidst all the smoke and four-wheel power slides isn’t easy. Nor does it seem a huge priority when having this much fun.

However, after a couple of sets of wasted Hankooks, I begin to remember that I might have to write about this car at some point and take some mental notes. The e-Handbrake is a no-brainer for future models. The lever’s sense of mechanical connection requires fine-tuning, but the effect it has on the car is hilarious and brilliant. I guess there are some safety issues to address, but assuming Hyundai can jump through those hoops I think every car should have an e-Handbrake.

Does it make sense when you’re not emulating Ken Block?

More relevant is the RN24’s pursuit of lower mass and shrinking the typical EV footprint to something closer to an ICE hot hatch. Plus, the adoption of the rally car’s steering ratio and the drive modes that have been directly influenced by the i20 N Rally1 car’s four wheel drive system. All of which have a tangible, profound effect on the RN24’s dynamics.

The Ioniq 5 N is a really, really good driver’s car and disguises its weight and size very well. But the RN24 is a different animal. It feels so much more agile and the car’s responses feels natural, rather than programmed-in. You can feel its much shorter wheelbase from the way it changes direction and the super trick and very expensive Sachs dampers provide fluency but also total, effortless control.

The whole car feels energised in a way that the 5 N can’t quite ever reach and beneath all the rally car vibes there’s the feeling of a simple, straightforward and highly-powerful four-wheel drive hot hatch. Think GR Yaris with near supercar-levels of firepower.

If the future must be EV-only (and, let’s be honest, we’re all hoping that isn’t the case), then the RN24 provides real hope that the technology can be refined and deployed in ways that could create some highly enjoyable cars that enthusiasts can adopt without any caveats.

Any downsides?

Currently the RN24 doesn’t have the e-Shift virtual gearbox, which is a shame but is only a matter of time to refine the system for this application. Imagine it with sprint-style rally gears and a straight-cut ‘box whine.

Anyway, other than that the negatives are as you might expect. You know, like not having a windscreen making it a bit blowy. And, yes, it’s a bit disappointing that a car as bare bones as this still comes in at 1,880kg. Plus, low battery stopped play and in drier conditions the RN24 munches through its charge very quickly indeed (about 20 per cent for every 10 minutes of tyre-smoking action).

What's the interior like? 

Sumptuous leather; elegant, authentic materials applied to a bold, organically sweeping dash, intuitive touchscreens… these are just some of the things that the RN24 doesn’t have. Also, windows, doors, a windscreen, rear seats, cup holders and everything else you might expect in a conventional car.

Instead, there’s a fully round suede-covered steering wheel with all manner of functionality in its centre, two OMP seats lifted straight from the i20 N Rally1, the aforementioned e-Handbrake poking up from the floor and that’s about it.

The steering wheel has a toggle on the left side for the power map (1-5), then a rotary switch to change the accelerator sensitivity with three settings. The layout is mirrored on the right with the toggle used to select drive modes (Snow, Gravel, Tarmac, Drift, Drift+) and the rotary dial for three regen settings. There’s more functionality, including a button to activate the sound generation system and even ‘road’ and ‘stage’ buttons like the Rally1 car.

The seats are fantastic if a little impractical for the road with the high wings offering great head protection but not much in the way of visibility when exiting a T-junction. This is pure competition car stuff, hiding some ingredients that Hyundai would dearly love to bring to the road.

What should I be paying?

It goes without saying that the RN24 is not for sale. And I’m sure millions have been poured into this programme looking at ways to further enhance the driving dynamics of EV performance cars in future. However, for it to be judged a success we’d love to see a smaller, even more responsive and focussed road car join the 5 N in Hyundai’s road car line-up.

We’d happily forego at least 200 of those 650bhp, which maybe means the battery size can be reduced, too. But keep the front and rear diffs, the e-Handbrake and the rally car character, please. A Civic Type R rival at a similar circa £50,000 price point? Sounds good from where we’re sitting.

What’s the verdict?

The RN24 is a riot. But the fact that it exists at all is the real positive here. The N team are rightly proud of the Ioniq 5 N but also recognise it would be much more agile, satisfying and entertaining if it was smaller, lighter and infused with some of Hyundai’s motorsport experience. There was a team of perhaps 35 engineers supporting the RN24 and keen to hear feedback.

"With your help, we can make this sort of car a reality," one of them said to me. Well, consider this a vote of confidence. The RN24’s core ingredients would make the great basis for a properly exciting road car. Can I suggest e-Flames and e-Antilag for the RN25?