Welcome to Car and Driver' s Testing Hub , where we zoom in on the test numbers. We've been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here ).
📌 The Core Development
When the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N arrived on the scene back in 2023, it introduced simulated shifting to electric vehicles. We were so enthralled by its combustion-engine cosplay that it played a major part in the 5 N being named our 2024 EV of the Year . As fun as it is to bang through gears in a vehicle without an engine, our testing proved that the 5 N’s acceleration times significantly suffered in “N e-Shift” mode compared with its standard drive mode. Like the Ioniq 5 N, the new Genesis GV60 Magma—the luxury brand’s first entry in its performance-focused Magma sub-brand—features a “Virtual Gear Shift” mode that mimics the sensations of an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic paired to an internal-combustion engine. But this time, it doesn’t come at a performance cost.
See all results for new 2027 Genesis GV60 Magma for sale near 94112
🔍 Background & Sector Context
Beneath the surface, the Ioniq 5 N and the GV60 Magma feature nearly identical hardware. Both are built on Hyundai Motor Group's E-GMP electric vehicle platform, feature a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain that produces up to 641 horsepower, make use of an 84-kWh battery pack, and both roll on 275/35R-21 Pirelli P Zero Elect tires, although the Magma gets newer PZ5-spec rubber versus the Ioniq 5 N’s PZ4 Pirellis. Besides the GV60 Magma’s nearly four-inch-shorter wheelbase and 91-pound-heavier curb weight, the differences between the pair are primarily software-related or matters of styling and design.
Some of those discrepancies are superficial—the 5 N’s faux-engine soundtrack mimics a 7750-rpm inline-four while the Magma’s aural signature is based on a 9000-rpm V-6, for example—but others have an impact on performance. Both models can only access their max power output with a time-limited Boost mode, and while the Hyundai can maintain its 641-hp peak in 10-second bursts, the Genesis can continue at full tilt in 15-second increments. That longer duration of peak output allows the Magma to walk away from the 5 N as they approach their Vmax—for example, the Genesis beats the Hyundai to 150 mph by almost two seconds—but otherwise the two were bumper-to-bumper up to 120 mph. The real delta between the Hyundai and Genesis’s straight-line capabilities only surfaces once both are switched into their simulated-shift drive modes.
📊 Industry & Real-World Impact
See all results for new 2027 Genesis GV60 Magma for sale near 94112
Benchmark Telemetry & EV Fuel Savings
Put top supercars and EVs to the test in The Pit Stop Lab — launch head-to-head 1/4-mile drag strip battles & compute EPA electric fuel cost savings.
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🔮 Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead
The last time we had an Ioniq 5 N at our test track , we performed two separate acceleration runs, once without N e-Shift and once with it activated. Importantly, N e-Shift mode disables the 5 N’s N Grin Boost and launch-control features, essentially robbing it of 40 horsepower and an optimized start, so we conducted the first run without launch control to even the playing field a bit. Still, the 5 N proved to be significantly quicker when it wasn’t hammering through make-believe gears, silently rocketing to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, reaching 100 mph in 7.2 seconds, and crossing the quarter-mile marker in 11.3 seconds. With N e-Shift activated, it took the Ioniq 5 N 3.5 seconds to reach 60 mph (a four-tenth increase), 8.3 seconds to hit 100 mph (a whopping 1.1 seconds slower than in its standard drive mode), and 11.8 seconds to clear the quarter-mile (five-tenths behind our non-N e-Shift run).
When we conducted the same experiment in the GV60 Magma, we got very different results. During our testing, the Magma achieved nearly identical acceleration figures regardless of its drive mode. In both of its runs, the Genesis managed a 3.0-second sprint to 60 mph, a 6.8-second dash to 100 mph, and a quarter-mile time of 11.0 seconds. (The 0.1-second difference between our reported quarter-mile time of 11.1 seconds for the Magma and the 11.0-second figure quoted here is that, in this case, we were comparing two runs in the same direction, while all of our official acceleration figures are an average of a run in each direction.)
