This year’s lineup of finalists in the Sports/Performance category was very eclectic. In one corner we had a monstrous plug-in hybrid four-cylinder AWD sedan (the Mercedes-AMG C 63), while in the other there was a conventional front-engine/rear-drive performance car powered by an inline six-cylinder engine with the choice of automatic or manual (BMW M2).
And in the third corner (that’s how a boxing analogy works, right?) we had the most unlikely of the three – a hot version of an all-electric SUV: the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, winner of this category for 2024.
While performance EVs are nothing new (the whole “huge torque available immediately” nature of EVs lends itself extraordinarily well to that sort of thing), the N’d up version of the superbly angular Ioniq 5 takes things to a new height of driver engagement and, yes, pure silliness.
An EV is an inherently heavy thing thanks to its battery, but the Ioniq 5 N is such a fabulously balanced car that this really doesn’t matter, and the wildly different drive modes mean you can tailor the car to your mood on any given drive.
Want silent, docile EV cruising at urban speeds? Easy. Want feral aggression and acceleration? Yep, that’s easy too. Want full-on tail-happy lunacy, a bellowing, roaring soundtrack and neck-snappingly aggressive gearshifts? No problem... wait, what?
Yes, the Ioniq 5 N’s party trick is a startlingly realistic N e-Shift mode that does a convincing impression of a fast, feral and superbly aggressive internal combustion powertrain, complete with gearshift points and even a rev-limiter to hit if you get the timing wrong.
Is it unnecessary and even a bit silly? Yes, absolutely. But it is so much fun that none of that even matters.
Runners up: BMW M2, Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Performance.
AA DRIVEN CAR OF THE YEAR CLASS WINNERS FOR 2024
City SUV
Family SUV
Large SUV
Passenger
Hybrid/EV
Luxury
Lifestyle/Adventure
Safest
People's Choice
And the overall winner is...!