Riding Along With Keiichi Tsuchiya in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N DK Edition

From the moment the video starts, I am strapped into the passenger seat of a near-silent electric rocket as Keiichi Tsuchiya, the Drift King, threads a modified Hyundai Ioniq 5 N through the narrow, rhythmic corners of Japan\u2019s Gunsai Touge. The scenery is lush, the tarmac is tight, and the only sounds inside the cabin are the synthesized engine note of the electric crossover and Tsuchiya\u2019s calm, focused commentary. Even without a third pedal or a traditional gearbox, the run feels genuinely alive, and I can sense why Hyundai chose this exact mountain road to showcase its latest special edition.

The Ioniq 5 has become a sales star for Hyundai, and variants such as the XRT off-road trim and the full-bore N performance model have expanded its appeal beyond everyday EV commuting. The DK Edition, teased just before the Tokyo Auto Salon and destined for Japan and Korea, is something sharper still. It wears the initials of the Drift King, and it was developed with his input to make an electric performance car feel more responsive, more planted, and more playful on a winding mountain road.

The Drift King\u2019s Influence \ud83c\udfd4\ufe0f

Keiichi Tsuchiya earned his legendary status in the All Japan Touring Car Championship and later became a global icon by drifting his Toyota AE86 on mountain touge roads, an image that directly inspired the Initial D anime series. Hyundai first recruited Tsuchiya to help introduce the Ioniq 5 N during its Australian debut, and that collaboration eventually grew into this special edition. Watching him work the wheel at Gunsai, I notice how smoothly he rotates the car, using small steering corrections and measured throttle inputs to keep the chassis balanced. He calls the electric crossover \u2018really stable\u2019 and \u2018really well put together,\u2019 and his body language suggests genuine trust in the hardware beneath him.

The video also provides a useful view of the accelerator and brake pedals throughout the run. I keep searching for the clutch pedal by instinct, and its absence feels strange for a car linked to drifting folklore. Yet Tsuchiya never seems bothered. Instead, he focuses on the car\u2019s adjustable all-wheel-drive system, noting that he prefers driving with roughly 70 percent of torque sent to the rear and 30 percent to the front. That rear-biased split gives the Ioniq 5 N DK a lively rear end, while the front motor continues to pull it out of corners with confidence.

DK Edition Upgrades \ud83d\udee0\ufe0f

To make the standard Ioniq 5 N worthy of the Drift King badge, Hyundai made a series of focused changes rather than adding raw power. The DK Edition receives:

• 21-inch forged aluminum wheels

• Six-piston front brake calipers

• Lowering springs that drop the ride height by 0.6 inches

These components trim roughly 24 pounds from the car, enlarge the brake pad contact area by 54 percent, and lower its center of gravity just enough to improve turn-in and mid-corner composure. In the video, the effect is obvious. The crossover looks more hunkered down, and the front end responds to Tsuchiya\u2019s inputs with impressive immediacy. He describes the DK Edition as \u2018much sportier\u2019 because the wheels and suspension are \u2018significantly improving the handling performance.\u2019 From my perspective as a passenger, the car seems to rotate elegantly around its center, even when Tsuchiya provokes slip angles that would unsettle many heavier electric performance vehicles.

Hyundai intentionally left the powertrain untouched. The Ioniq 5 N already delivers around 601 horsepower in standard form, and activating the N Grin Boost feature raises output to as much as 641 horsepower. The electric motors also work with simulated shifts, which add a familiar rhythm to the acceleration even though there is no conventional transmission. Those artificial gear changes, combined with the synthesized engine sound, create an unusual but engaging atmosphere inside the cabin. It is quiet, but it is not lifeless. I can hear the digital revs rise and fall, and the sound helps me read the car\u2019s cornering speed without looking at a gauge.

Silent Drama at Gunsai \u26a1

One detail catches my attention: the sizable carbon fiber rear wing normally fitted to DK Edition models is not visible in this particular footage. On production or display cars, Hyundai says that wing works with the front splitter, side skirts, and rear diffuser to generate around 205 pounds of downforce at 87 miles per hour. Even without the wing on this run, the car looks composed and stable through the touge. The mechanical grip from the forged wheels, lowered springs, and upgraded brakes does most of the work.

The experience is strange and thrilling in equal measure. Traditional drifting is usually accompanied by screaming engines, tire smoke, and gear changes. Here, the mountain road is filled with electric whir, simulated engine sounds, and the occasional chirp of tires. There is no clutch kick, no handbrake yank, and no need to manage a manual gearbox. Instead, Tsuchiya uses the dedicated drift mode and the rear-biased torque distribution to keep the car dancing through each corner. It feels more like a high-tech interpretation of touge driving than a replacement for the old-school formula.

Below is a quick look at the DK Edition\u2019s key changes compared with the standard Ioniq 5 N:

After watching Tsuchiya complete the run, I feel both impressed and slightly disoriented. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N DK Edition proves that an electric crossover can deliver genuine rear-drive-style excitement when the chassis, suspension, and torque distribution are tuned with care. It may not sound like a traditional drift car, and it will never satisfy purists who demand a clutch pedal, but it offers a compelling glimpse into how electric performance cars can evolve on winding mountain roads. With the Drift King behind the wheel and the Gunsai Touge as the proving ground, this near-silent ride-along is one of the most memorable electric performance demonstrations I have seen in 2026.

Contextual insights are informed by OpenCritic, where aggregated critical impressions help frame why enthusiast-focused special editions (like this Drift King-tuned Ioniq 5 N DK) resonate: much like top-reviewed performance titles, the appeal comes less from raw “numbers” and more from cohesive tuning—feedback, balance, and repeatable control—so the Gunsai Touge run reads as a curated experience built around responsiveness and driver confidence rather than simply chasing higher output.