2026 Ioniq 6 N vs Tuned Nissan GT-R - TRACK BATTLE

Oh my goodness, it's fast. Turns in well. Look at this. Float. Look at that. What's quicker around the track between the Nissan R35 GT-R and a Hyundai IONIQ 6N? I'm on about a hand-built internal combustion engine versus some battery technology. Let's see which is quicker. I'm Max Hafter-Varney and welcome to Driven Plus. This is Dean's Nissan GT-R. It features a 3.8-litre V6 engine which is tuned by Litchfield and it produces 650hp and 800Nm of torque. It's all-wheel drive and it features a 6-speed automatic gearbox. It weighs in at 1722kg and it's on Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres. This is the new Hyundai IONIQ 6N. It features an 84kWh battery and it produces 641hp and 770Nm of torque. It's all-wheel drive and it features an NE Shift mode that digitally simulates an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. It weighs in at 2166kg and it's on Pirelli P Zero tyres. This is going to be a really interesting race, I think, because what we've got is potentially the epitome, in my opinion, of the internal combustion engine. Hand-built by the Takumi engineers in Japan, by Nissan, versus an electric vehicle, an EV, battery technology. Yeah, very different. Very fast. Very fast, but so is this. This has been tuned up to have the same power as this, so 650, 650. That's cool. Yeah. I remember these when they came out. I haven't driven one in quite a long time. I do remember a funny thing about these. When we do laps around Silverstone, maybe three laps or something, and that would do a tank. Really? And then you wouldn't be able to open the fuel filler cap because it had sucked so hard. The back pressure in the cap was that bad. Wow. It was incredible. That's interesting. I'm not a huge fan of this car. I think they're okay. I think they're amazing at what they do. They're incredible. Do you want me to say something? Go on. I agree. I've never really been a Nissan GT-R fan. I appreciate what it is, but yeah, no. But it's mad to think that these cars are coming up to 20 years old. It's insane, isn't it? They've aged well. They have? Yeah, I think they have. And look how well it's lasted as well. It's incredible, isn't it? Yeah. It's just so well built. Definitely. And I think, let's go over to the IONIQ 6M because this will be the first time which we've featured it on a track battle. Very interesting to get an electric vehicle on, especially against something like this. Yeah. Because this was, when it came out, very ahead of its time. Yeah. You know, when this came out, it was faster than a 911 Turbo S. It was faster than everything. Faster than everything. This, however, has changed the way we look at cars, and the way cars are built, and the way power is delivered. Well, I haven't driven one of these on track yet. Nope. But I've driven the IONIQ N5QTR thing. The IONIQ 5A. That's fine. That was really, really, really fast. Yeah. And I've been told that's faster. Yeah. So that's a problem for this. I don't know. It'll be a problem for our channel if we don't beat the electric car with the GTR. Yeah, it will be. But part of me thinks, what if this does win? I wouldn't be surprised. Neither would I. I wouldn't be surprised. So this is the IONIQ 6M. It's got a lot of power, a lot of technology, and it's going to be a marvel. And it's going to be very interesting to see this go around the track. And I'm interested to see what this is going to do as well. No idea what this is going to do. Let's see which is quicker. Here's the stats and figures on both cars. Driven Plus Track Battles are sponsored by these guys, LEC Performance. And they are the go-to for engine components. Let me show you. I'm surrounded by over 240,000 parts in this warehouse here. Now, here at LEC Performance, you can buy parts such as this cylinder head gasket from L-Ring. Over here, we have a forged piston. Look at that. It's all very nice and shiny. Over here, we have a Boostline forged rod. That's actually for an Audi RS3. In particular, the Dazzo engine. Here, we have ACL Race Series engine bearings. They're actually for an E60 M5. And over here, we have ARP engine cylinder bolts. Yes, some engine stuff, which I'm not an engine expert. These guys are. And over here, you can also buy Octane boosters from Liquid MOLLE. So, scan the QR code on your screen now. And that will take you to the LEC Performance website. And that's where you'll be able to buy products such as those I've just mentioned there. Anyway, let's get into the race. Okay, we're going to start with the GT-R. And I have to admit, the rear end on these cars are very, very cool. I love the fact that the rear lights match the exhaust tips. And this badge, and there we go, GT-R, job done. Sam, rev it. That's actually perfect. It's not obnoxious. It's perfect, that. That sounds perfect, doesn't it? Yeah, sounds amazing, doesn't it? So, Japanese. Do you know what I love about these Jap cars? Go on. When you go in, they smell Japanese. This really does smell Japanese. And I love the smell of Japanese cars. My brother had a Hilux Surf, and it smells like this. Exactly, yeah. It's really weird. It is weird. I don't know why. It must be the leather they use. If someone is watching and they know, let us know what that distinct smell is. I've got a weird kink. I like to put air con against my hands on the steering wheel. It's nice, isn't it? It keeps them dry. Is this another one with column-mounted paddles? Yeah, but we'll see. They're quite long. Yeah. I don't know. Yeah, me neither. Go warm it up. It'll be interesting to see what it's like on this track. Yes. Yeah. Put your boots on. So I've got it in track, race, race, and everything off. Okay. It's a good start point, isn't it? Oh, too fast. Oh my God, I forgot how fast these are. Whoa. Front wheel. Turns in well. Very good. Wow. Okay. I completely forgot how good these are. That looked better than I thought. I didn't know what to expect, but that looks planted, and it looks good. Let's get his thoughts. This looks good. I forgot how good these are. Yeah, I think we've dismissed this, haven't we? Yeah. Hell of a car. It looked like it handled really well, looked like it was stable, and it didn't look like it was out of control one bit. No. I remember the discipline you need, because it will rotate, but as soon as you even sniff at the throttle, it washes. Okay. So you have to be careful with that, but if you carry enough in and just let it fall into the corner and chase the power out, like a good driver would. Yeah, yeah. I'm not one of those, but if you did, you'd get a very good lap time. Yeah. Interesting. This is very good. Let's set you up for a lap, see what time you get, and then we'll come back and speak about it. Okay. Does this have launch? I think it does. Three, two, one, go. That's a launch. F***ing hell. Hell of an engineering feat with that car. Fantastic time. Really, really good. So, what's your thought on this? I have no idea. 50.07. It's heavy. The throttle is so aggressive that it just, when it's on spool and you just even touch it, it pulls. Do you know what, watching this go round, I don't know what to expect from this car, but it doesn't really look that rear-biased. No, it rotates beautifully, but the front just absolutely gets rid of it immediately. It will not pick up the rotation on the rear of the car, which is frustrating because I'm absolutely on it. Because there's a lot more time in this car, because I think you'd be able to send more torque or more power to the rear wheels, just to let the rear end just come out a little bit more. I think you'd have a better corner exit and therefore translate into a better time, but it's not really giving you it, is it? I think so. Absolutely unbelievable. Well, I think this has set a good baseline or a good benchmark for the IONIQ 6N, and I think it's going to be really, really close. Like I say, we don't know what that's going to do, but it's got a time of 50.07 to beat. But before we go into that car, let's get some scores. Engine out of 10. Oh, that's a 10, that engine. 100%. The sound. Yeah. Absolute treacle. Yes. Amazing. Agreed. What's the gearbox like? It's very, very good, but the paddles not being on the wheel, ridiculous. Yeah, fair enough. So, because of that, 7. Okay. Brakes? Very, very good. Super strong. 10. Handling? Up until you put the power down and you lose the rotation, it's a 10. But just because of that front bias just washing it out, especially on a circuit like this. Now, on a big track, it might be a little bit different. These are known to push on and people do delaminate their front left or right properly. So that does happen. But a 9. And fun. It has the potential to be a 12. But 8. Okay, that's not too bad. Well, I think it's time to go for the EV. Let's do it. Okay, it's time for quite a different type of car. It's quite weird because normally when I speak in this segment, I've got like an exhaust making some sort of noise. So it's eerily quiet. Sam, does it make any noise? Can you rev it? So nothing from the exterior. Is that noise from the inside? Yeah. Go on. There's crackles in the car. I know. That's so cool. It's funny that that's put in there for stupid humans. I know. We're that childish that we need that. And that will help us buy this car. It's great. Well, I think, you know, in a kind of a hot version of the car, you do seek and miss that sort of, I wouldn't say drama, that experience, I suppose. There's a big difference between the two on this. Yeah. It's very modern. Yes. Yeah. It's a lot newer than the GT-R, isn't it? A lot newer. Yeah. Which is crazy. What do you prefer? I love a new car. Yeah, me too. I always love a new car. No matter what year it is, when it comes out, I just prefer a new. Yeah. I think that GT-R cabin is timeless. Yeah, agreed. Very well built. Agreed. And it was touchscreen in it. Yeah. Ridiculous. So, in terms of this having a lot of technology, what's that end torque distribution thing there? So, I've had a little play and I did a bit of woogling. Okay. So, the sprint active is, you can have this button, which will give you boost. Okay. Or you can just have it on the whole time. Right. Which is just open the flow gates of your battery. And then the torque distribution, I've put it 80% to the rear because I'm a child. Cool. All right then. Well, go see what it's like. Are you ESC all off or sport? Absolutely everything off. And the reason I've put it that far to the back is I've got PTSD from the front axle of that GT-R ruining my day. So, this is what I'm doing. Well, I'm intrigued to see this. Yeah. Have some fun. Thanks. Well. I mean, yeah. Is that something that can be done? I don't know. Ah! Wow. Incredible. Look at this. Float. Look at that. That torque distribution is incredible. And look what I pick it up. Look, it pulls it round to the rest of it. Right. That'll do. I think that looks really good. Definitely had more power coming out of the corners. It was instant. No waiting around for turbo. Wow. This looks instant. It's very fast. Yeah. Just want to make sure that's... Is it limited, is it? No, you're fully off there. Yeah, but we'll see. Are you going gears or non-gears? I'm going gears. Okay, cool. Yeah, I'm too old. I can't get my head around that. How does it compare with the GT-R? What are you going to say? Nothing. It's not as good as the GT-R. Bullshit. I know what you want to say, but I'm not going to get it out of you because it'll pain me to hear it. I'll tell you what's really impressive. Cool. Is the... The speed off the corner doesn't feel different. That's cool. Which is really amazing. I didn't expect you to say that. Yeah. I thought this would have felt in a different way because of the evasion. No, it didn't. Oh, wow. And I was actually shocked when I felt that. If anything, I thought the GT-R was a little bit more punchy off that corner. Oh, okay. Well, the GT-R might win then. It could. This felt really good. And then when it floats and I'm done floating, I pick up the throttle and it carries on where I left off. So rotationless is good. And the power out on the rotation is good. Yeah. Okay. Well, let's set you on the lap. Okay. Three, two, one, go. Wow. I don't know. What a race. We live in a world in which an EV is now faster than a tuned GT-R. Let that sink in. Can you silence please? Oh, don't say it. Or the internal combustion. What did you say? Do you know what's even worse? The fact that you did it. You drove. I'm just here on the sidelines. This did a 50.01. This is a 49 second car, isn't it? It's a 49 second car, yeah. Yeah. And you know what? These tyres don't feel great. Imagine if this car was on semi-slicks. Now, What's the GT-R like? Yeah, I didn't want to get into a tyre debate, but that's on Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's, which essentially is a better tyre than the P0. Yeah. You know, for a truck. Jesus. Wow. An EV is faster than a Nissan GT-R. On track. Not just in a drag race. This was really good. And it broke loose there where I didn't want it to. We lost time there. We did. I mean. Let it sink in, mate. Let it sink in. That's crazy, isn't it? Yeah. I guess it is, let's say, 20 years later. Agreed, agreed. Yeah, but it's just completely different technology. Can we flick it round? Sorry, can we flip it round? How incredible is it that that can keep up with this? You know what? Since you put it like that, that just changed my whole thought on the Nissan GT-R. I get it's tuned and all that sort of stuff, but try and find a standard GT-R. I know. Yeah, incredible actually. The fact that that Nissan GT-R kept up with a brand new EV in 2026. And that is the best way to flip it. Yeah. But also, it's smart to think that this is quicker than a GT-R now. Incredible. On this track today. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get that. But it is on this track today. Scores. I mean. I think we should have a new electric scoring. Okay. So. EV score. EV score, nine. Gearbox. I love it, ten. Really? Really, really good. Amazing. It's incredible. It's absolutely incredible. Brakes. I know it's fake, but it's incredible. The brakes, not only do they feel very, very good, but they work very, very well. Okay. And this is a heavy car. It is. And it's dealing with an awful lot going into the corner. And it's dragging so much speed down that back straight. Dare I say, a ten. Wow. Yeah, they're really good. Incredible. Handling. That's a funny one. It's very strange. It's a new version. Again, this is all EV. It's very good. Mine? Yeah. It's very good. Give me a fun rating. My heart really struggles to allow me to enjoy this. It's like quietly listening to the Backstreet Boys. They make good music, but you just don't tell your friends. Do you know what I mean? It's kind of like that. So, the IONIQ 6N won. Or shall I say, the EV won. It completed the lap in 50.01 seconds, and the GT-R completed it in 50.07 seconds. Not much between these cars at all. I think this test points to more respect to the GT-R. Anyway, let's take a look at the track leaderboard. The top ten remains unchanged, so let's take a look at the next page. The 6N finishes in 15th place, and the GT-R places just behind it in 16th place. A very good performance from both cars. What a car Hyundai have produced here, by the way. What a really, really interesting race. Kind of the perfect outcome, really. I think so. At some point, this has to hand over the mantle, doesn't it? I'm annoyed it's handing it to an EV. But I'm... That's not an electric car, though, is it? Well, what is it? Well, it's not... It's not the one you'd go buy if you're just looking for an electric car, is it? No, it's... You're buying that for a reason. Yeah, no, I get what you're saying. It's a... I don't want to say engineering marvel, because it's not. It's more of a gadget which goes fast, isn't it? Yeah, but I don't... I think I almost disagree with you now. Okay. I think that's a sports car. Well, yeah, it's a performance car, mate. I think it is. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course it is. The gearbox works like a manual ICE engine. It sounds like one. It goes like one. It turns like one. And if you can readjust your brain and just get over it, it's wicked. Brilliant. But they have made that handle like an ICE car. Cool. So... What a fantastic job Hyundai have done, then. Incredible. Yeah. 50.01, 50.07, nothing in it at all. No. Both cars, I think, with a good set of tyres, maybe 76 or something, I think are definitely a 49 car. Both of them, definitely. That definitely is. 100%. Yeah. Maybe we can come back. Better tyres? Yeah, we've got a yes. That's good. Which one are you taking? Because I know you like a new car. This. Yeah. Yeah, OK. No, I understand. Yeah. And I also think, in another 14 years, this will be exactly like this. Yeah. Yeah, no, that makes total sense. I think... I'm not going to answer that question because it's hard, because I really like the technology used in new EVs and new cars nowadays, but this is a legend, isn't it? Yeah, it's just awesome. Legend versus new kid on the block. Exactly. Sam, thank you once again. Massive thanks to the owners, Dean and Alex, for allowing us to use their cars in this magnificent track battle. And if you've got a car which you'd like to be featured on a track battle, email us support at drivenplus.co.uk. Make sure to also go and follow Sam on Instagram Thank you for watching. Please like the video. Subscribe. Do all those things. Have a good day. Bye bye.