The Hunt
I initially wanted a Limited AWD model but ran into a few problems. There were only three in Arizona, all at one dealership. This dealer was selling them above MSRP and wouldn’t transfer one to a different Hyundai dealer that I had a better relationship with.
I then reached out to several out-of-state dealerships, mostly in Colorado, that had inventory. I offered 8% off MSRP, and only one dealership responded. They were unwilling to lease the car to an out-of-state customer.
The Deal
My previous dealership, where I leased your Ioniq 6 two years ago, was ready to offer an aggressive price. However, they refused to do an out-of-state transfer and none were available in-state. I was about to give up and lease a Limited RWD from them when the GSM offered a super aggressive deal on their only Ioniq 5 N.
He initially proposed a lease of $535 per month with $3,000 DAS. I needed to get the monthly payment under $500 for wife approval, thus the final numbers.
The Car
The Ioniq 5 N is an absurdly fast race car. Forget sports car - this feels to me like an actual race car. Despite its power, it seems comfortable enough for daily driving, even with a young child. Compared to the Ioniq 5 Limited, which felt to me like a comfortable but large boat, the 5 N feels much more planted and is in a different league entirely. I now understand why Hyundai made it a separate model, the Ioniq 5 N, instead of just an N trim.