The DNA of car companies can run deep. In the veins of every Lexus lurks a Toyota, every Audi has a strong resemblance to a Volkswagen, and your Cadillac has plenty of Chevrolet bubbling beneath the surface. In 2015 Hyundai launched Genesis as its upscale luxury brand and, after 1.5 million sales, the brand is humming along in over 22 markets.

Genesis’ cars are infused with passionate exterior design and more luxurious interiors than their Hyundai counterparts, but the company isn’t satisfied with just being the fancy-pants sister brand. It’s going all-in with Magma, a performance sub-brand of its own.

First up is the GV60 Magma, an EV built on the same platform as Hyundai’s riotous Ioniq 5 N. So is it just a gussied up 5 N or is there more to the story? Let’s take a look, shall we?

Both cars are all-wheel drive and push out more than enough power for some crazy-pants performance. The GV60’s two motors can produce up to 641 horsepower and 580 pound-feet of torque. That’s enough to scoot it to 62 miles per hour in 3.4 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 164 miles per hour. Not too shabby, eh?

The Ioniq 5 N comes in with pretty good numbers as well. Maximum power output is the same, but the torque number is a notch lower at 568 pound-feet. It weighs 77 pounds less, but that’s enough to get it to sprint to 62 miles per hour in the same amount of time as the GV60, even though it has less torque. Top speed here is a bit less: “just” 162 mph.

To access all that power the steps are similar in both cars. Press the button labeled Boost on the GV60’s steering wheel and you get maximum performance for 15 seconds. Otherwise you’re looking at 601 ponies and 546 pound-feet of twist. Hyundai calls its button N Grin Boost and it only allows you to enjoy max performance for 10 seconds. When not engaged the Ioniq 5 N is good for 601 horsepower and 545 pound-feet of torque, so much more even matched here.

Both EVs use a simulated gear shift pattern and audible cues to make the driving experience more visceral and they each do a fantastic job in their own unique way. They cut power briefly on each click of the paddle shifter and bring it back quickly, making my head snap back with inertia. Each allows for eight gear changes and like a real transmission attached to an internal combustion engine, if you’re in the wrong gear for the speed, you’ll lug around a corner or bounce off the “rev limiter,” depending on how bad you’re shifting. In either case, it should feel hokey but it’s pure joy.

However, while the Ioniq 5 N uses the turbocharged four-cylinder Elantra N as its audio inspiration, the GV60 uses a deeper V6 rumble that doesn’t hit the redline until 9,000 rpm. You can wring out this EV seemingly forever before you hear the “Bap bap bap,” of the simulated rev limiter.

Both EVs use an 84 kWh battery, but Genesis estimates that you’ll get better range than the Ioniq 5 N: 230 miles compared to 221. That’s merely acceptable in the EV world today, with many consumers expecting a range closer to 300 miles. But most EVs aren’t nearly as fun to drive. I’ll take the range hit in exchange for the perma-smile I’d have on my face if I got to drive one of these every day.

Using the same underpinnings, both cars can charge at over 250 kW and go from 10-percent to 80-percent state of charge in just 18 minutes. The Genesis is a bit faster at a 50 kW charger, taking just 73 minutes to do what the Ioniq 5 N takes 81 minutes to do. Both have a 10.9 kW on-board charger, so charging to 100-percent at home can easily be done overnight.

Both the GV60 Magma and Ioniq 5 N have standard drive modes to optimize range, comfort or sport, but also have their own enhanced modes specific to each model. The Hyundai has an N Race button which unlocks two additional modes: Sprint and Endurance. The default here is Sprint, which gives the driver all the power at the detriment to range. The second mode here is Endurance, which takes into consideration the battery charge needed for longer track sessions.

The Magma button on the GV60 is a bit different. While there is a Sprint mode, the more staid GT mode is the default. This setting is meant for steady cruising on the perfect road trip but can still provide robust acceleration when necessary. You’ll get a Drift setting on both cars if you want to get sideways on a track, but my test day in the GV60 did not include sampling this mode.

However, the time spent in GT and Sprint modes in the GV60 were equally exciting. GT mode is great for the highway and though the speed limit mostly kept my right foot in check, the accelerator responded with gusto in the few moments I was able to open it up. On a very windy mountain road Sprint mode was almost too much, as there just wasn’t enough road between turns to really take advantage of all the power. Regardless, the car handled the esses like a champ with nary a Pirelli P Zero tire out of place as I zoomed up and down the mountain two or three times just because it was so much fun.

Thinking back to my time in the Ioniq 5 N, my memories are of a crisp and tight ride, with a bit more of an edge than the GV60. I’d like to drive them back to back, but my feeling is that the Ioniq N behaved like a talented but young driver, think Kimi Antonelli currently burning up the F1 circuit. The GV60 Magma, meanwhile, is more like Lewis Hamilton: mature and patient but willing to attack in a split second.

No doubt about it, the GV60 Magma is a looker, but in a completely different aesthetic than the equally unique Ioniq 5 N. While the Hyundai is all futuristic pixels enhancing a hot hatch with sharp angles on every body panel, the GV60 Magma is curvy and sultry. It’s still a hatchback, but while the Ioniq 5 N has a rear roof spoiler, Genesis gives us an actual wing that manages to look functional and sophisticated at the same time. Color is of course subjective, but your humble writer thinks the Ioniq 5 N looks best in the Performance Blue Matte color. I only got to drive a GV60 in Makalu Gray and folks who don’t want to stand out will like it. However, the namesake Magma Orange is your best bet here. It’s stunning.

Inside the Magma is a much nicer place to spend some time than the 5 N. The seats are softer but still very supportive, made from grippy suede and the driver’s is adjustable 10-ways including a cushion extension. Even the passenger seat is adjustable eight ways. The 5 N errs towards the supportive side when it comes to seating, sacrificing just a bit of comfort. Both driver and passenger seats are only six-way manually adjustable and made from synthetic materials. Both sets of seats, however, get heating and ventilation.

I love the Magma’s center stack with the cool crystal sphere that rotates on start-up to reveal the gear selector. The Ioniq has its shifter on a stalk on the steering column and I’ve always found it awkward. The Ioniq 5 also has four large buttons on the steering wheel in addition to the controls for adaptive cruise control and the like that live on the wheel’s center spoke. Genesis designers cleaned that up and moved some buttons to the center stack, resulting in a much cleaner looking cockpit.

The infotainment system is housed on a 12.3-inch color touchscreen in the Ioniq 5 that melds right into a digital gauge cluster of the same size. There are plenty of ways to configure the 5 N in terms of sound, shifting, drive modes and the like and it can be very overwhelming. You’ll want to sit with it for a while to figure it all out. Genesis uses a single 27-inch OLED screen that contains the infotainment and the gauge cluster and while I want to spend more time with it, my first impression is that it is much more streamlined and easier to use than the rig in the Hyundai.

Audiophiles will appreciate the Bang & Olufsen 17-speaker 1,400-watt sound system in the GV60 Magma. It makes the eight-speaker Bose system in the Hyundai sound down-right tinny by comparison.

Of course, the biggest difference here is the price. The current Hyundai Ioniq 5 N comes in at $67,800 including $1,600 for destination. We won’t know the official pricing until mid-July, but the most expensive non-Magma GV60 currently comes in at just over $74,000 including destination, so expect to fork over at least a few thousand more for the hottest version. Considering the performance of the Ioniq 5 N and GV60 Magma is pretty darn close, you’re really paying for more comfort and a sophisticated design. However, you might find that the adult version of the exciting performance hatch is worth the extra cash.