The first Hyundai Kona Electric was an affordable EV with a nice range.
Is the lead sustainable?
More than five years ago, the Hyundai Kona Electric was in our price list for the first time and it was a resounding success. Not only because of the 4 percent additional tax, but also because it was the only affordable EV with a range of more than 400 km. The competition has not stood still, times have changed, just like the Kona. Does the new guy have enough to maintain his lead?
400 kilometers, didn’t the first Hyundai Kona Electric get much further?
That 400 km is indeed a modest estimate, there are hypermilers who even manage to squeeze more than 500 km from the Kona’s large battery. The Kona electric was so popular in 2018 that the waiting time increased to more than a year. The same success was achieved by the Kia e-Niro and it has continued to do so until now, while interest in the Kona waned a bit. The brand partly compensated for this with the Ioniq 5 and 6.
Is the new Kona Electric bigger than the first?
The new Kona is of course larger (15 cm longer) than its predecessor and still a size smaller than the Kia Niro. What remained is the eccentric design. Whether it concerns the front, side or back, it all looks equally unique. Anything but boring. The front is characterized by the wide LED strip over the full width, whereby we immediately note that in the entry-level version the middle part is not illuminated. This entry-level car also lacks projection headlights, but LED is always standard. The side is a wild play of lines and folds, with the rising diamond in the D-pillar as a characteristic detail. You can also recognize the electric Kona not only by the charging port (heated on the Premium) in the nose, but also by the wheel arch edges painted in body color. Thanks to the wheelbase being increased by six centimeters, rear passengers have a lot of extra space.
Is the Hyundai Kona related to the Kia Niro again?
The new Kona is on the same platform as the Kia Niro. No major progress has been made in terms of charging and battery capacity. That’s quite okay, so you are assured of proven technology that has been further refined. And with a practical range of 400 to 450 kilometers (with the 64.5 kWh battery), you almost never need a fast charger in the Netherlands. If you connect the Kona to the CCS, you can charge with a maximum of 102.3 kW. From 10 to 80 percent takes 41 minutes. And if you enter a fast charger as a destination, the battery will already be brought to the ideal temperature. This does require a heat pump, which is only standard on the top model. For the other two you pay €1,500 extra. What the most expensive version also has is a heated charging port.
Does the Kona also borrow things from the Ioniq 5 and 6?
The navigation system runs on the latest Hyundai software, which means a route planner including the necessary charging stops. The infotainment system is known from the Ioniq 5, among others, with the two connected screens and the same menu structure. Via the e-ASD (e-Active Sound Design) menu, the speakers can produce artificial driving sounds, which you can tailor to your own taste.
Can you still pinball yourself to adjust regeneration?
The interior looks neat and the design of the dashboard is at least as original as that of the exterior. Moreover, it is still richly equipped with conventional buttons. You select the direction of travel with a lever on the steering column and use the flippers on the steering wheel to set the degree of recuperation. Select i-pedal and you can do almost anything with the power pedal, right down to a stop.
The first Kona Electric suffered from spinning front wheels, does the new one also?
We drive the version with 218 hp, on the front wheels. Drive responses are not noticeable, wheelspin can be forced by fully accelerating in a short bend, especially in the Sport driving mode. Choose Eco or Normal and the Kona is a bit milder, but still smooth enough. The chassis and steering make a cultivated impression and are a clear step forward compared to the first Kona.
And how does it continue?
We drive through the Czech Republic, where the Kona is produced for Europe. In the mountainous interior the roads are sometimes bad and there we notice that suspension and damping do their job well. You don’t have the feeling of being on the road with a heavy EV. Although the controls are not a source of entertainment, they are certainly not annoyingly woolly. Add to all this the proven EV qualities of Hyundai and you know that the Kona electric has good cards. And now has to operate in a much larger playing field.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl