2019 Hyundai Kona Electric Review | carsales
Hyundai says that over the next 10 years,
we’ll see more change in the automotive
landscape than we’ve seen in the past six
decades, and that it’s cars like the Kona
Electric that will, ah, lead the charge.
Dad jokes aside, the Kona Electric offers
the packaging and amenity benefits of the
regular Kona SUV with the long-distance, zero
emissions driveline Hyundai now offers in
two of its passenger car models.
Like its Ioniq electric stablemate, the Kona
Electric offers real-world range comparable
to same-sized petrol variants, and says it
will debut no further than 38 alternatively
powered vehicles between now and 2025.
With all the safety and connectivity technology offered
in regular high-grade Kona models, the Kona
Electric Elite and Highlander variants are
separated only by a small number of styling
differences and, of course, their electric
driveline.
Driving the front wheels via a powerful electric
motor, the Kona Electric offers an equally
powerful battery pack, which can charge in
as little as 54 minutes when connected to
a high-voltage charger.
One of the most interesting things about the
Kona Electric is just how close it comes to
matching its manufacturer’s range claims.
On test we got 421 kilometres from a single
charge, which I think is pretty impressive,
especially when you consider it’s got acceleration
like this.
Woo hoo! Ludicrous mode, eat your heart out.
Acceleration aside,
road manners and ride comfort that impress
most.
It’s a confident vehicle that’s easy to
understand and operate, and one that’s especially
quiet, even the coarse chip country backroads
encountered on the launch.
I guess one of the nicest compliments we can
pay to the Kona Electric is that it doesn’t
feel like you’re driving a science experiment.
In fact, it’s so much like driving the regular
Kona that sometimes you actually forget this
is an electric car.
Like all Hyundai passenger cars, the Kona
Electric features a five-year, unlimited kilometre
warranty with included capped price servicing.
Roadside assistance is also included, while
the battery pack is guaranteed for eight years.
The only real downside to the Kona Electric
we can see is that it happens to be pretty
expensive, considering it costs as much as
two petrol-powered entry models, the argument
to go electric is a tricky one.
But if you can justify the outlay we guarantee
you won’t be disappointed – in every other
respect the Kona Electric is as good as electric
cars get, and if it’s a sign of what Hyundai’s
vision of future mobility looks like, then
we’re really looking forward to it.
