An interesting review - thankyou. Having driven a Kona 64KWH for two months I am very happy with it. I don't find the brakes a problem - basically because I use them very little. I was surprised that you had so much problem with wheel spin. I can't say that I have found this an issue, particularly when waiting at a junction for a gap to get in and then setting off very promptly. I have not detected any wheel spin. I think Hyundai deserves every bit of the praise that you give for the efficiency and battery management. This car could be the game changer but for the failing you refer to at the end - the lack of deliveries to meet demand. This is a great shame. One feature that you did not mention that I particularly like is the head up display. Having speed limit, speed and navigation information immediately in line of sight is brilliant. I may have misunderstood the reports that I have seen on the Tesla model 3, but the single large screen in the centre of the car and no display in front of the driver seems to me to be a serious lacking and very poor in terms of safety.
I have Model3. The center control screen is awesome PERIOD. 89%+ of my time in the car is on Driver Assist.... so I'm access the keyboard typing up search for music, podcast, or internet. Model 3 screen is a tool.....not just a bunch of phony switches, gauges like my wife's MINI COOPER S. Overkill.
Very good review. Have a 2018 Leaf. Live in Florida with temps in the 90s and have zero problems with high battery temps. Use rapid charging almost exclusively. No problems. I regularly get 170-180 miles on 96% charge. Am averaging 4.5 miles per kilowatt. E-pedal is fantastic.
TheAegisClaw yes most of the scratchy plastic is easier to wipe clean too. Hence why vans have a lot of cheap plastics. Harder wearing too. Some soft material are prone to distortion under intense sunlight and heat too. Nice steering wheel and seats is all I want.
Soft materials are better sound insulators, they don't rattle so much. It makes the ride a little more comfortable and posher feeling. Cheap plastic also smells bad. It's not 100% reason, but I somehow feel better taken care of and more relaxed in a nicer interior. They speak for themselves. Some people care for such things
@@HanYou2 not convinced, my girlfriend drive a 2003 Civic with 160k miles and its not got a single rattle or squeak. My Auris on the other hand, creaky dash, despite being soft touch.
You must be heavy footed (all that wheelspin) and you rarely need to ever touch the brake as the regen is awesome. Trick to the cubby hole shelf is to access it from the far side, not your knee side. Great review, you captured the key points really well.
I agree - not managed to spin the wheels unintentionally. Perhaps he should have checked his tyre pressures, assuming tread depth was good to start with.
We bought one about 6 weeks ago, 64kW version. Never run it flat but got 280 miles with reserve to spare. Well made generally and a relative bargain at just £32k after grant (now another £1k since they lobbed of £1k off the grant. Wait time is early September 19 and getting longer by the day. Really recommend it.
@@ruedigerpreiss9307 Thanks Ruediger. Although I think that Eco+ is 'limp home' mode if you have misjudged the range but I am hoping to get close to 280 miles range with Eco mode.
@@NigelWickenden Yes, Transport Evolved spoke of that. Apparently there are huge incentives to put industrial power packs (something like Tesla Powerwalls, but for big businesses and factories) in Korea right now, so all Korean battery manufacturers prioritise those projects over car manufacturers.
Great review, great car for the money! I own a long range, dual motor, Model 3, it really is an amazing car and worth the wait. Tesla's are such different cars, in all respects, because they started with a blank piece of paper. I would say that James Cooke had a big influence on me and when he was in San Francisco, we went and test drove the Chevrolet BOLT. He made a great video about it. The BOLT is a good car, but it's not a clean sheet design. The more kinds of electric cars on the roads of the world, the better!
@blacknester This Kona is being sold at a loss. So, its not in production in any significant numbers. Model 3 is selling at a profit and no M3 costs 80k.
So, i today order one Kona electric + 64kW , cost 32 000€ . So dealer from Hyundai told me , only 1car is free for 2weeks take :) ... so i will have it after 2 week and take home ! :) :)
Best of luck with it. Still waiting for ours but that’s part of the fun, looking forward to going all electric. We’ve even installed 21solar panels to charge it up with.
Look up zinc battery much more efficient than lithium ion and they don't want us to know because it is completely recyclable and much cheaper better battery. A Chinese business man from South Africa developed it and it will take over the toxic expensive batteries they are pushing worldwide!!
@@carlgunnarsethsen he's South Korean and he's an extremely successful entrepreneur in California. His batteries are not currently aimed at mobility apps and they r still in development.
We got a Kona EV for my wife and are delighted with it. The range pretty much matches Hyundai's brochure figure, it has loads of toys and is decently practical. I would love to see what it could do on grippy tyres as I suspect it would be genuinely fast. As it is it feels very quick but it is very easy to spin the wheels. Yes the interior plastics feel a bit cheap but no more so than most of its rivals (including it would seem the VW ID3) and the switches all feel decent. That's another attribute of the Kona, it feels very normal and retains switches or buttons for some functions and an instrument cluster. The biggest argument against the Kona is the KIA eNiro which does have a nicer quality interior, more rear space and a bigger boot, however when we were buying delivery wait time for an eNiro was crazy.
Took delivery of new Kia e-Niro on 15th March from my dealer in Niort, France. Very pleased with the car which has same motor and battery as the Kona. It is a very quick machine, even in Eco mode. Have driven 900km so far and on charge it is taking 14.6KwH to add 100km of range to the car. This based on a 20% to 80% charge last weekend. In cost terms that equated to €1.70 including tax. Electricity in France is a bit cheaper than in the UK. I have 8 solar panels waiting to go on the roof of my barn so will soon be able to charge from sunshine!..we get a lot of sunshine here in the Poitou-Charente. Thanks for a great Video Log EV Man.
Really enjoyed your review, except for one thing... This obsession, across the board, of car reviewers with how “scratchy” interior plastics are is getting really dull. I really do not care how hard or soft the plastic is on my dashboard. The only bit that might be of interest is the top of the door where my arm might sit. Tell me about the quality of the seats and steering wheel, I’m in contact with those rather a lot. But the dashboard? Really couldn’t care less. Otherwise, great review, thank you.
Chris Abbott When paying over £30k for a car of course it matters. Sit in one with a nice solid interior and it makes a difference. Otherwise by that logic you might as well stick carpet to your slippers and forget about your floor, you never touch that.
Electric Vehicle Man we may have to disagree on this and that’s fine! But I don’t agree that harder plastics necessarily look cheaper or are less solid than soft plastics. It really feels like reviewers are getting obsessed with this, to an irrational extent. Enjoyed the rest of your review!
For me the interior is the most important part of a car. It’s where you spend hours and hours a week. And as I said in the video, I am being picky here. I also said the stuff you do touch often is fine.
Electric Vehicle Man maybe we have crossed wires. Yes the interior is really important, I don’t disagree. I want it to look good, work well and be rattle free. But I genuinely don’t care if bits of the dashboard feel hard or soft. As I said, if the bit of the door my arm will rest on is hard, as it is in my other half’s Seat Ibiza, that is annoying.
The interior of an EV is hardly the most important part of the car, for most people it would be the battery and drive train engineering. Function is more important than form.
I have the Kia Niro hybrid ( none plugin) I understand it has the same platform as the Kona. I changed my tires for Goodyear Endurance, much better traction for all-around driving in Western Canada. The Niro has more rear leg room & a well built small SUV.
Professionally, I must say that I'm looking forward for the use and building of electric cars. On a personal level, I must say that "Kona" is a cherished concept.
The scratchy plastics may be a belief by manufacturers think anyone who drives electric is an eco warrior, thus they make them from recycled or easily recycled plastic. And they may have used recycled plastic for the tyres too, explains the wheel spin lol
I disagree with the "cheap scratchy plastic" statement - the part he's referring to is actually fine, I'd be more worried about the smooth silver coloured plastic they use e.g. for the centre console, which tends to be sensitive to scratches.
You are not wrong about the cramped rear seats, I looked at the Kona before I bought our first Zoe but I realised that there was more room in a Zoe. See Bjorn Nyland's banana box test. We are on our 2nd Zoe now, love them.
If there was no Model 3 I would like one of these. But without the Model 3 this probably wouldn't have been produced. Excellent that they are years ahead of the German an Japanese on Electric cars.
The EV was invented over 100 yrs ago but the battery was the weak link. So if one needs to give credit, for the Kona thank asian battery makers. Since like it or not Tesla needed Panasonic's battery tech to make it work. Just like LG was needed by Hyundai to make the Kona feasible. This evolution to EVs is not based on just 1 model or company or person. And German makers are coming out with EVs soon too, but the Japanese makers are also focusing on HFCVs. The Kona and the Model 3 are both steps in the direction. So thx for this objective review and lets hope the comments can be as objective too?
@@bjorn1583 "if it wasnt for tesla no other car maker would" have fanboys trolling with meaningless memes. which is sadly becoming the main contribution coming from that company. how about adding something original, useful and backed proof to the conversation instead?
@@nc3826 All EVs, except for Teslas are COMPLIANCE cars. ALL OF THEM. Most EVs they produce lose money or their margins are very slim unlike Model 3, which they make over 20% on their reg premium vehicles. They will make more on performance vehicles, and less on the 35k ones if/when they come out with one. Other EV makers don't sell enough to make money from their R&D. Also the batteries are too expensive for them since they don't produce the batteries themselves unlike Tesla. Batteries are biggest cost to EV vehicle manufacturers. Now, the so called Concept cars they are showing wont show up in 2019 or 2020. I bet they will ship them in 2021 at the earliest. Until the batteries are plentiful and a lot lower in price, it will be very hard for other manufactures to make money on their EVs. Tesla already have the lowest cost batteries, and they will go lower as they innovate, and increase productions. Others cant touch Tesla now or in the near future on the price of the batteries. No manufacture will sell their EVs en mass if they are losing money on each vehicle they produce. So, until they start making money at decent profit margin, they wont go near the mass production of EVs.
@@1flash3571 Google COMPLIANCE, all EVs like it or not are in COMPLIANCE to with regs to get subsides and credits for being an EV. But feel free to use a false meme on the subject to define its meaning. So feel to keep trolling and flaming other EVs that are outside of do I dear I say it the cult. I wish I could hear something original from Elon fanboys for once? Instead of them mindlessly repeated same false narratives. Since didnt he say he wants competition or didnt you get that memo? lol grow up....
A few points. We get the understeering. A roundabout that I can take with my VW Passat at 55-60 km/h, well, the Kona starts understeering around 45-50 km/h to the point where I feel uncomfortable about it maybe going straight instead of round. Having said that, on the open road its road holding is good, particularly with the low centre of gravity, but really long tight turns, it's not so great. Bit of gravel or pebbles on the tar seal: wheelspin ensues when turning off the main road and trying to accelerate into the side road... It may be a surprisingly small car, as you point out, but this: I am at an age where the knees start to give trouble. This car with its little bit of extra height is extremely comfortable to get into and out of. Even with dicky knees. Really, the C200 Merc I traded in for it was a better drive, but - too close to the ground. One thing that happened to both my wife and me: drive along with the 'smart' cruise control on. There's a car parked on the parking strip to the left. Suddenly the Kona slams the brakes on. I was lucky, nobody behind me at the time. My wife nearly got rear-ended. The not-so-smart cruise control obviously figured that there was another car in front of it, and too close, when in fact there wasn't. I hope they do a software update that sorts this out. It's definitely a safety concern.
Tried to order last week. Yes you can have one but it won’t be until September next year. Think by then VW will have something out which is on the same par probably. Will wait and keep driving my e-Golf until then. Not waiting almost a year for a 2018 spec car.
We've decided we definitely want a Kona Premium (1st EV) but can't decide on the the 39 kWh or 64 kWh version. Both retired and don't do great mileages, maybe occasional run to visits relatives in Norwich from Brentwood, Essex (~100 miles each way). Any thoughts appreciated.
Top video. The bit where you drove past my house made me chuckle! Will is a super star; bought the Ioniq EV off him and will be ordering a Kona stable mate end of 2019 after an afternoons test drive.
Drove past the hyundai dealer today... Called in on the off chance it was the dealer that kona came from... it was parked out front. It would be rude not to test drive. Thoughts, in stormy weather it didn't wheel spin and no noticeable torque steer. Drove it like a diesel engine. It feels no different at low speed. Ignoring the plastics feel, the dash looks fine, quality wise. There is no bite to the brakes, which initially is unnerving. But regen braking is really good. (Pull left flappy paddle to come to a stop, and hold). Overall, very very impressed.
Great to see a real-world test of an EV for once, rather than the hyper miling seen on other channels. Good to see it being driven hard on wet country roads and not just a motorway / freeway.
I think the software that comes with the Model 3 is more suited for an individual like yourself as you'll be able to push the Model 3 as it was intended to be. Kona looks to be a winner but you'll be more than happy when your Model 3 arrives. The videos you'll be making using the Model 3 are greatly anticipated.
There's a difference of 20k on the price tag between the two which is not really justified for a commuter car. If Hyundai slaps this 65kWh battery on the Ionic (the model 3 equivalent), they will be selling them like hot cakes.
Hyundai have clearly done their homework. Before I bought my 63 plate Leaf I ran a petrol Hyundai for seven years. Apart from consumables and servicing it never cost me a penny and never went wrong.
I've been in that exact car when the Zoe owners club visited DSG. It's stonking! We had 4 adults in it, EV nick driving with me sat behind, I'm 5ft 11 and was comfortable. The power and range makes this a real contender for my next vehicle, but like you say the waiting times are ridiculous
The blue wrap on top looks so good, it should be a 2-color option, maybe even added by dealers. Some classic cars from the past had great 2-color options.
An owner was kind enough to give me a demo of their car which I am really grateful for. What this did was rule it out as my next ev. Nice car in many respects, but legroom in the rear is cramped, unless you have small people in the front, and the boot is too small. In comparison my Zoe is like a Tardis so I will be sticking with that, perhaps the next the next generation Zoe will be my next ev. P.S. Couldn't give a monkeys about scratchy plastics unless they are next to my skin.
its electric = masses of torque + front wheel drive + wet roads = some spinning is inevitable if you plant too much right foot although the traction control should filter most of that if its switched on or set up right by hyundai
Alan Oldfield having driven cars with different tyres, some downright dangerous due to lack of grip, i was wondering if the tyres were to blame. Not all tyres work well in the wet,
Ordered mine in late August for a 24week wait Feb release. Just been told is built and awaiting shipment. Due very early Jan(hoping sooner). Loads of other owners reporting early full filliment. Regards the plastic over the wheel arches. Review I watched/ read said they're modular and easily replaceable. Assuming they stick out from the main body in order to catch the bumps and scrapes?? Only reason I can think to make them modular, unless some manufacturer cost saving. Nice review as always
Very happy with my choice of 2018 Leaf in terms of size. Kona just too small for a family of five. However really excited about the Niro EV when it arrives. That will be the standard bearer.
I like the exterior plastic baseboard since it won't rust from salty roads. What is cool is that I can hear you talk while you are driving on the road.
What would the range be if driving eco mode Hypermiling if you get 4 miles / KWh on normal / hard use like you say ? would it do 5 or 6 / KWh . I have seen Tesla do 600k / charge ( hypermiling ). Any feedback , thanks ( no interest in speed / power , mpg/ mp KWh is my interest) . Looks like EV is evolving very quick / can't keep up with demand .
Completely agree about the traction problem. My wife has got the 64kwh version of the Kona. I drive a MS75D and the contrast between the two in power delivery and traction control is massive. In fairness the Tesla is 4WD; but still the traction control and FWD configuration in the Kona makes for tricky rapid departures. In wet weather it can be hard to get away as the torque overcomes the grip very easily. I'm often looking like a hooligan just trying to get away from the lights - sometimes even in the dry.I'm not sure the standard tyres are very good though! The torque steer is also really bad!
did you tried the efficiency over the whole batteries? I have a Hyundai ioniq, It tells me always i do very good if the battery is charged over 50%. but when i go under 50%, the battery is empty in no time. I have driven 45,000km with it. and it always shows the same.
Even though most of the cars you review aren’t available in the US I really learn a lot about what MAY come when the established car companies finally try to catch up to Tesla here. Thanks so much for your vids!!!
For the electronic handbreak, say your car runs out of battery power, can you no longer apply the handbreak? Possibly a situation that is very very rare, but would still be good to know what happens.
According to the Kona Forum on SpeakEV, the 64 Premium SE Version had a price increase of £2,295 yesterday. Other models have apparently also increased in price. Still better than the Leaf?
EXCELLENT Honest simple review,. Thank you. Leaf unavailable here ('OZ'. Australia) till June 2019. Unsure about the Kona Electric. Maybe 2019 as well? I do appreciate your view as this will help me to decide. The 'Tesla model 3' costs $60,000 (AUD) here. Have not driven a electric vehicle before. It sounds like FUN!!! Can't wait. Cheers and thank you again.
Very good review, thank you for all the info. I am surprised to hear it is even louder than the Leaf. I was hoping it would be quiet like the Soul EV. Also, you don't have to constantly switch between D and B in your Leaf. Just drive it in B all the time.
Those wheels spinning could be a serious problem in snowy or icy conditions. I have to take that in consideration in my decision to what car to buy here in Canada
excellent review! how was the driver assist compared to the leaf? you should put your height in the description. would help us get a better feel of it. think all car reviewers should do this.
Hi tested both cars ( leaf +) I found them a lot closer than your test I know its individual choices but I certainly didn't see enough to advise people to cancel their leaf order, I must say I do enjoy your no nonsense reviews
I kind of get the feeling that some of the tyre spin issue might be down to eco tyres. I mean, sure, they make sense in an EV, where they're going to make most of the noise, but sometimes a compromise of noise for grip might be better. Now, I could be completely wrong with this theory, having never driven an EV, however, in my cars, I've always found that going with cheaper / eco tyres has ended up with me having sometimes serious traction issues.
Just tried to order one through a few UK leasing companies and failed. The only place you can get them from is direct via Hyundai click to buy as Hyundai are not supplying to any UK leasing company. A PCP quote through them for 15,000 miles over 4 years is almost £600 - £650 a month! Which i suspect is out of reach of many people including myself. Oh and the lead time is now 11 months.
Good and fair film. Thank you for that. I cancelled the contract about die Tesla M3 and ordered a Kona 64 kW (in June this year) which i get on Wednesday next week. :) So, the reason for the cancelation was that I saw Tesla with a mass of probs - and I need a car. When I ordered the Kona the answer was "ca. Feb-March 19". Now I get it 4 months earlier. And - no. I don't regret the change to Kona. As we in Germany say: "Better the sparrow in the hand than the pigeon on the roof".
DR Au Mass of problems with Tesla? News to me! I know THREE people with Tesla’s, one a Model 3, two an with an S, and they all absolutely LOVE their cars. I think you’ll live to regret your decision, (though of course the Hyundai is cheaper than a Model 3.)
Less wait time on the Kona since a talked to the dealer, however the Tesla Model 3 will get CCS 2.0 it seems, and perhaps same price. Is the wait worth it? better range and headroom i guess for Kona, Model 3 just because of the looks and now with the CCS 2.0 cables being installed at Tesla charger, the slight lower range will be not so much of an issue with the new charging system.
Model 3 is well worth the wait. I have a friend in the U.S. with a RWD one, his first pure EV, and he absolutely LOVES it. The Tesla traction control is really excellent, obviously Hyundai need to improve theirs.
Did I miss the bit where Andy used the steering wheel paddles to alter the strength of regen? Maybe the brakes work better when the controls are adjusted correctly?
And I thought the first gen Leaf was ugly! Yes it might be an advance but Tesla beats hands down on styling and drivability, making ugly EV's in my opinion is just poor design. I put the Kona in this catagory. Tesla, Jaguar, Audi now there is proper aesthetic design style. I hate SUV's anyway and the lack of leg room in the back is an issue for a growing family. The names of cars made me laugh, surely manufactures check this?? Obviously not! Toyota are a bit quiet I hear they are looking at 2022 for solid state lithium and associated rapid charge times. Great review Andy and keep counting the buttons! Lovin the range but going to wait before upgrading my first gen leaf.
OK but those are double the price and more. Sure most would agree they are better styled. So are basically all cars double or more the price but you get what you pay for. Tesla are also pretty brutal on quality. As for growing family sure I guess but it is rather unlikely someone buys this now and has it in 15 years when they have 2 teenagers. Few people buy for actual practicality of their current lives thus I cannot fathom many buy for 10+ years down the road. We may well be using quite a lot of self driving tech by then anyways. I suspect Toyota were a bit show since they had so much success with the Prius while others could not touch the Prius so had to do something a bit different. Toyota and the other Japanese manufactures were (are still?) pushing hydrogen fuel cell over EV. As far as I can tell though H2 is a terrible idea with EV definitely the way to go with the market going the right way by now. Watch out for China though they are 3 thirds of the global EV market right now, with Europe only 1%. They are busy cornering the market on investment, innovation and inviting all the big manufactures to come build in exchange to enter their massive market knowing full well they are 'sharing' their tech with China. Also they are smart to corner the market on lithium and Cobalt and the current battery tech. Volvo's bold moves to quickly go full full electric lineup... they are owned by a Chinese company. I suspect we'll soon not individually own our own cars soon enough, just cab around, I look forward to thus and driving will be a hobby of fun only not a practicality.
If you are comparing a Tesla to the Kona then you have completely missed the point. Have a look at second hand Tesla prices and what you lose in 3 years can buy you a Kona. As for styling, that is subjective and in my opinion Tesla cars are boring to look at for the high price point. At £32000 i can live with the Kona’s looks but at £60-100 grand I expect something special.
The lack of legroom is because modern SUV's aren't really SUV's. They are only cars shaped like an SUV. My Terrano 2 is a true SUV. Roomy, rugged, massive load space. Modern SUV's are just big hatchbacks with roof bars, a con.
Good overview. I have to wonder though (as a non driver but often a passenger in a small EV) do people really wonder how "scratchy" plastic is on the dashboard? Are there drivers who regularly stroke difficult to reach plastic? 😉
was waiting for one that can do 300 miles, now waiting for one that can do 300 miles and 4 wheel drive, because i think the 2 wheel version would suck off road or even in snow
Well, I drove one of these for 12 days short of a year. Sold it today, and glad to be rid of it! Pros: the mileage you get out of a charge. Cons: well it starts with the spinning front wheels. It understeers significantly at fairly low speeds in town as well, say around 50 km/h. We had several mishaps with the electronics, like the car suddenly speeding up when there was traffic stopped at an intersection in front - squeeling tyres ensued. At least the brakes worked. On the other hand, the cruise control got spooked by a car parked by the roadside and 'hit the brakes' - well decelerated sharply shall we say. Always in the same spot on the same road. The parking sensors in the rear aren't worth their salt. Might as well leave them off. My wife can tell a tale about that .... Several times the car just would not go into drive. Stop, turn it off, turn it back on, turn it back off, turn it back on - and it would go into drive. NOT good enough. Android Auto completely trashed the 'entertainment system' for purposes of getting it to play music or even select a radio station - so we never plugged the phone into it . And yes, the 'cheap' interior. We paid $70,000 NZ$ for it, and it felt to us like we bought a $30,000 car. Sore bum after a 160km drive. No way would I want to put 4 people into this car for 100 km unless two of them are 'vertically challenged'. There just isn't enough space for 2 6' guys (or gals) to sit behind each other for long. Good enough as a shopping trolley, but for a road trip we'd use our trusty VW Alltrack every time, never mind that we had 'free' electricity off the roof for the Kona. I dread having to pay twice as much for an Audi or Merc ... but that's probably what's going to end up happening. And I noted your disappointment with the EQC re: expectations. That's what we went through with the Kona.
You may like the Kia e_nero as it's a fraction bigger and trim looked a little smarter when I saw it in France, I’m waiting for the U.K. orders to open
You said it's ok a lot, is ok enough for what is now £35k? Yes they increased the price by £2350 recently. As you said, should have been 4 wheel drive, should have more premium materials etc etc.
Got a Kona 64kw and had no problem with spinning the wheels, i guess it depends on how much feel you have in your right foot. Obviously i can make it spin if i cane it, but then again I can also get a Ferrari to light up the tyres if i cane it. Like the videos but I do think this is nothing to worry about for people with a sensible right foot control. Very very happy with my Kona, 1/2 the price but probably more range than those big heavy luxury alternatives.
Not quite sure why we talk about scratchy plastic? I’ve never driven along the road scratching at the plastic, now my back, yes. I assume that making soft plastic components is much more expensive and to keep the price down! After all as said earlier this car is half the price of a Jaguar and a lot more efficient on electrons. It gets my vote for best EV on the market so far.
Just caught up with this vid. Not seen the Kona in white before, suits it much better than the usual you see knocking about. Still fugly at the back, needs a bit of a revamp for design and space back there.
Hyundai really are the kings of efficiency. 300 mile range is so impressive at the price. I only have 2 reservations about the Kona. 1) Seen one in the flesh a little while ago and really don't like it's looks, especially from the front (I realise that's totally personal taste, not a problem with the car) 2) The eNiro just looks better in every respect. Nicer looks, bigger, better quality inside & should have the Kia 7 year warranty. With how rapidly EVs are changing I'm not sure I would put a deposit on a car I'm not going to see for at least 40 weeks, by the end of next summer who knows what will be available, possibly without a huge wait if you get in quickly.
Wikipedia: The Kona is named after the western district of the island of Hawai'i. Alternative names: The car is sold in Portugal as the Hyundai Kauai, as Kona is too similar to cona, the taboo slang word for the female genitalia in Portuguese. Like Kona, Kauai is a place in Hawaii. It is also Hawaiian for lady. In Spain, however, the car keeps its original name, although in Galician-language intimately related to Portuguese, spoken in the northwestern end of Spain-the word cona has the same taboo connotation. It is however sold as Hyundai Kona in Brazil despite the fact that Portuguese is spoken there as well. In China, the car is sold as the Hyundai Encino.
I agree - this will set new standards for EV's. The warranty is very nice which gives a calm mind even after a couple of years. I drove an Ampera for couple of years and propably will now drive my e-Golf for couple of years but then this hopefully for many years.
As great as this car clearly is. The Model 3 is still a massive step up from this car in terms of future proof tech. I would wait for the Model 3 for sure. But if I wanted a standard car and my this suited my budget I would have one.
Mark Gaudie Founder of Northwest England EV Owners worth pointing out that the Tesla is substantially more expensive, and also NOT a hatchback. So, a completely different animal.....
What tyres are there as standard? Maybe better grip tyres would sort problem with spinning? My only problem with it is - the size. I really hoped it would be closer to Santa Fe. Otherwise it would be great upgrade from our Sharan. PS. Did you know that Mitsubishi Pajero is sold as Montero in Spanish speaking countries because of how Pajero is similar to something really rude in Spanish?
Amazing car, simply spot on. I agree this changes the EV game. The only things that concern me is that it is produced with mostly fossil fuels (pls hyundai & KIA your EV customers can find this a deciding factor if they compare with the competition ), spinning wheels some people have & head space for big passengers in the back.
Useful review. Thanks. Pity vehicles are leaping ahead of charging and repair of charging infrastructure. I don;t fancy waiting in a charging queue and suffering range anxiety brought on by poor charge point maintenance. Where's the government in all this? Nowhere. As more EVs are purchased, these problems will only increase. Wish we lived in Norway where there is a nationally co-ordinated charging grid. For those who can afford it, the solution is to run two cars, one of which is an EV. Thanks again!
That tire chirp concerns me. It will wear out the tires far too fast. They need a software update to have better torque management system. It not only wears out the tires faster but also wastes electricity more. Maybe they should make the tires chirp only in Sport mode.
OK, I know it is an old video, but still relevant, thanks. Just put a deposit on a Niro, I have a PHEV,look forward to going full EV. Yes I know it is cheaper to use an IC, or cheaper still a CI,but I like the way an EV performs. Thanks for your video, hope you have much success. PS Morecambe is a beautiful place.
I hope you are getting interest on your model 3 order, the first day reservation seems to mean diddly-squat when new us customers get their cars within 2 months and you have to wait another year! At least with the Kona you know the price, the specs and it will be delivered sooner than model 3.
Hope come you didn't mention the heads up display? Does it have a reversing or wrap around camera? Adaptive cruise control? Companion app? Android or iOS integration in the entertainment system? These are important selling points for any self respecting geek...
Only certain models/options get those so didn’t bring them up as not all have them. Spec sheet tells you all that. No app in UK yet and it had reversing camera.
Having read most of the comments I have to say that the accelerator in any vehicle is not an on/off switch. People who can't control their right foot should not drive vehicles with high torque. Please don't blame the vehicle or the tyres. Learn to ride a powerful motorcycle in the wet. You control it or you crash. Simple.
Hi, I can see how enthusiastic you are about the Kona but the wheels spinning up as you pull away must, surely, be an issue? Thanks for sharing your thoughts, take care and catch you later. Peter
Not sure the Kona can do 300 real world miles, but it certainly can do a 250ish. It’s a seriously impressive car, and it’s a shame Hyundai have massively underestimated demand.
