Hyundai Kona Electric

Source: Hyundai India

The multinational South Korean giant Hyundai has been in a run for the top spot in the Indian market and it has found some success in recent years. Hyundai with its i1o and i20 has made a permanent place in people’s mind of being a manufacturer of quality and latest tech inclusiveness in cars. How many know that the Kia Motors are the subsidiary of Hyundai Motors.

In India, Hyundai has launched its lower variant EV which we need to find out whether it is worth it or not. 

Looks and Design

Source: Hyundai India

But let's talk about its looks first. By looking at it from the front you can easily say that it’s an electric car, a simple design; no air vents, grilles in the front portion. But other than that if you put the electric Kona and ICE Kona you won't be able to differentiate it. 

Source: Hyundai India

In terms of overall looks, you can say that Kona is a decent sporty looking car, with those slim led lights and compact SUV size and shape, and new 17 inches of alloys wheels. Both the front light and tail light is sharp and long adding to the sharp the sporty look of the car with a slightly bulky body design which goes with it.

The exterior design is a sight to see, the colours available for this model are marina blue, phantom black, polar white dual-tone, typhoon silver and polar white. 

Source: Hyundai India

When it comes to its interior, you won't say there is much space, especially the headroom because the battery is below the floor and the rear seats might not be able to adjust 3 passengers comfortably. Other than that, the cabin feels simple and elegant with all the necessary buttons which are in the right position with a 7-inch the infotainment system in the centre of the dashboard. Front seats are nice, supportive and are electronically adjustable, and also has a cool feature of heated and cooled seats which will make it more comfortable. Along with that, there is a lot more tech available in the car, like wireless charging for phone.

The fully black interior design doesn’t give a strong electric vehicle feel but yeah, it’s neat. 

Source: Hyundai India

Facilities/services

Talking about the interior, we get too many techs and facilities like shift-by-wire automatic transmission, electric parking brakes, digital instrument cluster with supervision, tyre pressure monitoring system (high line), paddle shift (for regenerating braking), front ventilated and heated seats. More facilities will be seen in future once it is fully accepted and commercialised in the market. They sure want to put more innovation for the electric car in the future.

Source: Hyundai India

Now other services by Hyundai includes 3 years/unlimited km warranty and 3 years roadside assistance, well, not many electric companies have offered similar services like that. Service vehicle to vehicle support, charging support for customers in select cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru & Chennai)

The tire pressure monitoring system is very useful for long drives. 

The next thing about Kona is that it has utility modes namely outdoor leisure service, camping, entertainment and relaxation.

Other interesting features are the one hand driving and regeneration facility of Kona.

Safety

Hyundai says they have come with the next level of safety features. 

Kona is made of ultra-high tensile strength steel and it offers high impact energy absorption that keeps the passengers safe in the event of a collision. The cabin has been specially designed to disperse energy to reduce the impact on the occupants. It has got sis airbags, vehicle stability management, hill-start assist control (HAC), electronic stability control. You won’t believe if I say that it has got a virtual engine sound system to generate engine sound for pedestrians to be alert and aware of the car’s arrival. Wow, that’s some cool stuff you have there Hyundai!

Source: Hyundai India

Source: Hyundai India

It has got an ISOFIX i.e, a convenient and safe way to fix child car seat in the rear. 

Specifications

Specification	Items	KONA Electric
DIMENSIONS	Overall Length (mm)	4,180
DIMENSIONS	Overall Width (mm)	1,800
DIMENSIONS	Overall Height (mm)	1,570*
DIMENSIONS	Wheelbase (mm)	2,600
ELECTRIC MOTOR	Electric Motor Type	Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM)
ELECTRIC MOTOR	Max Power (ps)	136
ELECTRIC MOTOR	Max Torque (kgm)	40.27
HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY & CHARGING	TYPE	Lithium-ion Polymer
HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY & CHARGING	Capacity (kWh)	39.2
HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY & CHARGING	AC Charging (0-100%)**	Approx. 6 h 10 min
HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY & CHARGING	DC Charging (0-80%) @50 kW**	Approx. 57 min
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	TYPE	Single Speed Reduction Gear
SUSPENSION	Front	McPherson Strut Type
SUSPENSION	Rear	Multi-Link
BRAKES	Front	Disc
BRAKES	Rear	Disc
TYRE	Tyre Size	215/ 55 R17 Alloy Wheel
TYRE	Emergency Spare Tyre	T135/80 D17

Performance

Let’s talk about performance with 134 bhp and 414 NM of torque with self-weight of 1685 kg, but because it's electric all its power and torques come instantly from the lowest rpm. Which means as soon as you touch the accelerator all the fury is ready to push you to go straight ahead. It has 3 modes obviously, they don't want you to accelerate like a thief every time you accidentally hit the accelerator hard on the signal, lol.

Eco, comfort and sport all 3 only changes how accelerator reacts. ‘Eco’ has the lowest reaction and ‘sports’ giving you all the power instantly, and because it has front grills closed it help it make Kona bit more aerodynamic which sounds exciting. And because of the added weight of the electric battery, the suspension has been made bit stiffer which will make you think it will go around the corners like a sports car. No, you’re wrong, yes acceleration can or might bring a bit of excitement to you but other than that it is a big heavy compact SUV which will roll a bit going around the corner even though the batteries are below the passengers. You might have enjoyed the driving but the steering wheel is as light and without feedback as it can be, you might feel having a gaming console.

  

Source: Hyundai India

Let's talk about comfort, I don't think it will be good for the bad road mainly because of the stiff suspension, seats and all are good but rear seats are not that supportive and when the car is going to push you around having a bit more support at the back would make it a bit better.

What the main thing to talk about is its range, Hyundai has stated that it can do 452 km, yeah, right. According to the European standard testing, it was able to do around 320 km which is not bad when you consider other electric cars which are available here. Along with that, there are 3 ways to charge this car; one is a portable charger, but be prepared to spend 19 hrs to charge your car. Other is wall-mounted charging point, which Hyundai will fit at your home or your society which will take around 6.5 hrs or 7 hrs to charge your car. The last one is the fast charging point which they are planning to put on the Indian oil petrol pumps they have made a deal with them and soon it will be available there which can charge you to 80 % in just 57 min which sounds good. But still, if you want to take it for a long trip you have to plan it perfectly so that you won't stop somewhere for 19 hrs. to charge it and add to your journey time.

Source: Hyundai India

Now, lets put the cost of the car in the equation, the electric Kona cost 25 lakhs ex-showroom. For a compact SUV which is smaller than Creta but bigger than Venue will sound too much, and it is. I totally agree even if Hyundai gives all those techs and features, still, with that price tag everyone would expect and better interior but I think the interior quality is equivalent to a compact SUV of price under 10 lakhs. Even while looking at it, Sorry Hyundai but, it doesn't give a feel or a presence of a car worth that much.  

Still, I won't say you don't have to buy it as it has its own advantage if your use is only restricted to the city then it’s a perfect car you can easily go wherever you want without a worry of fuel once you charge it fully and with the one-foot operation, it is one of the easiest cars to drive. Because it has electric motors the servicing cost will be low and the period to service the car will be long, actually service the plan has not been shared but because of very few parts which might need to be serviced only major one will be costly like AC and for battery which will reduce the cost of maintaining the car too less.

Price:25 lakhs (ex-showroom price)

Final verdict

Looks and design: 7/10

Specs & features: 7/10

Dynamics & performance: 7/10

Safety & quality: 8/10

Best suited for those who want a car to be eco-friendly, or if they want to boost their new electric car, or just want a new car for city use which is easy to drive even in traffic condition. A car which can do 0- 100 in 9.7 seconds if you want a bit of acceleration too.

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