2019 Hyundai Kona Electric

Did you know that there is a link between Lamborghini and Hyundai?  Now let me put this straight; the guy who designed the Lamborghini Murcielago also designed the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric.  And to be fair, though the Kona Electric hasn’t got the Murcielago’s raw Italian supercar passion, it does look pretty cool for a small SUV.  Well, at least on the outside.

The overall shape of the all-new Hyundai Kona Electric is globular in outline but a pretty nice balanced design that heralds a chunky front end with a streamlined nose, some sleek headlight design and nice flared wheel arches.  So as far as an EV SUV design goes, it does look eye catching.  The integrated bumper does look really modern especially when rimmed with very slim line headlights.  A separate black plastic air dam looks cool with its angular air intakes, offsetting the Kona’s curviness.  Side skirts and roof rails all add to the new Kona Electric looking more than just your average small SUV ride.

Hop inside the Kona’s cabin, and Hyundai quickly impresses with the way the car offers a very functional layout that is practical, spacious and welcoming.  The interior is otherwise conventional and, perhaps, more than just a little bland.  High end models do add a bit of interest to the dash and door surfaces and inserts, while also boasting leather seats.  The instrument panel and the gear lever have been replaced by drive buttons which is cool.

2019 Hyundai Kona Electric

Three trim levels are offered, each with Hyundai’s SmartSense active safety tech which is really good to see.  There really aren’t any gains in skimping on safety features these days as it is such a strong selling point.  The top model, the Hyundai Kona Highlander, and the Elite, adds niceties like a charge pad, leather, a larger touch screen and an excellent Krell audio system for music lovers.  Even still, the Elite uses quite a bit of hard plastic in the cabin, but the heated and ventilated leather-clad seats are comfy and up market.   There is also a smart key and while there’s no in-built satellite navigation, it accepts both phone types for getting your directions.  Cruise control is standard.

Infotainment systems offer a great array of menu functions, and flicking through the apps is easy, sped up with control buttons for quicker access to key features.  If you can manage the r Highlander version over the base model, then you will appreciate the better 8-incher over the smaller 5-incher touchscreen, LED interior mood lighting and power adjustable front seats .  I hope that didn’t sound rude!

2019 Hyundai Kona Electric

On the practicality side of things the boot capacity can swallow 332 litres, and you can split fold the rear seat to extend this space further.  Loading and unloading suitcases is a breeze with the absence of an annoying boot lip.  There is storage under the floor, and you’ll also find a space saver spare wheel under the boot floor.  Rear seats fold pretty flat, so that’s great for accommodating longer, bulkier items.  Useful storage space for your phone, wallet and other goodies can be found in front of the gear lever, as well as in the centre console.  Door bins are large and can accommodate water bottles with ease.  A reversing camera and display is standard and very useful.

Do keep in mind that the Hyundai Kona EV is not rated for towing, so this could limit the car’s uses.  However, there’s a 3-year/100,000 km vehicle warranty while the battery carries an excellent 10-year/unlimited km warranty.

Seat comfort is good and supportive for those in the front seats, while rear seat passengers will find the Kona seats comfortable as well.  Even in the rear there is plenty of room for heads and knees, a result of the car’s tall and practical roofline and dimensions.

So, what’s a new Kona EV like to drive?  Speed grows very swiftly if you make full use of the Kona EV’s power, and the small SUV feels nicely refined for city commuting.  I’d imagine that most will buy the new Hyundai Kona EV as an urban runabout, but given the chance to run out on the motorway the Kona EV is composed and quick.  Any sort of sharp bump and uneven surface is efficiently dealt with in a composed, cultured manner.  The view from the driver’s seat is good and slightly raised with the ride height being higher than your average hatchback.  The 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric comes along with 150 kW of power and 395 Nm of torque, uplifted by a 64 kWh battery positioned in the rear subframe of the car’s chassis – under the boot and the rear seats.  You can scamper through the 0-100 km/h sprint in less than eight seconds, which will irritate those XR8 and HSV petrol heads, no doubt.  But the highlight of interest is that the Kona EV has a 400 km ‘real world’ charging range; and that is very good.  The new Hyundai Kona Electric is FWD.

Hyundai is a leader in EV technology, boasting both the IONIQ and Kona models for EV buyers.  They are proving popular, and in the Kona’s case can be bought for around $60k new.

2019 Hyundai Kona Electric

The 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric models include the:

• Kona Electric Launch Edition
• Kona Electric Elite
• Kona Electric Highlander

For any more information on the new Hyundai Kona Electric or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Hyundai dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours.  Private Fleet – car buying made easy!