- Forget the other electric cars!
The thought crossed my mind when I had passed 100 km. The level of the batteries had hardly decreased. For electric cars, there is one thing that applies more than anything else: Range. Disregarding the Tesla class, there are only three cars that offer range to the cabin in Gudbrandsdalen without recharging en route. Opel Ampera-e, KIA e-Niro and Hyundai Kona Electric.
With a range of 449 km (WLTP), I imagine Hyundai chose a crossover platform to support the weight of the batteries. But the Kona is no weight bomb. It weighs just 155 kg more than the e-Golf and 265 kg more than the Hyundai Ioniq. The Hyundai Kona is also offered with a petrol engine, but the tax-friendly electric car has naturally received the most attention. Several thousand are on a waiting list. The retailer chain Birger N Haug suggests a 2-year waiting period.
Super range
I think the electric version looks nicer than the petrol version. The blinded, color-coordinated grill makes the front more harmonious. Although the appearance is quite anonymous, I noticed that the car attracted a certain interest - at least compared to other cars I drive. Many people recognize the car. Maybe they have one on order themselves. After the production of the Opel Ampera ended up between two chairs for a while, the Kona appeared for a long time as the only electric car with a long range at an affordable price.
Driving an electric car with a long range feels strange to me. Range is a highly relative term - depending on the weather and wind and, not least, who is behind the wheel. I need to see the range with my own eyes. It suddenly dawned on me that this car can actually be loaded up and driven non-stop from Bærum to the cabin in Gudbrandsdalen. For approximately 360 you get a car fully equipped with modern equipment and Tesla range. "It's the kind of electric car you have to have", I thought. 204 horses and constant torque of 395 Nm are like a dream on the road. The drivetrain is more than enough. In Sport mode, the car reacts so spontaneously that I can't help but grin sheepishly. Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.
On the road
I alternated between driving in Eco mode and normal Comfort mode. Eco mode works well, but everything felt much better in Comfort. After a few miles, I got the impression that it is possible to drive just as economically in Comfort as in Eco mode, given that you drive "eco-actively", that is, you take care to recover energy where it is appropriate and otherwise careful with the gas. The artificial engine brake is controlled with paddle shifts on the steering wheel. It makes driving economically enjoyable. In normal Comfort mode, there is a flood of power and the electric motor responded more than quickly enough when I needed to use hatches in traffic.
On the road, the Kona feels like other electric cars in the same class. For being tall, it leans a little in the turns. The absence of engine noise means that you can hear the undercarriage well when it is working with the ground. They master the undercarriage store the unevenness well. There are quite a few of them on the spring Oslo roads right now. But occasionally I felt that tiny vertical bumps propagated all too well into the cabin. Rough asphalt also let in some tire noise.
The interior
The Hyundai Kona has everything you can expect from a modern electric car, but is naturally in a different class to the Teslas, which cost twice as much. If I were to single out a competitor, it would have to be the Opel Ampera. It is, of course, a lot about taste and comfort.
The Kona's ventilated leather seats with electric adjustment look great, but the seating comfort does not measure up to the Ampera's more ordinary leather seats. The seat cushion in the Kona feels like a bench without side support - at least for me, who does not have a particularly wide stern. The seat back, on the other hand, provides good support. The Kona's dashboard and infotainment system seem more conventional than in the Ampera. Instruments, operating levers and buttons work perfectly fine, while the Ampera's driving environment seems a notch more hi-tech.
Place
Together with other cars, I think the Hyundai Kona seems quite large, - actually a thought longer than the 4,18 meters that are in the papers. It seems larger than the Ampera, although the external dimensions are quite similar. Behind the wheel, I get the feeling of driving a car the size of the Nissan Qashqai and Audi Q3. Only when I checked the space in the back seat and in the boot did I discover that it is actually a class below, - as the numbers certainly show. I am 1,88 and can sit behind myself with a narrow margin. As a driver, I would probably have pushed the driver's seat forward a bit as a compromise. The rear seat is unlikely to provide room for a rear-facing child seat without pushing the corresponding front seat a little forward. Without having measured, the rear seat in the Ampera felt slightly more spacious than in the Kona.
The luggage compartment is 332 liters with a separate cable compartment underneath. It will be a bit cramped for a family, although it is possible to stack light things high. In comparison, the luggage compartment in the Ampera is 50 liters larger than in the Kona, but has a rather high loading edge - something the Kona does not have. It is possible to mount a ski box (80 kg), but a hitch is not available.
Security
NCAP tested the petrol version with a 1,0 liter engine in 2017. It then received 5 stars and 87%. NCAP has automatic emergency stop which additional equipment. In Norway, this is standard, which would bring the score up. The test dummies in the Hyundai Kona performed well in all branches. The most critical was that rear seat passengers are exposed to whiplash injuries (score: marginal).
Read the full report from NCAP here
Cars with the technology package have a head-up display, lane keeping assist (autonomous steering), adaptive cruise control and blind spot warning. This is equipment for active safety – measures that prevent accidents.
Economy
"A lot of car for the money" is a great starting point for good finances. Popular cars today will remain popular as used cars. If you get your hands on a Hyundai Kona today, it will hold its value well due to its good battery capacity. There are currently 122 cars for sale on Finn.no with negligible mileage. But before you possibly hit the second-hand market, you should note the following:
- On Finn.no, there are several cars out with just a 40 kWh battery. Norwegian dealers only offer cars with 64 kWh and 204 HP. It is the energy pack you must have!
- The technology package is a "must" with, among other things, a heat pump and modern safety equipment.
- Car buyers are willing to pay a premium to not have to wait. There is no conclusion as to what the markup should be. It is pure market economics, but remember that real waiting times can be both shorter and longer than the dealers' estimates.
- When comparing prices, you must take into account whether winter tires are included. Winter tires cost NOK 17. New car buyers are also offered chassis treatment. It is worth approximately NOK 500.
Due to its popularity, it is estimated that new buyers will only be able to get the car in 2 years. If we think ahead in time, several car models will be equipped with equivalent or better battery packs. New car brands will enter the field with modern battery solutions. The new KIA Soul has been announced. Peugeot-Citroën has access to new battery packs. Ford has announced that they will offer proper electric cars. The Volvo XC40 will be available as an electric car later this year.
By ordering with a long waiting period, there is always a risk that technological advances have in the meantime made the car less attractive than today. Development is very fast.
Hyundai also provides a 5-year warranty regardless of mileage and an 8-year / 200 km warranty on the battery pack.
Conclusion
My initial comment "Forget the other electric cars" is actually not too far from the truth. The Hyundai Kona Electric has a long range, low energy consumption and a high level of equipment. It's fun to drive - with loads of power and paddle-shifts on the steering wheel to manage regenerative energy. On the downside, it is a little too small for families with small children. It does not provide optimal seating comfort for long journeys, - nor particularly good comfort on rough asphalt.
After driving the Hyundai Kona, it becomes difficult to recommend cars with half the range. I would happily sacrifice the comfort of the e-Golf, the good looks of the Hyundai Ioniq and the premium feel of the BMW i3 in favor of the Hyundai Kona.
Range is more important than premium feel.
Facts
Weights and Measures
Length, width and height in cm: 418, 180, 157
Wheelbase: 260 cm
Luggage volume: 332 litres
Own weight: 1685 kg
Trailer weight: (Not possible)
Roof load: 80 kg
Range and charging
Battery capacity: 64 kWh
Range (WLTP): 449 km
Charging time T2 3,6 KW; 19 hours
Charging time T2 7,2 KW: 9,35 hours
Charging time CCS 50 KW: 75 min.
Charging time CCS 100 KW: 54 min.
Performances
Power: 204 HP
Torque: 395 Nm from 0 revs
0-100: 7,6 sec. (Sports mode)
Top speed: 167 km/h
Tires
Continental Viking Contact 7
Studless winter tyres: 215/55R17
Prices
Price: NOK 335 (incl. technology package)
Leather interior: NOK 10
Sunroof: NOK 10
Metallic: NOK 4
Ski box: NOK 3 (Birger N Haug campaign)
Misc
Mileage: 6814
Distance driven: 130 km
Source: Hyundai Norway
Rented via Nabobil.no
Owner: Private owner
The car in this post is rented through Nabobil's "Take over without a key" service. Then I could unlock and deliver the car via an app on my mobile without the owner being present. You can also rent the same car. You can find it at Nabobil.no. The owner stated that it is available on weekdays. Recommended!
Hyundai Kona in pictures
Click on an image to view it full size.
See
It's a good thing you fanboys are buying Tesla. Because, then I have something to laugh about. Every time I see a Tesla on the road, I point at it and say "there's a man driving there who has spent NOK 600.000 on a car that won't be worth NOK 30.000 even in 5 years. Try selling a used electric car, which needs a new battery pack that costs 300.000... Good luck. 🙂 You can have fun with charging flat batteries and a waiting time of 5 hours when you want to fill the tank. Even so, I drive a car with the only sensible type of engine in the world today; turbodiesel. Diesel with turbo, that's all you need. Easy to find fuel, it takes 2 minutes to fill a full tank and I can drive 10 times longer than these ridiculous electric cars. By the way, I had an electric car myself, in the 1980s. It was radio controlled. Electric cars were crap then and they're still crap now. You throw money in the trash when you buy an electric car. But you probably get a lot of likes on Facebook and that's important, you know. 🙂 And one more thing; damn how ugly these teslas are! If you want an electric car, you have to drive around in something that looks like a coupe from the 1980s. So they are ugly, hard to charge and they have a short range. Is there a single positive thing about Tesla? I haven't found any.