Every Angle of the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric
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If you are considering an electric vehicle, you might want to draw up a new shopping list. And you should probably pencil in the Hyundai Kona Electric on the first line. The gasoline-burning Kona is among the best subcompact crossovers on the market, with adventurous styling, a powerful available turbocharged engine, and excellent driving dynamics. The battery-powered version doubles down on each of these traits. It is more beguiling to look at, its design a bit less extroverted than that of the standard Kona. The electric motor produces more power and much more torque than the internal-combustion engine in even the top-of-the-line turbocharged Kona. And a lower center of gravity gives the Kona Electric an athleticism that's rare in this class of vehicle.
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You can spot the electric version by its front fascia, which has only the illusion of a grille; behind it lurks its charging port and a handy state-of-charge indicator.
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The electric version of the Kona was planned from the outset, so none of its powertrain intrudes on the cabin or the cargo hold.
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Under the Kona Electric's hood sits its 201-hp permanent-magnet synchronous AC motor, which drives the front wheels through a single-speed transaxle.
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Compared with the turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four available in the standard Kona, the electric version's 201 horsepower and 290 lb-ft of torque represent increases of 26 ponies and 95 lb-ft.
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This is more torque than its 17-inch front tires can handle sometimes, and an aggressive launch will activate the traction control.
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But keep the wheelspin in check and the Kona Electric will hit 60 mph in 6.4 seconds, an impressive 0.2 second quicker than the all-wheel-drive Kona 1.6T.
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That advantage is maintained through the quarter-mile, which the Kona Electric ran in 15.0 seconds flat, hitting 94 mph.
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Inside, the changes are more obvious: The shifter has gone missing, replaced with push-button transmission controls atop an elevated center console that also contains a pair of cupholders and hides an open storage area underneath.
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The Kona Electric's sportiness is complemented by aggressive regenerative braking. Hyundai has deployed a driver-selectable regenerative-braking setup similar to the one in its Ioniq EV.
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The Kona Electric has three other driving modes: Normal, Eco, and Eco+. This last one is for use when range anxiety turns to range desperation, shutting off the climate-control system to maximize miles.
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It seems unlikely that Eco+ feature will have much utility, given that the Kona Electric boasts a 258-mile EPA range estimate. This is currently the longest of any non-Tesla electric car, beating out the Chevrolet Bolt EV (238 miles) as well as the new Jaguar I-Pace (234).
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Below-freezing temperatures didn't stop us from running the Kona Electric on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test, where the EV got 86 MPGe and delivered a range of 160 miles.
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For comparison, the Bolt in cold weather managed a 140-mile range. In fairer weather, the Bolt can go 180 miles at 75 mph and the I-Pace can go 170. The Kona Electric did achieve 88 MPGe overall, compared to 102 for the Bolt and just 66 for the I-Pace.
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The Kona Electric carries few caveats. None of the technological corner cutting other manufacturers have employed to reduce costs is present here-its battery pack has a liquid heating-and-cooling circuit to improve efficiency and carries what Hyundai is calling a lifetime warranty.
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The Kona Electric is well equipped, including standard passive entry and push-button start, heated seats, two USB ports, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car system, which allows owners to remotely control charging and climate-control settings with a smartphone.
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It seems worth mentioning again that the Kona Electric is a subcompact crossover, a vehicle type currently experiencing a popularity rivaled only by beer and YouTube cat videos.
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When the Kona Electric goes on sale in early 2019, we expect it will start at about $37,000 before the $7500 federal tax credit.
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Although the Kona Electric's 6.2 inches of ground clearance (0.8 inch less than the standard version) won't make it much of a rock crawler, more of its mass sits lower, making it feel better connected to the road.
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Hidden beneath the floor, the 64.0-kWh lithium-ion battery pack shifts the Kona Electric's center of gravity 3.6 inches closer to the pavement, to 20.3 inches, according to Hyundai.
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The little crossover is fun to hustle down canyon roads, especially in its Sport driving mode, which adds some weight to the steering and perks up the motor response.
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The arrival of such a well-executed long-range electric vehicle, one that is truly affordable, should be enough to tempt at least some of the starry-eyed dreamers waiting for a low-cost Tesla. Or anyone else, for that matter.
Brad Fick - Car and Driver
Electrifying this small crossover makes it a better vehicle-and maybe even the best mass-market EV.