Hyundai unleashed the redesigned Kona in December 2022 in four variants. The US specification was revealed in April at the 2023 New York Auto Show, but only the internal combustion and hybrid variants will arrive at retailers this summer.
The zero-emission sibling is due this fall, with pricing to be confirmed sometime in the summer. A bright yellow Kona Electric has been recently spotted rolling down a highway in California with a California plate out back, giving us a better look at the crossover than the confines of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center did in April.
Some may call it ugly. It's not wrong to not like current automotive design trends, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you ask me, controversial would be my adjective of choice for describing exterior styling.
Polarizing design is a two-edged sword, though. Remember the Pontiac Aztek? That lovable abomination was dead from the start, with yearly sales in the United States topping 27,793 units in 2002. The BMW 3 Series and 4 Series, despite their snouty front ends, are commercially successful in their segments.
Maybe it's the shock factor that attracts, but whatever. At the end of the day, there's no denying that Hyundai did its own thing while also paying attention to current design trends. Gifted with amber turn signals up front instead of clear turn signals for the global version, the Kona Electric is joined at the hip to the Kia Niro Electric.
Codenamed SX2 regardless of powertrain, the second-generation Kona does hide a dirty secret. Front-wheel-drive internal combustion-engined vehicles feature torsion beam rear suspension, whereas all-wheel-drive internal combustion-engined vehicles feature a multi-link setup. The Kona Electric may be front-wheel drive, yet Hyundai didn't cheap out on the rear suspension.
EPA-rated estimates aren't currently available, but Hyundai expects the larger of two battery packs to provide up to 260 miles (433 kilometers) between charging stops. The large battery has 64.8 kWh to its name, whereas the standard battery offers 48.6 kWh.
As far as oomph is concerned, look forward to 133 horsepower and 188 pound-feet (255 Nm) as standard. The larger battery improves peak output to 201 horsepower and the same peak torque as the standard battery. When it comes to charging, the 64.8-kWh pack is superior due to its 400-volt architecture. Fast charging from 10 to 80 percent takes just around 45 minutes.
The Kona Electric – just like the Ioniq 5 – supports V2L charging. 171.5 inches (4,356 millimeters) long and 104.7 inches (2,659 millimeters) in wheelbase, the 2024 model offers 25.5 cubic feet (722 liters) of rear trunk space, plus 0.95 cubic feet (27 liters) in the frunk.
Pricing, as mentioned, isn't available just yet. It shouldn't be a night-and-day difference from the 2023 model, though. For future reference, the outgoing Kona Electric is available from $33,550 sans destination.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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