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Does a model cycle take eight years from launch to change? No longer at Hyundai: Nearly five years later, the South Korean automaker is launching a new model generation to respond more quickly to technical change and the electric trend – and because short development times save huge amounts of money. That’s why the second generation of the all-electric Kona, introduced in 2017, is already starting this year – some competitors don’t even have the first Stromer at the head.
In the long-term Blick test, the first version convinced us as an excellent compromise between affordable purchase price, range and driving characteristics – an ideal everyday electric car. The driving strategy has remained the same: Hyundai chooses to continue selling the electric Kona in the future. But for price-sensitive markets and those who have nothing to do with e-mobility, it will also return as a hybrid or pure combustion engine. But the developers put everything else to the test. And based on customer feedback, he made some things different for the new one. Blick could already sit inside.
concept
First impression: Hello, big! The first Kona was a small SUV at the lower end of the segment, while the new one, with a length of 4.36 meters, almost drew the next upper class. Everything increased; width 2.5, height 2 and wheelbase 6 centimeters. This makes the five-seater look much safer than its predecessor. The development process was new: with the first Kona, the electric drive was later integrated into the internal combustion engine platform. The engineers started with the electric version this time and also took into account the space for the combustion engine components. Therefore, under the Stromer’s front hood there is now a mini trunk for the charging cable, called the frunk. And it’s much larger inside.
design
Since the current Tucson with the illuminated front, Hyundai has broken not only its own tradition, but many design traditions as well. The driver is SangYup Lee, chief designer who styled Bentley’s luxury bodies before Hyundai. The reward for the effort: At the end of February, the global “Car People of the Year” 2023 were named. Along with the Kona, there are also Tucson-style elements that are diagonal across the entire side surface. At the front, however, only narrow daytime running lights shine in a continuous band of LED lights. Look closely: it is continuous in internal combustion engines, divided into small parts in the electric version. Headlights stay low and far in the corners. They still avoid parking bumps as their LEDs are set back and the underbody makes contact with obstacles first. If you put the new Kona next to its predecessor, there are no similarities. That’s a good thing, because design has been the main point of criticism so far.
space
Six centimeters more wheelbase sounds like little, but it makes a big difference inside, especially in the rear seat. The seat appears even wider as it replaces the shaped single seats with flats – a drive test should show how it looks with lateral support. Larger windows let in more light and the floor is perfectly level – this also makes the interior feel more spacious. After previous buyers complained about the loading volume, now there is 466 liters and even more with folded rear seat backs – Hyundai does not want to reveal how much yet.
cockpit
At the front, you feel almost like one of Hyundai’s noble electric cars: as on the Ioniq 5 and 6, large dual screens are installed for instruments and infotainment. It remains, though, with analog buttons for air conditioning or the Bose sound system – a good thing! Driving direction is now selected using a lever on the steering wheel; assistants now have a caution alert, and there is much that is by no means standard in this segment, from the high beam assist to the limit-adaptive cruise control. If technical progress is in danger of falling behind, Kona may be updated “over-the-air” over the mobile network in the future.
to spread
Hyundai still keeps a low profile in hybrid and all-combustion versions – Stromer is in the foreground. There are two versions, each with front-wheel drive, but technical data has yet to be definitively determined: The base version comes with a battery with a capacity of 157 hp (115 kW) and 48.4 kilowatt hours (kWh) for an estimated time. Its range is 342 km. Above that is a long-range version with 218 hp (160 kW) for a maximum of 490 kilometers, thanks to a 65.4 kWh battery capacity. It surpasses the previous strongest Kona by 14 hp. Surprising: In terms of consumption, it underscores the base version (15.7 kWh) at 15.1 kWh/100 km. The battery is now pre-conditioned before fast charging – that is, it is cooled or heated so that it can be charged at the ideal temperature. However, charging the Kona from ten percent to 80 percent still takes about 41 minutes. And why is there no solar roof for electricity generation? “We did the math,” says SangYup Lee: “It’s too expensive for the small amount of electricity that can be generated.”
However, there is no information about prices yet. However, you should definitely pay more for the car than the previous model, which starts at CHF 39,300.
Source: Blick
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
