In this first episode of the Hyundai Kona EV series, Sandy gives the viewers his first impressions of the vehicle. Sandy starts off with a walk around and some general comparisons between this EV and the KIA Niro. Sandy points out that between the Niro and the Hyundai Kona, the kilowatt hours are the same, seemingly uses the same battery, yet the Niro cost is higher. Moreover the electric motors have the same horse power, but the Niro has a 239 mile range and the yet somehow the Hyundai Kona has 258 mile range. For Sandy this is a major headscratcher.
There are some other similarities in styling between the Niro and the Kona, including one of Sandy’s favorite features – the charging plug located at the front of the car, making pulling into the charging station easier. It even has the added benefit of a light bar indicating the charge of the battery.
From a gaps perspective, Sandy finds the fit and finish to be of good quality. FFQ is something that Hyundai does well and the Kona is no exception.
Moving on to the interior, right off the bat Sandy is a fan of the steering wheel as well as the button placements on the console and screen on on the dash. Having the ability to sit in the car and instantly understand where everything important on the instrument panel and console is a major criteria that Sandy judges against when comparing vehicles. Design should be intuitive for function.
Sandy also likes the light placement for the mirror within the sun visor which, according to Sue, is a better to be from above than coming from the mirror itself. Sandy tries out the backseat and finds it surprisingly comfortable and is impressed by the French seams in the stitching.
Sandy moves to the trunk where he finds some surprise things that he likes and finally to the area under the hood, which he doesn’t like so much, but to find out what his pet peeves are, you will have to watch the video below: