has striking visual appeal.
In that respect, the latest
LEAF probably pulls ahead- and Tesla’s Model 3 is in an
entirely different race.
However, the Kona shines
with a well-executed and re-
assuringly “normal” interior.
For several years, Hyundai
has provided interiors that
require little instruction,
and central touchscreens
intuitive enough to use with-
out training. The quality of
the knobs and switches is a
bit better than those of the
latest LEAF, and the design
THE VEHICLES
In other words, the only electric cars with more rated
range all come from Tesla. Even the long-awaited 2019
Nissan LEAF Plus comes in at only 215 or 226 miles.
We spent 10 days and more than 500 miles with a Kona
Electric in the San Francisco Bay Area during March. Our
residence had no provisions for charging, making this a
good test of a long-range electric car. We used the Kona just
as we would any other car: we drove it wherever needed, at
prevailing speeds, and charged opportunistically at public
stations. Overall, we paid for two fast charging sessions
and one Level 2 session, and used a free Level 2 station in a
suburban office park while there on business.
We concluded that the Kona Electric is an entirely vi-
able competitor to the Chevy Bolt EV. The big question, as
with any new EV, will be to what extent Hyundai makes
the cars available outside California and a small handful
of other states.
The pros
We’ve never been fans of the gasoline Kona’s design. The
busy accents, scoops, vents, plastic wheel-arch outlines
and so forth all add up to a small SUV that looks like it’s
trying way too hard.
The Kona EV has a smoother, calmer front end with
a fetching dimple pattern over the blanking plate where
the grille would have been. While we still aren’t fond
of the grey plastic body add-ons, our test car’s maroon
color (Pulse Red) made them somewhat less obvious.
The electric Kona has a quieter, more adult range of
available colors than the louder, often neon tones used
on the gas version. But while the Kona Electric is less
upright than the Bolt EV, we’re not convinced either one
52
In other words,
the only electric
cars with more
rated range all
come from Tesla.