Carbuyer Magazine – August 2019

http://www.carbuyer.co.uk

Tr ustedReviews|Owner Opinion|ExpertAdvice

44 May-July2019

THEKonais anotherentrantinthesmallSUVclassand
goesupagainstnumerousrivals,includingtheRena ult
Captur ,KiaStonic, CitroenC3AircrossandSEAT Arona.
Twopetrolengine sareavai labl e,includinga118bhp
1.0-litrepetrolthat’stheonlyengineofferedinfourofthe
fivetrimlevels .Itclaimsofficialeconomyof4 4.1mpgina ll
butentry-leve lspec,wheresmall erallo ysgivethenumbers
aslightboost.Thoseinsearch ofmor epowercanchoose
therange-toppingPremiumGTthat hasa175bhp1.6-litre
petrolengine.Performanc eimprovessignificantly,butpoor
economyandahighpric emakeithardtor ecommend.
MostbuyersshouldconsiderSEorPremiumtrimlevels.
Theformeraddsaseven-inchtouchs creeninfotainment
system,whi lethelatterbo astssomeoftheluxuriesfound
onthe range-toppingmodel.Ofthetw o,theSErepresents
better value,andits17-inchwheelsprovideasmoother
ridethanthe18-inchversionsonthePremiumcar.
TheKonahas afive- starsafetyrating(although
automaticemergencybrakingisoptional)andwhenyou
factorinHyundai’sfive- yearwarranty ,theKonalookslike
asafeplacetopu tyourmoney,aswellasyourfamily.

Hyundai Kona

Price£17,100 -£25,645

Hyundai Kona Electric

Price£30,750 -£38,645

“The Kona looks

exciting,but delivers

sensiblecompetence

morethanexcellence

in any area”

Plentyofstandardkit,eye-

catching design,warranty

Small boot,dull to drive,

expensive in high spec

Da

ta

Sheet

Engines:1.0&1.6 petrol,1.6diesel

Tr im levels:S, SE,Premium,

Premium SE,PremiumGT

Economy:42-54mpg Road tax:£145

0-62:7. 9-12s Euro NCAP:★★★★★★★★★★

Carbuyerrating

★★★★★★ ★3.4/ 5

Ourpick

1.0T-GDi

SE

£18,400

Da

ta

Sheet

Carbuyerrating

★★★★★★★★★4.3/ 5

ELECTRICcarsaregradually gainingafollowing,butlimited
rangeisstillafactorthatdeterssomebuyers .Howeve r,the
KonaElectric isanEVthatlargelyovercomesthishurdle.
Filled-ingrilleaside,the KonaElectriconlydiffersfrom
itspetr olanddieselstablematesindetai lsandbadges,
butitc ertainly standsoutfromothercompactSUVs.It’s
prettysmartinside,too–themetalliccentreconso lehas
alookofqualityandthe‘floating’infotainmentscreen
addsahi-tec htouch.Amongthefir stthingsyounotice,
though,istheabsenceofaconventional gearlever.
ItalsomeanstheKonaElectric’srapidac celeration
innear -sile ncecomesasl essofa shock.Gogently,
andHy undaiclaimsyou’llseearound300mileson
afullchargeofthebiggest64kWhbattery;the
39kWhbatter yhasaclaimedrangeof200mi les.
Ifyoufindyourselfrunninglowoncharge,Hyundai says
that a75-minutesessionpluggedintoa50kWfastcharger
issufficient tobringthebatter yupto8 0%.Alte rnatively,
justunder10hoursisl ongenoughforafullchargeusing
anoptional7.2kWhhomecharger.Overall,theKona
Electric isanelectriccarthat’sveryeasytorecommend.

“The HyundaiKona

is acar that’s

transformed

by the switchto

electric power”

Smartdesign, powerful

motor,impressiverange

Dullto drive, home charger

costsextra,shortrange SE

Engines:Electric motor

Tr im levels:SE,Premium, Premium SE

Range:180-279miles

Road tax:£0

0-62:7. 6-9. 7s Euro NCAP:★★★★★★★★★★

Ourpick

64kWh

Premium

£36,345

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