New Hyundai Kona EV 2023 review walkaround: range, release date & specs!

This is the new Kona EV itll be arriving in Australia in the fourth quarter of 2023, alongside a hybrid version for the first time. Although the standard non hybrid petrols will be arriving in the middle of the Year, beating the electrified konas to the punch, but the EV is the car that has had the priority during the development of the new second gen Kona. At the moment, the EV already makes up 10 of all Hyundai Kona sales in Australia, Hyundai sold more than a thousand Kona electrics in Australia last year, much more than the ionic 5. So this car is important to their Australian portfolio and, in fact, by the end of the life of the new second gen Kona sometime in the middle or the latter half of this decade, the EV will probably be the volume seller. So what are the specifics of this car? Well, I cant tell you the final Australian specifics today, because Im coming to you from Germany, where were getting our first look at the a car, but the battery is somewhere around 64 65 kilowatt hours very similar to the outgoing Kona. Ev range is going to be somewhere around 480 490 kilometers, very similar to the outgoing Kona EV, so Hyundai havent really messed with the specifics of the battery. What they have done is theyve made this car much bigger its also a bit heavier because its got a lot more content in the interior so to end up at the same spot of battery size and range theyve made the car more efficient, its more aerodynamic, the Motor is more efficient, theyve looked for savings wherever they can, and the design is also much more radical.

I think, and even more mature than the first gen Kona weve got this absolutely beautiful Horizon light going across the front end here, its pixelated for the EV, not for the other models and weve still got the konas Classic front end charge port door here. Thats actually heated itll work in minus 30 degrees celsius weather, not that thats going to be important in Australia, but this car can only still charge at about 100kg kilowatt Peak or average around 60 kilowatts, so its still not a particularly sophisticated EV in terms of charging Speed but its always been one of the most efficient electric cars on the market, and that looks like its going to continue with this generation of kona Chasing Cars. Honest reviews of your next car brought to you by so the long range Kona has similar specs to the outgoing car. But the short range is actually going to get a range bump of about 10 or 15 percent, which is definitely usable, and you can also tell the design changes moving down the side. Weve got this tucson like sort of very, very sharp cut, running down the side of the car. The EV is going to have these painted cladded wheel arches here, as opposed to plastic cladding and weve now got 19 inch Wheels, which I think make the car look Fair bit more expensive, of course, well see how the ride goes when we can do our first Drive of the car, this is just static for today, but its a good looking vehicle, its a little bigger 175 mil longer 60 mil longer in the wheelbase its.

Why wider its taller its a bit heavier its a more serious car than the first gen Kona, which has really brought in to fill that kind of Gap in Hyundais range, whereas this one isnt all together, more premium vehicle, so the brand says, but does that check Out inside well lets jump in and find out moving into the front seat of the new Kona. Now we do have this nice pale gray, its vinyl, but its perforated and the seats are going to have cooling as well, which is going to keep the cabin nice and cold for the Aussie summer. Weve got a porthole sunroof here it does open, which is a nice feature, and the whole interior feels considerably more premium standard fit will be these dual 12.3 inch screens in this beautiful wraparound piece of glass. The steering wheel has the Hyundai H in Morse code for dots on it. Weve got regen paddle shifters as well, plus a new ipedal drive mode for the 150 kilowatt. Long range, single motor front drive, EV theres, also going to be a new 115 kilowatt short range version with about 340 KS of range, too weve got hardware buttons for the climate. The infotainment and Hyundai has moved the shifter up here onto the steering column like the ionic 5, which frees up a whole bunch of space for your center console. Weve got power seats but youre still going to notice theres a bit of harshness to some of the materials, even if the overall fit finish and quality feels like its on the up and the amount of space is increased too jumping into the back.

Now you can see the benefit of the 60 mil stretch to the wheelbase compared to the old Kona. Ive got a good amount of room. This driving seat is in my position. Im six feet. Tall and Ive got good leg, room here and headrooms. Okay, you do feel like youre sitting a bit higher than in the hybrid Kona, which Ive also got a video of up on the Chasing Cars channel. In particular, the floor is a bit higher, but Hyundai have had great attention to detail back here, because the seat base is actually angled up a little bit. So it supports your legs perfectly, really nice job. I wish we saw that more often with EVS. We do have air vents here. Weve got a household PowerPoint for vehicle to load up to three kilowatts. Usb chargers plus weve got those controls from Hyundais other SUVs, to move the passenger seat around Center armrests and all that lovely perforated seating back here too. So it does feel a good deal more expensive, even if some of those harsh materials are around and about moving around the back side of the new Kona. Now you can see more of the new design traits of the car, including this chrome blade that moves up from the belt line right up to the spoiler here, nice little integration. I do like this almost Formula, One style brake light, but you can also see these pixelated lights in sort of the reverse of the light bar at the front.

Thats a nice little finisher there, and it really shows, I think, the attention to detail that were starting to see from Hyundai with their exterior design spells out Kona. Here we dont have an electric badge around the back, which I think is kind of cool. It just looks like an integrated car, but like the ionic 5 Hyundais EVS, including the new Kona, now have these pixelated lights and features around the vehicle. Now one thing Hyundai has done compared to the outgoing Kona and Kona EV is theyve made the boot bigger as well as that back seat. The opening is wider and taller and more practical and, as you can see its completely flat its nicely finished. Weve got a bit of storage here under the boot floor, youve got you do have space. I reckon for what looks like maybe a space saver spare wheel, which would be a nice added bonus, not sure if thats how it will actually come to Australia. But hopefully, youve also got a button up here to close that tailgate, which gets out of your way reasonably quickly and I think thats a decent little first look there at the new 2024 Hyundai Kona EV, which will land in Australia at the end of this year. Pricing is expected to go up gently, but this is still going to be one of the more affordable EVS on the market. Obviously its got a nicer interior, its a bigger car than before.

So, even if the EV tech specs are still kind of similar, I think the Kona electric has a role to play in the Australian market. So Keen to hear your thoughts.