FIRST LOOK: New 2023 Hyundai KONA ELECTRIC. Has Hyundai got it right? / Electrifying

com favorite, the Hyundai Kona different, but before I show you dont forget to subscribe to the channel and switch those notifications on right, then lets take a look Music. So the headline is that the car is now larger, its much more spacious and its got a new look for both the inside and the outside Hyundais head of design and, incidentally, World Car of the Year person of the year for 2023 Kona has been upscaled. I can see what he means. His aim is to ensure that Hyundais cars dont look the same, and you know which brands I mean when I say that so lets start with the really obvious stuff the outside, because that is very different to before. Take a look at the old one, so refresh your memory. For me, the most eye catching part of its design is the daytime running light that stretches the width of the front. Hyundai calls it a seamless Horizon lamp and you get a similar one at the back, including that funky pixelated look weve seen on the Ionix five and six and that ties in with the pixels here on the bottom half of the front of the car charging ports By the way, still on the front, but in a major upgrade, it is now heated and it has lighting. How brilliant is that you know I spent so many cold Dark Nights fumbling around trying to plug a charging cable in using the light of my phone.

Invariably dropping one or the other, which is never good, so I think this is a brilliant addition to the new Kona. Another great example of detail are the active air Flaps in the front they open and close, depending on the konas need to stay cool, so it can be as aerodynamic as possible. Another interesting part is how the headlights and indicators are pushed out right to the edges. It makes the color look wide and chunky, but its actually only 25 millimeters wider than the old one, its a clever optical illusion from those headlights, you get a big crease that runs along the body of the car, really shows up those wheel arches. So what do you think? Do you like the way it looks? Let us know in the comments below so lets, get on to whats powering the Kona, and that means a 65.4 kilowatt hour battery pack and a 160 kilowatt motor. They give a wltp estimate of around 300 miles, which is amongst the best in the class, and that range should be protected, because the Kona now has a proper battery pre conditioning system. So we shouldnt see the numbers fall off too far in Winter and like the nearer, the Kona is likely to have a slower Peak charging rate than the old one, but by flattening out the charge curve, it should charge at a higher average rate, meaning 10 to 80 percent of charge should drop in time from around 47 minutes to nearer to 40 minutes small amount, but its worth having all these little improvements heading in the right way, but its when I get in here that I get most excited about the new Kona before I start taking you through this interior.

Let me just remind you what the old one looked like print in here: isnt, it its so nice its a massive Leap Forward, both in terms of quality, but also, I think, in terms of design. It just feels, I guess really at marketing here, upscaled as they like to say. I think the first thing that really grabs your attention are. The twin uh 12.3 inch displays this sort of dual screen thing that you find in the larger more expensive cars in Hyundais range um. I also really like the way the driver controls are now all focused around the steering wheel, and that includes the driver selector, which is down here. So what that does is free up space down here and the center console have to say somebody has been listening. Um all those buttons that are really fiddly and hard to use when youre on the move, if theyre in a touch screen, are here in physical form. So underneath this screen, youve got the buttons for the entertainment system, physical controls for the climate control and then just down here under the bank, youve got heated and cooling for your seats and an array of you know: wireless charging and lots of USB C outlets and A 12 volt charging Point all really handy if this is going to be a family car here on the steering wheel, youve got paddles to adjust regenerative braking, which has also been upscaled, and so what you get is a new system which is smart, regen and that Adjusts according to traffic flow, it also now offers true one pedal driving, so you can accelerate decelerate and also stop using just the accelerator pedal.

Now, if you watch my videos a lot, you will know that I really love one pedal driving. I like really strong regeneration. So, Im really looking forward to trying that one out. So what else to show you in here ah look over here: proper electronic buttons for all of the windows, and none of that messing about where youve got just one set. That opens both the front and the back yes, Im. Looking at uvw drives me mad, you havent got those in here. This is a really smart thing, see these little Square dots in the center of the steering wheel. That is actually Morse code. For the letter H its there instead of the company logo – and I think its really cool and also very handy if you do ever need to know what the morse code for H is. You also get digital mirrors as an option. If that rocks your boat and absolutely stacks of storage, so lets just take a look at this. Youve got decent sized storage with a good area for bottles in each of the doors. Youve got your wireless charging pad here. That Ive mentioned a really nice shelf there, which is Handy and oh good, size glove box. I love this bit in the center, so this sort of central console has got a really nice flat area with a little cup holder sports that pop in and out and again under here. If it lifts up oh removable, tray and a good side storage bin in there, my handbag would fit in there thats really useful.

I think all in all, the feeling of space that you get in here in comparison to the old model is is fantastic, but most of all gosh. It just feels like its had such a big upgrade sorry playing a brand with the adjustments on the seats. Lots of adjustment in the seats um theyre both operated in this version by Electronics, which is just down where you dont, expect to find them, but theres. Also, ah, can you see the ability to control the passenger seat by the driver? Handy for school runs or, dare I say it – sexy drivers um anyway, they are very comfortable but Im going to tear myself out of this lovely Lounge style interior and go and investigate the back. So here in the back. Well, it does feel a lot more roomy. Headroom is good, I know Im only five foot four, but it is good trust me um, but really the main thing is because its longer you get this extra sense of space in here and also because the front seats have been slimmed down. Now you dont notice. It from the front they are really comfortable, but you definitely do here at the back. You can see the the profile is narrower. I really like this bench seat style and the flat floor again. It just helps with that feeling of roominess Windows are a little narrower here in the back, but youve also got these quarter lights, so it feels quite light in here um kind of modest little bins in the doors, but you will fit a bottle in there.

A good bottle of water, but you have storage on the back of the seats of USBC ports down there. But the big thing is that the Kona gets vehicle to load technology, which means the car acts as a massive battery for anything with a three pin plug. So you can plug in your laptop to get some work done: hair, dryer, microwave! Whatever takes your fancy, its an absolutely brilliant piece of technology and trust me its not a gimmick, its something that you do find. You will use loads when you actually have a car with it on right, then Ill be some work and, while Im at it Ill put my rear, heated seats on to keep me cozy and this theme of having more room continues. There you go here in the boots um, so the boot is definitely larger than the size of the old one. Theyve been a bit Coy about exactly how big it is, but it is definitely bigger. Let me show you something really clever. So if I unhook us up here, take it out there we go watch this it slides in there, so you have a home for your parcel shelf when youre, not using it. How brilliant is that, and for me its just another example of some really clever touches around the corner like that charging port at the front like some of the storage inside that elevates this car and makes it feel really quite special, oh and up front lets not Forget theres a good sized Frank and you know how we like francs.

So what else to tell you well, the Kona is set to come with an inbuilt dash, cam and some of the options things like full surround view. Cameras are just really nice touches. The kind of Technology you expect from cards in a category above the Kona can now receive over the updates. So you get the latest update straight to your car. Just the same way, you might do your phone or your laptop and it will get Hyundais decent warranty along with a wealth of driver Assistance. Programs surprises havent been announced yet, but we expect them to be in line with the current electric model. So what do you think electrifiers? Look in a nutshell: its got more space, its got improved technology, better levels of equipment. I think it looks more appealing and its gotten, an interior that really, in my opinion, stands out from the competition. I do like it a lot, however, there are a lot of good electric cars in this category arent there. So let us know what you make of it.