EV Ramblings - 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric Driving Reaction

It finally happened! I drive a 2019 Hyundai Kona EV and record my reaction! This is not intended to be a regular review, but a deep look at what the car is like to drive. Thanks to Victoria Hyundai for letting me take the Kona EV out for a drive!

[@stevewallace1117]

The fun is learning one pedal driving with cruise control. I love it! It is so much more relaxing.

[@eDriver]

driving an electric car is relaxing at all, no vibration, no noise, no smoke.

[@nobasho]

Thanks Dustin, I am in your town and super into evs and KZbin. I'll be your camera man

[@floobertuber]

Interesting vehicle, and good video! On the subject of low-speed pedestrian warnings: I had a 2012 Volt, later, a 2014 Volt, and now own a 2019 Volt LT. Personally I don't like having a mandatory low-speed sound, regardless of what it sounds like. I preferred the gen-1 Volt's "friendly horn" pedestrian warning, which required you to push a button. There is no substitute for 100% silence! Safe driving is the driver's responsibility, anyway.

[@DustinBatchelor]

Actually I agree. I still have my 2011 Volt and the horn pedestrian warning is fantastic.

[@hosseinziadkhan]

Did you know that a car has exterior,back seat etc too.

[@skepticalmechanic]

I just bought a 2021 Kona electric... I’m 60 years old and this is the best car I have ever owned! Never going back to gas again!

[@DustinBatchelor]

Congratulations on the purchase! Definitely a great car.

[@eDriver]

Since I drove an electric car first time over the weekend, I know how comfortable it is and I just bought one. I never like switching back to internal combustion engine cars.

[@FutureSystem738]

Thanks for your review. The Kona has a few major negatives for me after my test drive: 1. Front wheel traction, and huge amounts of torque steer, especially on an uneven surface. 2. Rear seat legroom- terrible for a tall front seat driver. (I’m 187cm and rear seat legroom is hopeless behind me.) 3. Price. It’s nearly AUD$30k over and above a similar spec ICE version Kona in Australia, not sure about your price in B.C. 4. Finally, (this will vary for different markets), no “poor man’s” basic autopilot unless you get “lane follow assist” AS WELL AS the pretty useless “lane keep assist”. In Australia we get only the latter, even on the top spec model. Lane keep assist is total rubbish.

[@michaelrch]

FutureSystem738 I just got one. I have to say I love it. 1. I did notice the traction getting a bit fuzzy as a pulled away hard on a corner but it wasn't scary and it didn't drag the car around. And it settles quickly. I generally drive pretty relaxed and in eco mode so I am barely noticing this aspect of the car. 2. I am 195cm and my kids are 11. They both get in the back behind me ok but that will be more of an issue in a couple of years. That's true. 3. By performance, there isn't a comparable Kona in the range. I worked out that my fuel savings will zero out the extra cost of it being an EV in about 4 years. 4. I have the top spec model as it's the only one available in Switzerland. It has LKA and adaptive cruise control. The LKA is not up to much but it would help if you start drifting off or otherwise are inattentive. The range is also better than expected. I filled it up today and left the station with 539km range. I am getting 11.8KW/100km. That range is nearly the 580km that my old Golf VW 2.8 got, and the performance of the Kona is almost identical to the Golf, ie a pretty decent hot-hatch. But the Kona is bigger, more practical and zero emissions.

[@0hypnotoad0]

I must be unaware of what torque steer is, or at least not have any issue at all controlling it, because even slamming the accelerator in sport mode repeatedly just never seems to generate any steering kickback to speak of. Agree with you on back seat space I've just accepted it as the quirks of owning a small car (which I prefer) but if two tall people have adjusted the seating in the front, the back seats won't even fold down fully. You have to pull the front seats forwards for the headrest to clear the seats.

[@stevewallace1117]

The torque steer is only felt briefly at 80 knots and above, then smooths out. The roads are so bad in B. C. Canada, that it isn't bad at all, but is a pleasant city and highway ride. As a retired couple, we didn't care about the rear seat roominess. However, grand kids are doable, I am 5'11" and though cramped, it wasn't bad and I've been in a lot worse. We got $5 K CAD off the price in B. C. thanks to a provencial rebate and another$5 K CAD from the Federal govt. Then we avoided the luxury tax and and saved another $1500 CAD. Lane assist keep me on the road today one time. The safety features alone could sell this car. With gas at $5.50 USD gallon in B. C., the car was a no brainer and will be our last vehicle purchase. We got it in one week.

[@stevewallace1117]

@@michaelrch I agree with all you said. However, as a retired couple, we don't worry about the rear car seats. The FWD is no problem to drive.

[@lucky1206]

That's interesting you jump on the freeway that fast, when you drove the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, did it take off that quick as well? That car seems cool but the inside could have been a bit better. Looks like a typical car inside without much difference to give it it's own identity for being an electric vehicle. My wife has a 2017 Hyundai Elantra and it has the same basic layout as this electric vehicle. It's nice to see electric cars look normal on the outside instead of looking like they came from the year 3000😂 but the interior is where it matters because that's where people obviously spend more time in and there should be more creature comforts. Nice video by the way👍👍

[@DustinBatchelor]

This thing is definitely faster to accelerate than the Outlander. I liked the function of the interior, but I have to agree that it could be done up a bit nicer. Thanks for the comments, I appreciate it!

[@PeterRevie]

What's the availability of the Kona like? I get the impression there's no inventory and waiting lists are many months long. The price of the top trim is very close to a Tesla Standard Range +...any chance you can borrow one of those for a review?

[@DustinBatchelor]

Inventory is definitely an issue, but depending on where you are there is some ultimate models available (Vancouver, BC dealerships actually listed inventory last week). In regards to the Model 3, I'd love to get in one but this is where the no dealership model impacts me. I'm not big enough to get a car from most manufacturers on a press pass, so I have to rely on individual owners / car dealerships to get the vehicles I test.

[@thanhngo5859]

I have test driven the model 3 performance but not the Kona EV. I own an Ioniq EV and it is no comparison to a Tesla. The Kona EV is interesting as the ultimate trim is very close in price to base model 3. They are two different vehicle classes but I would pick model 3 over a Kona EV. The Base Kona EV will be a unicorn as well. The only advantage of Kona are higher Canadian government incentives of up to 16K compared to Tesla 10K so final price of Kona could be lower than Tesla if a customer has a car to scrap. Otherwise both now have the same EV incentives so Tesla for the win as it available to buy instead of custom order from Hyundai.

[@DustinBatchelor]

@@thanhngo5859 valid arguments but I don't like how the Model 3 looks

[@stevewallace1117]

We got our Kona in one week, and that was only to wait for a federal incentive of $5000 CAD

[@stevewallace1117]

We also paid cash.

[@oliviersourie280]

Wouldn’t you go for the 62KwH Leaf?

[@DustinBatchelor]

Personally no I would not. I had a 2012 Leaf, and although it was great, I feel the battery cooling tech in the Leaf is not nearly robust enough.

[@FutureSystem738]

Agreed!

[@michaelrch]

No way. The Kona is faster, much better range, much better battery management especially in bad weather, more efficient heating etc.

[@RobertArrowsmith]

Went through that stop sign at 6:10

[@DustinBatchelor]

Lol I came to a stop! Maybe not quite as early as I should have ;)

[@RobertArrowsmith]

They call that a rolling stop. LOL

[@o751106]

not to sure about the sound it makes when driving ...

[@floobertuber]

Am I the only one a little bit surprised to learn that a guy who goes by "Batchelor" is married? OK, so it's a surname, not an adjective. Got it :-)

[@floobertuber]

And yes, I know "bachelor" is the proper spelling of the adjective, lol.

[@adithyaramachandran7427]

The Kona EV's legroom is too small for an SUV. I could not fit comfortably, and I'm only a size M. The Leaf ePlus and Bolt EV are more forgiving, and that's important to me.

[@DustinBatchelor]

Thanks for the comments. I think it's important to remember that it's not advertised as a SUV. This is definitely a compact vehicle

[@stevewallace1117]

For a retired couple, there is pleanty of leg room and I am 179 Cm tall.