Amelia reviews the new 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric in the top Highlander trim. The Kona is a subcompact SUV EV with excellent all electric range, impressive charge times, modern features and is relatively well priced when compared to similar EVs on offer.
The Kona Electric of the previous generation was pretty awesome. It made a proper leap for the EV segment, it offered frankly stunning performance, more range than most of its rivals and it was all-round a solid little electric car. It was fun, more practical in terms of power and range than most of its rivals and it was a winner.
Engine Specifications
KONA
Engine: 2.0L MPi 4 in-line cylinders 16 Valve (HLA), Double Overhead Cam (DOHC), Dual Continuously Variable Valve Timing (D-CVVT), Atkinson cycle
Power: 110 kW @ 6200 rpm
Torque: 180 Nm @ 4500 rpm
Transmission: 7 Speed CVT 2WD
Fuel Consumption (combined): 6.2L/100km
KONA ELITE
Engine: 2.0L MPi 4 in-line cylinders 16 Valve (HLA), Double Overhead Cam (DOHC), Dual Continuously Variable Valve Timing (D-CVVT), Atkinson cycle
Power: 110 kW @ 6200 rpm
Torque: 180 Nm @ 4500 rpm
Transmission: 7 Speed CVT 2WD
Fuel Consumption (combined): 6.2L/100km
KONA HIGHLANDER
Engine: 2.0L MPi 4 in-line cylinders 16 Valve (HLA), Double Overhead Cam (DOHC), Dual Continuously Variable Valve Timing (D-CVVT), Atkinson cycle
Power: 110 kW @ 6200 rpm
Torque: 180 Nm @ 4500 rpm
Transmission: 7 Speed CVT 2WD
Fuel Consumption (combined): 6.2L/100km
KONA ACTIVE
Engine: 2.0L MPi 4 in-line cylinders 16 Valve (HLA), Double Overhead Cam (DOHC), Dual Continuously Variable Valve Timing (D-CVVT), Atkinson cycle
Power: 110 kW @ 6200 rpm
Torque: 180 Nm @ 4500 rpm
Transmission: 7 Speed CVT 2WD
Fuel Consumption (combined): 6.2L/100km
KONA N LINE
Engine: 1.6L Petrol Turbo GDI 16 Valve (MLA), Double Overhead Cam (DOHC), Continuously Variable Valve Duration (CVVD)
Power: 146 kW @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 265 Nm @ 1600-4500 rpm
Transmission: 7 speed DCT 2WD
Fuel Consumption (combined): 6.9L/100km
KONA N LINE PREMIUM
Engine: 1.6L Petrol Turbo GDI 16 Valve (MLA), Double Overhead Cam (DOHC), Continuously Variable Valve Duration (CVVD)
Power: 146 kW @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 265 Nm @ 1600-4500 rpm
Transmission: 7 speed DCT 2WD
Fuel Consumption (combined): 6.9L/100km
The new Kona Electric gets 150 kW of power and 395 Nm of torque. The 64 kWh battery now gives more range and that is always a welcome upgrade on an electric. Charging it to 100% on a simple 240 V charger lasts 9 hours and 15 minutes.
Remembering that charging to 80% is always a better idea, this means you can actually easily charge your Kona Electric overnight. Put it on a 50 kW fast charger and it only takes 64 minutes to 80%. But this car has the maximum charging capacity of 100 kW, and that gets you to 80% of juice in just 47 minutes. The official range is 557 km on NEDC standard and 484 km on WLTP.
The pricing for the Latest KONA EV is just under $67k for the Elite trim and this highlander trim will cost you just under $71k.
