YouTube videos? What did you mean by that?
Choose Kona over Niro/Soul?
- Thread starter SkookumPete
- Start date
- Replies 45
- Views 9K
CJC
Well-Known Member
Bjorn Nyland did a great job with his youtube videos of the Kona and how good it is.
SkookumPete
Well-Known Member
You haven't heard of that cheat? Tap the Media button to the bossa nova rhythm while holding the left paddle with just your fingertips. Press the accelerator with a force of exactly 2.0 kg. Oh, and you need full lumbar support for this to work. Sorry, deluxe models only. Lower trims get the History Channel.
Jared Potter
Member
History channel is better anyways. But I’ve tried and tried and tried and the best I can get is 1.985 kg or 20.00065 kg ARGH!
SkookumPete
Well-Known Member
I would have been sorely tempted by the Niro. In the end, I'm content with my choice if only on the grounds of styling. The Kia is generic, only distinguished from other cars of its type by blue bits of plastic that to me are tacky. The Kona has what I call brattitude.
Jared Potter
Member
Yeah I was tempted until I read the features list and then realized it only comes in one colour for their base model. They very clearly want you to buy the premium trim and only have the lower trim to meet the rebate requirements.
ehatch
Active Member
yes, YouTube videos from channel like Bjørn Nyland/Tesla Bjorn , Fully Charged.Tesla Bjorn pushes EV testing in a climate that is not California.
FloridaSun
Well-Known Member
In the US, the Kona has a lifetime EV battery warranty (for the original owner) while the NIRO doesn't.Out of idle curiosity, I'd like to ask those who have recently ordered the Kona why they chose it of the three cars now available on the same platform. Looks? The little bit of extra range? Or was it the push-button shifter that finally swayed you?
The KONA looks better
The KONA has better range
I like the KONA's interior better
I used to own a 2012 Elantra which I owned from new to 100k miles with ZERO issues, so my view of the Hyundai brand is very good
For me, the choice was between Tesla Model 3 and the Kona.. The expiring tax credit on the Model 3 and the Battery Warranty on the Kona were the deciding factors.
The lifetime battery warranty is for U.S. models only, even though its the same pack as in Canada.
Unfortunately we only get 8 yrs/100,000 km defects and a 70% capacity for the same duration.
SkookumPete
Well-Known Member
The lifetime battery warranty is for U.S. models only, even though its the same pack as in Canada.
Unfortunately we only get 8 yrs/100,000 km defects and a 70% capacity for the same duration.
If it's any consolation, I met the proud owners of a 2001 Prius (my first electric!) with 200,000 km on it. They've replaced one battery module in that time and are still getting good efficiency (5.x liters/100 km over the mountains). And I'm willing to believe that durability has improved in 18 years.
Last edited:
FloridaSun
Well-Known Member
I'm mostly concerned with miles, not age.. I drive 30k miles per year.. 100k miles will happen after 3 to 4 years.. In 8 years, I'm likely well over 200k miles..The lifetime battery warranty is for U.S. models only, even though its the same pack as in Canada.
Unfortunately we only get 8 yrs/100,000 km defects and a 70% capacity for the same duration.
apu
Well-Known Member
The lifetime battery warranty is for U.S. models only, even though its the same pack as in Canada.
Unfortunately we only get 8 yrs/100,000 km defects and a 70% capacity for the same duration.
Just a minor point of correction, its actually 8 years and 160,000 km warranty for the battery in Canada.
ehatch
Active Member
At a charger today,met a 2016 Bolt EV owner.They liked the Kona EV for its exterior design despite my telling him the eNiro has a larger rear passenger space [leg room]. I showed him my cargo,and how I dump everything into the lower wheel well,leaving the upper floor empty to haul daily items.The foam liners are removed,replaced by my cargo organizer. I did mention out of the Soul EV, eNiro,and Kona EV, it's the latter with the better efficiency.During this chat,a Model 3 was unable to use the L2 charger where we had to tell them CHAdeMO doesn't work yet...Part of the deciding factor for me to not have a CCS adapter to take advantage of the 200KW,or faster DCFC.
SkookumPete
Well-Known Member
After testing the Niro and Kona, Bob Flavin is enthusiastic about the Soul. Warning: devolves into irrelevant rant.
CJC
Well-Known Member
We are still waiting for our Soul EV. Reminds us of our wait for our Kona EV. lol Today we heard the ship is in port and we should get our Soul EV next week. I haven't read anything negative about the Soul EV other than a slight roll at higher speed on winding roads. Most Soul EV owners are delighted so far. They love the head room, and the infortainment system is described as wonderful and very accurate and responsive. At this point we have decided to keep the Kona EV for a while, and trade in our 2016 C-Max Energi. Hubby wants our second car to be a large PHEV for long road trips to Utah, Arizona etc. He has his eye on a Lincoln Aviator, but it unlikely we will be able to afford one. I am hoping if we keep the Kona EV and have the Soul EV he will think the Soul is large enough to travel in. I think he is going to really like the Soul due to head room and infotainment. He has a weak right hand and I think the Soul's smart cruise control buttons will be easier for him too. Bob Flavin's first video on the Soul was better and more on topic and had a bit more humour.
CJC
Well-Known Member
I watched the video,and won't get my 17 minutes back.When you get your 2020 Soul EV, and do a video for us hereYours may have better flow(focus) ,and stay on point?
My big plan is to have our Kona EV and Soul EV side by side on our driveway and go into each one pointing out what is great, and what is not so great in each. Stay tuned. lol
WMA
New Member
My reason for choosing the Kona over similar vehicles based on information in January 2019 in Canada.
#1 - Range
I don't have a garage to charge my EV as I live in a condo with only 3 charging stations so I can't just plug it in everyday when I get home. I wanted the EV with the most range possible so that I only needed to charge once a week. I get 511km / charge on the Kona which was proven by Bjorn in real world testing. The only other EVs close to the 500km range was the E-Niro and Long Range Tesla Model 3 but these were eliminated due to factors below.
#2 - Price
Kona is the cheapest of the 3 EVs I was considering after factor #1. Bjorn estimated that the E-niro was going to be about 10% more expensive than the Kona from the pricing he got for Norway. That was an additional $5K CAD for an extra foot of space in the rear and it didn't have LED headlights. The cheapest Telsa at the time was about $70K. It didn't qualify for the $6K scrap-it rebate and you also had to pay extra tax since the vehicle was over $55K. It was just too expensive for me.
#3 - Availablity
In January 2019 Kona was finally releasing pricing and delivery dates. I was lucky to find a dealer that had one not already claimed by deposits. Kia would not give me any definite pricing or delivery dates. They just gave a vague spring to summer delivery and pricing around $56-59K. I was ready to switch to electric and didn't want to wait till the spring or summer so that left only the Kona.
....but if I was to choose today in July 2019 my choice might be different. In the last 6 months a lot has changed in the EV market. The E-niro has finally arrived and it turns out it is only $3K more than the Kona. Telsa also released their standard range plus for the same price as the E-Niro. With all 3 cars almost the same price the 3K difference to me would not have been a deciding factor. Kona still has the best range of the 3 cars while tesla standard range plus is the lowest range at 400km. Since price and availability are not longer factors I would need a #4 factor to decide and that would be features and technology. Kona and e-Niro have the same software and features so basically it would be if I like tesla's features better. In my opinion Tesla has much better features and technology than Kona or E-niro. The app for Kona is very slow and basic, the infotaiment screen is much smaller than Tesla, self driving in the Kona is pretty good on the highway but doesn't compare to the tech in Tesla's self driving capabilities. Also Kona only has 5 years of free updates and you have to do it manually versus over the air in the Tesla for life. For these reasons I would get the Tesla if I was going to buy an EV today. Of course there are downsides to getting a Telsa as well. 100km less range, you need to buy a $700 adapter to use Non-Telsa chargers, limited service locations, long service times as queues are very long, and poor finish quality as they are rushing workers to push them out.
#1 - Range
I don't have a garage to charge my EV as I live in a condo with only 3 charging stations so I can't just plug it in everyday when I get home. I wanted the EV with the most range possible so that I only needed to charge once a week. I get 511km / charge on the Kona which was proven by Bjorn in real world testing. The only other EVs close to the 500km range was the E-Niro and Long Range Tesla Model 3 but these were eliminated due to factors below.
#2 - Price
Kona is the cheapest of the 3 EVs I was considering after factor #1. Bjorn estimated that the E-niro was going to be about 10% more expensive than the Kona from the pricing he got for Norway. That was an additional $5K CAD for an extra foot of space in the rear and it didn't have LED headlights. The cheapest Telsa at the time was about $70K. It didn't qualify for the $6K scrap-it rebate and you also had to pay extra tax since the vehicle was over $55K. It was just too expensive for me.
#3 - Availablity
In January 2019 Kona was finally releasing pricing and delivery dates. I was lucky to find a dealer that had one not already claimed by deposits. Kia would not give me any definite pricing or delivery dates. They just gave a vague spring to summer delivery and pricing around $56-59K. I was ready to switch to electric and didn't want to wait till the spring or summer so that left only the Kona.
....but if I was to choose today in July 2019 my choice might be different. In the last 6 months a lot has changed in the EV market. The E-niro has finally arrived and it turns out it is only $3K more than the Kona. Telsa also released their standard range plus for the same price as the E-Niro. With all 3 cars almost the same price the 3K difference to me would not have been a deciding factor. Kona still has the best range of the 3 cars while tesla standard range plus is the lowest range at 400km. Since price and availability are not longer factors I would need a #4 factor to decide and that would be features and technology. Kona and e-Niro have the same software and features so basically it would be if I like tesla's features better. In my opinion Tesla has much better features and technology than Kona or E-niro. The app for Kona is very slow and basic, the infotaiment screen is much smaller than Tesla, self driving in the Kona is pretty good on the highway but doesn't compare to the tech in Tesla's self driving capabilities. Also Kona only has 5 years of free updates and you have to do it manually versus over the air in the Tesla for life. For these reasons I would get the Tesla if I was going to buy an EV today. Of course there are downsides to getting a Telsa as well. 100km less range, you need to buy a $700 adapter to use Non-Telsa chargers, limited service locations, long service times as queues are very long, and poor finish quality as they are rushing workers to push them out.