New Generation Kona EV

I just picked up my 24 Ultimate last weekend, previously had 2019.
I swapped out original tires to Kumho 4S HA32 'all weather' on my 2019 and will do so on new 24.
Being in lower mainland of BC, in my circumstances, these allow for Whistler drives and to Okanagan during Oct to May and no need for 2 sets of wheels. They are snowflake rated.

 

On my 24 I already miss the ability to hook the level 2 cover to the door. Now it just hangs. Definitely like the fact charger door is heated - activated by turning on rear defroster.
Echo what has been stated in earlier comments, much quieter cabin and the added space is well used and much needed if you use the rear seats. For certain the lack of a centre console storage bin is a disappointment. Suspect a supplier will come up with one soon.
No V2L, no rear heated seats, no rear vents in centre console, no automatic lift gate are negatives but livable without. I have still to confirm that rear seats do not recline.
IF the 24 is as efficient as my 2019 was, I will be a happy camper!

 

Ya, I find the missing heated rear seats and rear central heating vents really odd for a Canadian specced vehicle. And I swear I've seen Canadian Kona reviews that show reclining rear seats but I can find no evidence of it being possible in my car. Weird.

* Nope. Wrong again. The seats do recline. I had been looking for some sort of button or mechanism below the seat but you (awkwardly, if you're not a contortionist) lift the "fold the seats down" handle WHILE SITTING IN THE SEAT and it does recline. Confirmed.

 

You're correct re the rear seats. I tried earlier today! Thanks.

 

Congrats Wildeyed
I've been contemplating the 24 model now.
What kind of full range?
Did you trade ur 19?

 

Yes, I traded my '19 in to try to recover some value and mitigate the cost of the new car. The range appears to be similar to my old car but I've only had it for a bit over a week and circumstances have forced an unusual amount of higher speed highway driving so the GOM readings right now don't really allow for any comparison to my old readings. Give it a few weeks and I'll report.
I just got my Michelin X-Ice Winter Tires on today. No more noisy than the stock tires and they feel very grounded.

 

For our more mechanically inclined folks: I saw a Canadian technician/mechanic's review of the '24 today and he said that he saw evidence of big changes in the drivetrain, namely a transmission and pump. Any confirmation of that? Any ideas of what that might mean as compared to the old system?

 

No more worries of the dreaded tick, tick, tick.

 

As an all-new design it’s going to look unfamiliar but it's similar in principle. The gear ratio is different and I'm assuming it's the same as the 2023+ Niro even though the first-gen models of Kona v.s. Niro were slightly different. I marked up a screen shot from Munro's underside preview of the 2023 Niro.

The big change is that the slightly more compact motor is no longer cooled directly with coolant but is oil-wetted like the Hyundai/Kia E-GMP EVs, the Bolt, Tesla from the Model 3 onwards, along with most other EVs. Oil is drawn from the gear reducer floor through a filter screen and is pumped (with a small electric motor) to the motor field windings and allowed to drip on the rotor and lubricate the motor bearings. The later point eliminates the motor bearing issue that we saw on ~2019 examples. As with the similar E-GMP design, it's almost certain that the pump is serviceable but not the screen.

This also means there is no sealing required to keep oil out of the motor, which is now integrated with the reducer housing. That eliminates one ball-bearing, one which was redundant in the 1st-gen models and I had thought could cause problems.

The oil volume is 2.8-2.9 litre and that 3-times increase along with the filter screen should eliminate any chance of problems like the wheel-of-fortune noise. I think the motor has an insulating jacket to hold heat, a valuable commodity in an EV.

 

Wildeyed, off topic question. Have you found which screen shows the 'regenerated energy = km range' on the 24 model that appeared on right side of the instrument cluster for the 2019 Kona Electric?

 

No

No and I miss it. It was a fun game to see how high I could get the regen to go. I've made so many jumps to conclusions with this car that I'm not prepared to say it's NOT there but I certainly haven't found it yet.

 

It was fun, for sure. I've read the 24 manual a couple of times but no luck yet. I was able to turn off the voice advising 'charger working'. It scared the heck out of my neighbour! On the HUD I'm finding two signs appearing e.g. a speed limit and a yield sign at same time. The speed was for the road I was on but the yields were for the turn bay lane. I'll likely turn off that feature on the HUD but want to learn more first. It is funny that some little things are 'missed' by us owners - I do miss the glasses storage case in the 2019 which I believe you already mentioned.

 

I miss the live regen counter. I miss the colourful and warm colours of the old chargeport ring light. I miss a closed bin and hidden phone shelf. I cannot for the life of me find a volume control that raises "read" incoming texts beyond a whisper. And I'm sure there are other bugs I'm forgetting. But overall I have a really favourable first impression of most things. It's just such an upgrade in fit and finish it's hard not to feel good about it.

 

Roger to all of what you mentioned. Amazing what the extra dimensions have added to passenger comfort in the rear seats and the cargo space in the hatch.

 

Are you using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto? If so, just raise the volume while a text message is being read. If not, you will have to dig into the Settings menu under Sound. It's in there somewhere.

 

How do you find the Kumho's for road noise and efficiency? I was going to get some crossclimate 2's in the spring but the Kumho's are almost $100 cheaper so Im really interested in them now.

Thanks.

 

I've had my car for a couple of weeks now and am still evaluating it. One thing I can say without hesitation now that I have a few kilometers under my belt is that the ride is vastly superior to the '19. It's quiet, well planted and the suspension completely eats up bumps and rolls. It's just so much more refined. My new winter tires are whisper quiet and might actually feel better than the factory all season tires.

It's still a bit early for me to have an opinion about efficiency as unusual driving situations and winter weather would be skewing any comparison.

Overall I'm really happy with it. It's not only better than the previous version it's just a really nice car.

 

Great to hear....
As much as I really liked the new Kona, after looking at my finances, decided to get the awd i6 instead.
It was only fitting as my first PHEV was an Ioniq Plus and that got me into the EV game.
I hated trading the Ioniq plus but wanted full on EV, and only thing available at the time in the hyundai line was the Kona EV.
I often do a 4hr return highway trip and definitely in the summer, with the Ioniq 6 I'll be able to do it without charging. Now with the I6, and cold Temps I won't be able to make it without charging but the plus side, I can precondition and stop for a very quick charge, and get home.
Shout out to another longstanding member R P,,,after seeing his Ultimate Red I6, it got me thinking about changing my color change.
I'll be getting mine tm and have read and reviewed a bunch of stuff, so by the time I drive home with it, I should have a good handle on it. Hehe
Then the testing will begin to get the most efficiency out of it. Lol

 

The Kona was my first BEV, and I really liked it. I might have gone for the next gen if it had the same 800v fast charging as the I5/I6. But am very happy with my I6.

 

The Australian specs have been posted on the importers website but no pricing yet. It has V2L.

No sign of anything here in NZ yet but the dealer has a bunch of 2.0 N models on their lot.

One review I watched mentioned that the overall charging time (20 to 80 I think) was the same as the gen-2 Niro despite that the Kona hits a higher rate over part of the curve.