Production Hyundai Kona revealed w/specs!

So if you don't want to wait for a Tesla Model Y, here you go.

EPA range is probably going to be around 260 miles, which will be pretty awesome. This should sell like hotcakes!

 

No AWD is a huge disappointment for me.


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This is pretty exciting. I'm still prepared to be disappointed by production volume like the Ioniq. I just want EVs to take over already, so 20,000 units per year is disappointing.

It's also exciting because if the Niro gets the same platform, that might be an EV to suit my needs. My 2017 Leaf is great, but I still rent vans and cars occasionally for trips and vacations.

 

The center console buttress is a deal breaker for me. It will limit the space available for my legs.

Otherwise, it looks impressive.

 

i'm also worried that kia will build this in small numbers, no matter how well it sells.

 

I had hopes this might be a contender for my next EV, but some of the videos I've seen show that the back row is pretty tight, and with car seats, I'm not sure my family will fit in it anymore.

 

I wasn't expecting quite that, I have a minivan for that purpose. But we have been looking to see what is out there and coming that would work for the cross-city or even day trip runs to the next metro that would allow us to use the car seats without feeling like we might squeeze the kids legs in, and this doesn't look like it is quite enough for that. Range and other specs look great, but if we needed just another downtown commuter, we'd go with another used LEAF.

 

Just looking at the numbers and while The Kona has the style of an SUV, it appears to be smaller with less cargo room than the Bolt, and is slower, yet GM got slammed for marketing the Bolt as a CUV.

The more I look at the Kona, the more disappointed I become.

 

I’m starting to have my doubts. Smaller, slower, and more expensive than the Chevy Bolt.

 

I meant smaller on the inside. Less head room, less leg room, less cargo room. It does have a little more shoulder room.

 

Ok, so two guys that are both taller than the average US male find the back seats a bit of a squeeze. They aren’t going to do better in the Kona.

And by their comments the Kona isn’t going to qualify as a CUV either. It’s a small wagon, just like the Bolt. By the way, people keep saying GM is marketing the Bolt as a CUV, but I haven’t seen any marketing that calls it that. Perhaps early-on at its reveal? But I can’t seem to find any direct GM material referring to it as a CUV. Any sources for that?

Kona EV / Bolt EV

Head room -
Front (in.) 39.56 / 39.7
Rear (in.) 37.3 / 37.9

Leg room -
Front (in.) 41.49 / 41.6
Rear (in.) 34.64 / 36.5

Shoulder room -
Front (in.) 55.47. / 54.6
Rear (in.) 54.52 / 52.8

Luggage capacity
Rear seats upright (cu ft) 11 / 16.9
rear seats folded (cu ft) 40.35 / 56.6

 

In monthly press releases, when touting their crossover sales, Bolt EV will often be mentioned.

My guess is this is because of the almost identical utility between the Bolt and the Trax/Encore/Soul/Kona.

But reviewers often hesitate to call those crossovers as well. And the Bolt is even less SUV like than those.

Regardless, GM marketing it as a crossover is a positive. They’re tying it to a popular category.

If they wanted to hurt sales they would call it a hatchback or wagon lol. A simple change of a single word can drastically affect consumer perception.