My new Kona Electric and my first impressions

Domenick

Domenick

Well-Known Member
A lot of members are on the brink of receiving their long-awaited Kona Electric. This thread is to share pics of your new ride along with your initial impressions.

(Don't forget, if you have particular issues that arise, feel free to start a new thread to discuss them, as that will help other owners down the road)
 
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Three new Kona EV's waiting for pickup. There were at least 7 on the lot, I think I liked the black and silver the best. Not sure about the grey.

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Here's a black one straight from the port. The label suggests it was built in AUG or maybe that was when the factory order was placed.
 
zoominbc said:
Well first day with the new Kona. I love it, will take a while to get all the features worked out but it's tight and drives well. For the locals, Jim Pattison Hyundai in Surrey had 18 delivered and a couple of people backed out so they have 2 on the lot available for sale right now.
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Thanks for the info. It would be nice if you talk to us about all the things you are learning as you drive your new Kona. Lucky you!
 
Well first day with the new Kona. I love it, will take a while to get all the features worked out but it's tight and drives well.
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Congratulations!

CJC said:
Thanks for the info. It would be nice if you talk to us about all the things you are learning as you drive your new Kona. Lucky you!
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And some pics! :)
 
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It's my first time driving an EV but I am surprised how easy it is to just get in and drive. I am just starting to get the hang of regen but old habits die hard. I found I was breaking with the paddle and the foot brake at the same time. I also wonder how I'm going to manage to flip between the Kona and my ICE truck. I think that regen may be addictive. I like the HUD but had to adjust the display using the menus. The HUD displays the current speed limit and even recognized a school zone (didn't consider it was Sunday though). The menu system is something I haven't spent too much time on yet.

I tried Apple car play and used google maps for navigation. It didn't really need any setup but I did get both the on-board nav system and google giving me instructions at one point. More work is needed to figure this out.

The Bluelink setup didn't work so I have to phone support. I'm not sure the VIN's are recognized yet. Also there is no spare tire just a repair kit. Tire pressures are 36 psi, lower than I thought it would be. The dealer recommended getting winter tires but suggested waiting until next winter when Hyundai may have a proper wheel solution available. The dealer said steel rims and normal winter tires would have a big impact on efficiency and road noise. There is a 110V charging cable included and I tried it out. I'm going to install a Juicebox but it will take a few days to arrive. Anyway the 110V charger estimated charging from 82 - 100% in 12 hours at 1.3Kw Finally Cabin heating is very fast and my wife loves the heated seats and steering wheel.

Pictures soon, let me know if you want something specific.
 
zoominbc said:
It's my first time driving an EV but I am surprised how easy it is to just get in and drive. I am just starting to get the hang of regen but old habits die hard. I found I was breaking with the paddle and the foot brake at the same time. I also wonder how I'm going to manage to flip between the Kona and my ICE truck. I think that regen may be addictive. I like the HUD but had to adjust the display using the menus. The HUD displays the current speed limit and even recognized a school zone (didn't consider it was Sunday though). The menu system is something I haven't spent too much time on yet.

I tried Apple car play and used google maps for navigation. It didn't really need any setup but I did get both the on-board nav system and google giving me instructions at one point. More work is needed to figure this out.

The Bluelink setup didn't work so I have to phone support. I'm not sure the VIN's are recognized yet. Also there is no spare tire just a repair kit. Tire pressures are 36 psi, lower than I thought it would be. The dealer recommended getting winter tires but suggested waiting until next winter when Hyundai may have a proper wheel solution available. The dealer said steel rims and normal winter tires would have a big impact on efficiency and road noise. There is a 110V charging cable included and I tried it out. I'm going to install a Juicebox but it will take a few days to arrive. Anyway the 110V charger estimated charging from 82 - 100% in 12 hours at 1.3Kw Finally Cabin heating is very fast and my wife loves the heated seats and steering wheel.

Pictures soon, let me know if you want something specific.
Click to expand...
That is a really helpful report. I remember one of the Kona EV reviewers from the UK said he worried about using the one pedal concept with using the left paddle and Auto Regeneration that he might forget to be sharp when needed as he might get too reliant on the technology. Interesting your comments about the winter tires and waiting. We have ordered the Michelin CrossClimate ones from the dealer to be installed before we pick it up (when it arrives). I hope we haven't jumped the gun doing that, but it seems many in the UK have not had problems with them.
I remember another forum poster said the Blue Link takes about 5 days to become active after it is registered. Love it that the cabin heating is fast! My C-Max takes forever to heat up. I liked hearing about the HUD and the information on it. Cool!
I am interested in knowing if the VESS sound makes you annoyed to the point of turning it off? I have read of some people doing that. Does the car really beep beep when you back up? I can't think of other questions right now, but will have others soon. lol One other --is the centre of the leather seats fabric? It sort of looks that way.
Thanks so much. And I look forward to photos.
 
CJC said:
That is a really helpful report. I remember one of the Kona EV reviewers from the UK said he worried about using the one pedal concept with using the left paddle and Auto Regeneration that he might forget to be sharp when needed as he might get too reliant on the technology. Interesting your comments about the winter tires and waiting. We have ordered the Michelin CrossClimate ones from the dealer to be installed before we pick it up (when it arrives). I hope we haven't jumped the gun doing that, but it seems many in the UK have not had problems with them.
I remember another forum poster said the Blue Link takes about 5 days to become active after it is registered. Love it that the cabin heating is fast! My C-Max takes forever to heat up. I liked hearing about the HUD and the information on it. Cool!
I am interested in knowing if the VESS sound makes you annoyed to the point of turning it off? I have read of some people doing that. Does the car really beep beep when you back up? I can't think of other questions right now, but will have others soon. lol One other --is the centre of the leather seats fabric? It sort of looks that way.
Thanks so much. And I look forward to photos.
Click to expand...
The car does beep beep when you back up and the one sound that surprised me was a kind of sky train sound as you accelerate. The centre of the seats are perforated leather and are really nice. I like the whole inside and mine is black. I’m sure the lighter colour will be really sharp.
 
zoominbc said:
Well first day with the new Kona. I love it, will take a while to get all the features worked out but it's tight and drives well. For the locals, Jim Pattison Hyundai in Surrey had 18 delivered and a couple of people backed out so they have 2 on the lot available for sale right now.
Click to expand...

Oh to be a resident of BC (rather than Alberta). Is there really a hardcopy 650-page owner's manual and a 150-page multimedia manual ?
 
zoominbc said:
The car does beep beep when you back up and the one sound that surprised me was a kind of sky train sound as you accelerate. The centre of the seats are perforated leather and are really nice. I like the whole inside and mine is black. I’m sure the lighter colour will be really sharp.
Click to expand...
I like that it has the beeping for backing up as we live in the White Rock area with so many pedestrians, elderly and I find at the malls when I back my car people pay no attention and keeping walking by since I don't have beeping. So that is good news. Perforated leather is good too! I did see one video review long ago in which the young guy accelerated and there was quite a futuristic sound and he got a big smile and his eyes kind popped wide (but I thought it was just sound effects for the video). Cool!! Once again thanks for the great information. I'm getting more excited. lol
 
CJC said:
I like that it has the beeping for backing up as we live in the White Rock area with so many pedestrians, elderly and I find at the malls when I back my car people pay no attention and keeping walking by since I don't have beeping. So that is good news. Perforated leather is good too! I did see one video review long ago in which the young guy accelerated and there was quite a futuristic sound and he got a big smile and his eyes kind popped wide (but I thought it was just sound effects for the video). Cool!! Once again thanks for the great information. I'm getting more excited. lol
Click to expand...
I like the beeping idea too. Was with my sister test driving a Tesla Model X the other day, and backing up in the mall parking lot I thought it was strange there was no backup warning sound. It should really be a standard feature.
 
CJC said:
That is a really helpful report. I remember one of the Kona EV reviewers from the UK said he worried about using the one pedal concept with using the left paddle and Auto Regeneration that he might forget to be sharp when needed as he might get too reliant on the technology. Interesting your comments about the winter tires and waiting. We have ordered the Michelin CrossClimate ones from the dealer to be installed before we pick it up (when it arrives). I hope we haven't jumped the gun doing that, but it seems many in the UK have not had problems with them.
I remember another forum poster said the Blue Link takes about 5 days to become active after it is registered. Love it that the cabin heating is fast! My C-Max takes forever to heat up. I liked hearing about the HUD and the information on it. Cool!
I am interested in knowing if the VESS sound makes you annoyed to the point of turning it off? I have read of some people doing that. Does the car really beep beep when you back up? I can't think of other questions right now, but will have others soon. lol One other --is the centre of the leather seats fabric? It sort of looks that way.
Thanks so much. And I look forward to photos.
Click to expand...
Vess is pretty loud, almost ghostly like. I don’t think there is an option to disable it. I like it though.
 
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