Hyundai Kona Hybrid | Test Drive

6 February 2020 Redazione News, Tested

CHARGE. ECO. POWER.

Words by Carlo Brema / Photos by Ian Waltteri

This car does not have any rev counter. Of course, it is not the only one, but Hyundai engineers have thought of replacing the traditional engine revs indicator with an instrument that tells you whether the car is charging the electric motor, how it is using its ECO power, or if the petrol engine has come into play so as to optimize the combined power of the whole lot. After petrol, diesel and only electric versions, the Kona finally embraces the hybrid cause and does so with the intention of monopolizing a constantly growing market share, thanks to the affordable costs of these so-called B-SUVs , but also the practicality that a car with these characteristics can offer, both in terms of daily use and with regard to the completeness of a package that lacks nothing – except a rev counter.

The Kona is considered as a small SUV, but its size (it is just 4.1 meters long and 1.8 wide), the decent ground clearance and the fact of being front wheel drive only convince me to see it more like a Crossover. This is not bad after all, given that for all intents and purposes it is a type of car suitable for city traffic, but perfectly able to host people and things on board for a weekend or for your winter holidays. As for the Hybrid version there really is a lot to pay attention to, such as the fact that the gearbox adopted by Hyundai is a 6-speed double clutch, which marks a clear step up from those who still prefer the less precise CVT instead. It is not a car created to leave two centimeters of rubber at the traffic lights, the task performed by the 4-cylinder 1.6 mated with the 44.5 kW electric motor is to limit fuel consumption, emissions and in any case allow the driver to feel at the wheel of a model projected into the future. My job is precisely to find out if this particular Kona has the circuits in the right place – just to stay on the subject – and represents a valid alternative in an automotive catalogue that has now become an eco-jungle.

Taking into account the battery pack, the two engines, the automatic gearbox and a good soundproofing of the passenger compartment, the weight that touches the ton and a half is another excellent result, especially if we consider that once we get on board we are greeted by a complete and functional dashboard fitted with a 10.25″ touch screen as part of the Techno Pack. Archived the first kilometers of motorway drive, less suitable for a hybrid, due to the fact that there are no opportunities to recharge the batteries as you could while decelerating, braking or facing downhill bits, I venture the Kona through the center of Genoa, where thanks to the visibility on each side I manage to wriggle out without any problem. The heavy rains of the last few days have literally paralyzed the urban centers, so I have nothing else to do but leave “La Superba” and increase the distances from the sea.

I finally manage to create the necessary intimacy to push myself deep into the knowledge of the Kona Hybrid, appreciating the possibility of moving the gear lever in sequential mode and intervening on the ratios using the paddles behind the steering wheel, an aspect not to be taken for granted in this type of segment. The engine delivers a total of 141 horsepower with a maximum torque of 256 Nm, obviously distributed on the front axle only, defining it precisely on any type of road, provided that you do not pretend that its ground clearance gives it off-roadish abilities. This is one of those cars really easy to get along with, with an incredibly ergonomic cabin and superior dynamic precision: there is everything you need, without too many frills, but with great attention to the main purpose, a fuel consumption reduced to about 20 km/l (my average was slightly lower – 18.5 km/l – but keep in mind that I mainly traveled on hill roads).

Almost arrived at the end of the article, I realized that I had not yet talked about its exterior, that although it is not a binding factor for the vast majority of its potential customers, it is for us that we love cars that dare differentiating themselves from the others. Hyundai tickles the young side of the Kona, thanks to a complex but not heavy design and where above all at the front it finds its most successful details, such as the large grille with chrome rim, the headlights and the horizontal air intake at the base of the bonnet. Even the rear is not bad, but the indicators are not always perfectly visible. What about the price then? The Kona Hybrid starts from just over € 26,000 for the basic XTech version (something like € 7,000 more than the 1.0cc petrol version and almost € 5,000 more than the cheapest diesel variant), while for the intermediate XPrime you have to add two thousand Euros, but it is already complete thanks to the Techno Pack and the Safety Pack, which in addition to the front anti-collision system includes blind spot monitoring and reverse anti-collision assistant. If you want to do things big you need a further € 4,000 for the Excellence (€ 32,000) or at least € 38,300 for the all-electric Kona, which however requires a completely different kind of approach. Ok, there is no rev counter, but there’s everything else you really need here.

HYUNDAI KONA HYBRID

Layout   –  front-engined, front wheel drive

Engine  –  4 cylinder 1.580cc + 44.5 kW electric motor

Transmission  –  6-speed automatic gearbox

Power  –  141 hp / 256 Nm

Weight  –  1.451 kg

Acceleration  –  11,2 sec.

Top Speed  –  160 kph

Price  –  from € 26.300