Hyundai Kona Electric facelift arrives with bold new look
The Hyundai Kona Electric has been revised with a bold new look and a series of technology upgrades
A facelifted version of the Hyundai Kona Electric has been unveiled. It’s due to go on sale in the UK early next year with a restyled nose, a mildly reworked cabin and a host of additional safety equipment. Range is unchanged, with the 64kWh model retaining its 300-mile capability.
Hyundai’s cosmetic revisions focus on making the Kona Electric look less like its combustion engined sibling, and more like a purpose-built EV. To achieve this, the petrol car’s radiator grille and front bumper have been replaced by a smoothed nose cone, which also brings slight aerodynamic improvements over the pre-facelifted model. Hyundai has also added a pair of vertical inlets on the front bumper, reducing the amount of turbulent air in the front wheel arches to minimise drag.
The new front bumper is complemented by a fresh set of daytime running lights and new LED headlights. The old car’s black body mouldings are now colour-coded, while the rear lights have also been updated. Hyundai will offer five new paint finishes, taking the Kona Electric’s total number of colour choices to 10.
As with the recently revised combustion-engined Kona, buyers also get Hyundai’s latest 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, taken from the new i20 supermini. The old Kona’s 10.25-inch infotainment system is carried forward onto the updated model, offering support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
There’s also a new ambient lighting system for the driver and passenger footwell and two new interior colour packages, offering buyers the choice of black or two-tone grey upholstery, in cloth or leather.
Hyundai’s engineers have applied updates to the electric crossover’s safety equipment, too. New features for the facelifted model include blind-spot and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance systems, along with a safe exit warning system that informs passengers if there’s approaching traffic when they go to leave the vehicle.
Like the old model, the facelifted Hyundai Kona Electric is offered with a choice of two drivetrains. The entry-level model features a 39.2kWh battery pack and a 134bhp electric motor, which gives the crossover a top speed of 96mph and a maximum range of 189 miles.
Hyundai’s long-range electric drivetrain comprises a 64kWh battery pack and a 201bhp electric motor, which increase the Kona’s maximum range to 300 miles. The crossover’s top speed also climbs to 104mph and, when plugged into a 100kW fast-charger, the EV will recover an 80 per cent charge in as little as 47 minutes.
What do you make of the updated Hyundai Kona Electric? Let us know in the comments section below…
