2024 Hyundai Kona EV Release Date, Models, Price – Easy to get on board with the 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric. It can be frightening to try something new, but it is much simpler to adjust to change if there is a familiar element. A sense of familiarity should help ease the shift from gasoline to electric power, and rightly so, as it’s based on an already excellent subcompact crossover.
The Kona Electric looks like any other Hyundai Kona on the road. It’s all there: the dark cladding on the lower body, the characteristic running lights upfront, and the squinting expression. Key differences remain in both cases. Depending on your opinion of the Kona’s divisive appearance, it may be either good or terrible, but I like it.
A Redesign of the Hyundai Kona Hybrid for 2024
New front and rear bumpers, new wheel designs, and a reworked interior with a 10.3-inch digital gauge display are all included in Kona Electric’s stylistic upgrade for 2024. Keeping the SEL and Limited versions is better for the company because they want to keep the Ultimate trim level.
The SEL trim with the convenience package is what we recommend. The convenience package adds a sunroof, a wireless smartphone charging pad, and heated front seats to the SEL’s already impressive list of standard equipment.
Interior
Since the Kona has an oval shape, the second row has plenty of room for additional cargo. At 6 feet tall, I still have a few inches of space before my head brushes the headliner, and the legroom is adequate for a small SUV. Visibility is sufficient, having pillars that aren’t too thick to obscure vision but not too thin to merit great praise. Getting a clear view isn’t a problem.
Due to the unique packing of the EV engine, some minor alterations have been made to the inside. Hyundai has reconfigured its center console for the first time to accommodate a vast cubby just above the floor. There’s still enough above that for an additional deep cubby, which houses an optional wireless device charger for my tester. The traditional shift lever has been replaced with a push-button system that works very well. However, even after a week of heavy use, I still have difficulties committing it to muscle memory and pressing Reverse when I want to drive.
Engine
The Kona Electric, even though it isn’t marketed as a fun electric vehicle, is a blast to drive. Despite being slower to 60 mph than the turbocharged 1.6-liter gas Kona, the EV’s single front-wheel-drive electric motor generates 201 horsepower and 291 pound-feet of torque. This significantly increases 26 horsepower and 96 pound-feet over the gas-powered Kona. Thanks to the automatic transmission’s single-speed mode, my foot to the firewall is always met with enough torque to push the show forward.
There is a projected 258-mile range, or around 4 miles per kilowatt-hour, for the Kona Electric’s 64-kilowatt-hour battery. The topped-off field never showed more than 228 miles in Michigan’s 40-degree weather, and the number plummeted when I utilized the heat — for the most part, I survived with seat and steering wheel heat because even a single tick in the HVAC fan speed can drop the estimated range by 5 or 10 miles.
Hyundai Kona Hybrid Release Date and Price in 2024
Despite its price tag, Kona Electric is ahead of the competition since it offers a better experience for less money than its rivals. The price of the Nissan Leaf Plus ranges from $37,445 to $43,445. However, even with ProPilot Assist, the base model’s 226-mile range is the best in class, and that number drops to 215 miles for higher trims.
