Kona - good or bad?
Discussion
Hi all,
Apologies if this has been asked before but I’ve gone back a few pages and couldn’t see a thread.
We’ve tested a 208/Corsa and they were pretty good and we can easily adapt range wise but seen a couple of lease deals which makes the Kona seem a decent proposition - talking about the 150kw/64kwh version.
Is the Kona a decent machine to test the water EV wise?
Apologies if this has been asked before but I’ve gone back a few pages and couldn’t see a thread.
We’ve tested a 208/Corsa and they were pretty good and we can easily adapt range wise but seen a couple of lease deals which makes the Kona seem a decent proposition - talking about the 150kw/64kwh version.
Is the Kona a decent machine to test the water EV wise?
AndyD360 said:
Hi all,
Apologies if this has been asked before but I’ve gone back a few pages and couldn’t see a thread.
We’ve tested a 208/Corsa and they were pretty good and we can easily adapt range wise but seen a couple of lease deals which makes the Kona seem a decent proposition - talking about the 150kw/64kwh version.
Is the Kona a decent machine to test the water EV wise?
Yes, very happy with mine. The extra range over the competition is a real benefit. They do pretty well in all the model tests on youtube, and I think the only downside is limited boot space.Apologies if this has been asked before but I’ve gone back a few pages and couldn’t see a thread.
We’ve tested a 208/Corsa and they were pretty good and we can easily adapt range wise but seen a couple of lease deals which makes the Kona seem a decent proposition - talking about the 150kw/64kwh version.
Is the Kona a decent machine to test the water EV wise?
Glad to help with any specific questions.
My sister is browsing through all of them and the Kona seems to be a constant on her short list.
One of her requirements was that it came with a tow hook for a bicycle rack though, which severely limits her options.
Reviews seem to be generally positive and in terms of numbers (price, range, performance,...) they just seem to be very, very good.
Most reviewers talk about economies that are extremely well (someone mentioned 140wh/km iirc) and the Koreans seem to be closest to their WLTP ranges.
Imho one tier up, the Ionic 5 seem to be setting itself up to be nearly unbeatable there.
One of her requirements was that it came with a tow hook for a bicycle rack though, which severely limits her options.
Reviews seem to be generally positive and in terms of numbers (price, range, performance,...) they just seem to be very, very good.
Most reviewers talk about economies that are extremely well (someone mentioned 140wh/km iirc) and the Koreans seem to be closest to their WLTP ranges.
Imho one tier up, the Ionic 5 seem to be setting itself up to be nearly unbeatable there.
Edited by ZesPak on Thursday 2nd September 13:55
Really good. The quoted range is accurate. The efficiency is impressive even at motorway speeds. Cabin is airy and spacious, only niggle is the boot could do with being bigger.
Recently did a near 600 miles round trip from East Yorkshire to Portsmouth. Charged once for 20 mins on way there and 20 mins on way back. Total cost was around £14.
I don't know what magic dark arts the Korean batteries use but they are seriously impressive. easy 250 miles pretty much all year round.
Recently did a near 600 miles round trip from East Yorkshire to Portsmouth. Charged once for 20 mins on way there and 20 mins on way back. Total cost was around £14.
I don't know what magic dark arts the Korean batteries use but they are seriously impressive. easy 250 miles pretty much all year round.
billybc said:
I don't know what magic dark arts the Korean batteries use but they are seriously impressive. easy 250 miles pretty much all year round.
That’s what I hear! The Korean manufacturers seem to have cracked the consistency bit. Efficient, practical and does exactly what it says on the tin! Said it before and will keep saying it, they don’t mess around and they will (if aren’t already) a force to be reckoned with in the EV market!
They are in this for the long game though. Get buyers into their brands and then keep them for multiple purchases. And that only comes when you have that reliability, consistency and customer service.
Their products don’t float my boat at the moment, but I totally get and respect where they are going to and how they will get there.
billybc said:
I don't know what magic dark arts the Korean batteries use but they are seriously impressive. easy 250 miles pretty much all year round.
Sadly there is no secret sauce, the Ionqi 5 been bigger, more powerful than the Kona is no more efficient than similar sized/powerful EVs.Basically its the same as combustion cars, smaller, less powerful cars are more efficient.
It's great, drove from Glasgow, Scotland to London with one stop on gridserve for some 30 mins or so. Accurate range and efficiency.
It's not as premium as the German brand interior and the boot space is badly designed with it's false floor arrangement, but I can't fault it overall, minor niggles.
Edited by Nomstar on Thursday 2nd September 21:07
billybc said:
Really good. The quoted range is accurate. The efficiency is impressive even at motorway speeds. Cabin is airy and spacious, only niggle is the boot could do with being bigger.
Recently did a near 600 miles round trip from East Yorkshire to Portsmouth. Charged once for 20 mins on way there and 20 mins on way back. Total cost was around £14.
I don't know what magic dark arts the Korean batteries use but they are seriously impressive. easy 250 miles pretty much all year round.
What speeds do you cruise at on M-ways, fast dual carriageways and the like? I'm looking for a reliable 250 miles all year round for a mainly motorway journey cruising at 75-80.Recently did a near 600 miles round trip from East Yorkshire to Portsmouth. Charged once for 20 mins on way there and 20 mins on way back. Total cost was around £14.
I don't know what magic dark arts the Korean batteries use but they are seriously impressive. easy 250 miles pretty much all year round.
Drive at the limit pretty much everywhere. You can eek out more range if you drop to around 65 but find you don't need to with this car. It's driven in "normal" mode all the time with auto regeneration. If driven in "eco" mode with higher level of regen selected the range would be better.
Basically you have options to match it to your style of driving. There is also a sports mode but i've never had chance to use it.
Basically you have options to match it to your style of driving. There is also a sports mode but i've never had chance to use it.
cc3 said:
Have they fixed the fire issue ? Have all cars had the recall now?
I doubt it, its taken GM 4-5 years to do this the Bolt and currently they GM seem to have stopped making EVs completely as even their 2020/21 LG supplied packs have issues. It'll be interesting to see what VAG do with their strong track record of consumer rights. Tesla does seem to have hidden/solved something through software changes.
dgswk said:
billybc said:
There is also a sports mode but i've never had chance to use it.
WTF?!? Sport Button is like a 'Do Not Press' button. Its absolutely the first thing you should do, before adjusting seat etc etc
granada203028 said:
Maxym said:
What speeds do you cruise at on M-ways, fast dual carriageways and the like? I'm looking for a reliable 250 miles all year round for a mainly motorway journey cruising at 75-80.
I think only a Tesla S 100kWh could do that.cc3 said:
Have they fixed the fire issue ? Have all cars had the recall now?
This is turning into an absolutely nightmare for LG. The EV news sites are trying to spin these fire stories as 'good news' for owners as they will eventually get a new battery but its an absolutely disaster for EVs and potentially will make dieselgate look like nothing.https://insideevs.com/news/530826/chevy-bolt-fire-...
The pack design and construction in the Bolt is nearly IDENTICAL to the Kona, iPace, all current VAG made EVs.
It took 5 years+ before Tesla realised there was a real fire issue with their original 85kWh pack. The Bolt was one of the first EVs made with LGs new pack design, the Kona wasn't far behind. I cannot see how Hyundai can not recall every Kona thats been made, than you have the iPace and eNiro which both sold in smaller numbers but surely are at the same fire risk??
If this issue escalates beyond GM and Hyundai its going to kill EVs dead in the water far quicker than any lobbying by the anti EV brigade.
I don't park our EV in our garage any more.
Edited by gangzoom on Saturday 4th September 06:35
billybc said:
dgswk said:
billybc said:
There is also a sports mode but i've never had chance to use it.
WTF?!? Sport Button is like a 'Do Not Press' button. Its absolutely the first thing you should do, before adjusting seat etc etc
Zoe's are brilliant, Mrs dgswk has one, a new-ish 50 with 135 electric horses. Its nippy enough and she hates it when I floor that. Both our dailies are electric and it works so well.
One of the 'benefits' of electric cars, instant torque, makes it feel so much faster at real world speeds than similarly horsepowered ICED counterparts!
Kona has great range, but otherwise very ordinary and now quite dated. Torque steer, grim plastic interior, lack of refinement, small boot, basic infotainment are the main negatives.
A friend has one and he's very happy with it (although he agrees with all the negatives). He's still waiting on his promised battery replacement - seems Hyundai are priortizing other countries where fires have been reported widely. I test drove one with my wife and it was a definite no from her.
If spending sub £35k, I'd go eNiro (similar range, more space, nicer interior, different battery) or ID3 (much more sophisticated chassis) or e2008 (nicer interior and more refined drive, but limited range).
At £40k, the Tesla Model 3 SR makes sense too - rumoured to be getting a bigger battery soon. SR has LFP battery which is happy being charged to 100% all the time, much lower fire risk and has mnimial degradation over time.
A friend has one and he's very happy with it (although he agrees with all the negatives). He's still waiting on his promised battery replacement - seems Hyundai are priortizing other countries where fires have been reported widely. I test drove one with my wife and it was a definite no from her.
If spending sub £35k, I'd go eNiro (similar range, more space, nicer interior, different battery) or ID3 (much more sophisticated chassis) or e2008 (nicer interior and more refined drive, but limited range).
At £40k, the Tesla Model 3 SR makes sense too - rumoured to be getting a bigger battery soon. SR has LFP battery which is happy being charged to 100% all the time, much lower fire risk and has mnimial degradation over time.
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff