Some people think an electric car should be subtle, and blend into the background like an internal combustion powered car. BMW’s designers certainly aren’t those people, and neither, it seems, are Hyundai’s.
This is the updated Kona Electric, and it has a face. Quite a bold one. While the bottom half of the internet tends to get angry about fake grilles and vents on performance cars, we suspect it might wish for them back here. This is certainly a design leap into places petrol-engined cars can’t go.
The car behind the face remains extremely impressive, though. The Kona Electric has been one of the best sensible EVs for a little while now, and facelift time has brought an even larger range figure – up to 300 miles (approx. 483km), which is broadly what a full tank of petrol offers in a standard Kona. Or Golf, or Qashqai, or Focus…
Yep, this is an EV for people scared of EVs. Presuming they aren’t scared by its looks. There are two battery choices, depending on your budget: a 39.2kWh version offers up to 189 miles (approx. 304km) of range, a 64kWh option the full 300. Both will zip from 10 to 80 per cent of battery in around an hour if you plug them into a 50kW fast charger, while you’ll clock up their full range figure in seven hours or less with a decent wall box at home.
Update time has also brought new digital dials and heaps more connectivity, including a phone app to help you manage charging and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
You’ve also a bunch of riotously named new colours to choose from, including Misty Jungle and Surfy Blue. All the better that they’re uninterrupted by a regular grille up front, huh?
And hey, if you want your Kona Electric with a grille - as well as 1,000bhp - New Zealand has the answer…
