Hyundai Kona EV pre orders open

listermint

Pretty poor spec all things considered for that sort of money down on the car.

You would have other marques loaded to the hilt for that sort of cash.

hop

Silent Running wrote: »

The guy very much has a clue. He's head of distribution in Hyundai Ireland, and from speaking with him for a good while, he's very clued in about EVs and the demand for them. He stated that they are landing the car to a budget and the spec reflects that.

LKAS is a separate system based on a camera in the windscreen. Adaptive cruise is radar based.

Just to be clear: the guy I was talking to was NOT a car salesman in a dealership!

When I said I was surprised about the cruise and headlights, he went off to be 100% sure, then he called me back.

Ask him why we're paying more than the UK for a worse version...not as if VRT is a factor... f*cking rip off as usual !

Silent Running

KCross wrote: »

FYP

Yeah, I can live with that.

liamog

The delivering on a budget doesn't sit well with me.

UK Ioniq Premium vs Kona Premium is 13.6% more expensive, with the spec levels being broadly comparable.

We're paying 24% more than the Ioniq and missing a lot of the technology features.

KCross

Money grab. Simple.
They know they can sell them because they have the experience of the Ioniq under their belts. That's business, if you were the Hyundai Ireland director you'd do the very same.

listermint

KCross wrote: »

Money grab. Simple.
They know they can sell them because they have the experience of the Ioniq under their belts. That's business, if you were the Hyundai Ireland director you'd do the very same.

Were not though, were customers. so perhaps voting with the wallet is best.

People wont forget that when Tesla comes in proper.

eagerv

Silent Running wrote: »

OK, just had a long chat with a guy in Hyundai Ireland. I saw a white Kona EV on the road and decided to ask the questions we all want answers to. There is a lot of stuff to be decided about distribution methods and a lot of uncertainty about allocations of vehicles to Ireland.

I'll just give the questions I asked and the answers that were forthcoming.

Availability:
How many units for 2019? Maybe 100 in the first quarter.

Colour selection? Pretty much take what you can get. (paraphrasing)

Purchasing process? Likely online, then nominate the dealer you want to complete the handover. The dealer will have to come to an arrangement with you about your trade in. They will handle the warranty work.

Test drives? There will not be test drive cars in dealerships. It's not known yet how test drives will be handled.

Spec:
Headlights? Halogen

Cruise? Not adaptive. Regular cruise control and speed limiter.

Auto emergency braking? No.

LKAS? Yes.

Seats? Full leather.

Battery? 64kWh only.

We talked for ages. A very nice man and willing to chat. If there are any other questions, just ask and I'll see if we covered it in our talk.

So there you have it. My focus will now be on the Kia Niro. Halogen headlights FFS!! I'm too used to adaptive cruise now, I'd end up rear ending cars.

Hi, Did he mention anything about nav on the standard smaller screen? Or ventilated leather?

Silent Running

eagerv wrote: »

Hi, Did he mention anything about nav on the standard smaller screen? Or ventilated leather?

Nothing about the nav. His comment on the leather was that it was full leather, not like the part leather on the UK cars. No memory on the driver seat.

Given the spec on the seats, I'd be surprised if they weren't heated and ventilated, but with this strange spec, who knows.

KCross

listermint wrote: »

Were not though, were customers. so perhaps voting with the wallet is best.

People wont forget that when Tesla comes in proper.

You could do that if they had thousands of them coming on a boat but it looks like a few hundred that will easily sell out. And if we dont buy them the Norwegians will snap up the next batch off the production line... they have thousands of people waiting for them.

Tesla will also be more expensive so I dont think that will matter.

I think this price level (€38k+) will now be the new norm for long range EV's until they start arriving in big numbers, which will be many years away. We need to get used to it, I think.

i.e. dont expect the 60kWh Leaf to be much cheaper either....a bit but not much.

listermint

Its not real leather, i struggle to see why folks get so hot for that as an option

A disclaimer for interior trim described by Hyundai as “leather seating with heated front seats” goes on to say “finishes specified as leather may contain elements of genuine leather, polyurethane leather (leather substitute) or man-made materials, or a combination thereof”.

]

read the fine print.

having had Nappa leather in my previous BMW, im not really mad on leather anyway, Too hot in the summer too cold in the winter (even with heated seats it takes a bit to heat up)

Decent alacantara or cloth is much more comfortable.

listermint

KCross wrote: »

You could do that if they had thousands of them coming on a boat but it looks like a few hundred that will easily sell out. And if we dont buy them the Norwegians will snap up the next batch off the production line... they have thousands of people waiting for them.

Tesla will also be more expensive so I dont think that will matter.

I think this price level (€38k+) will now be the new norm for long range EV's until they start arriving in big numbers, which will be many years away. We need to get used to it, I think.

i.e. dont expect the 60kWh Leaf to be much cheaper either....a bit but not much.

Then simply dont buy them at all, or any other hyundai. If people are willing to lay out that sort of money on a sub par vehicle to even a couple of hundred KMs up the road then thats stupid and Hyundai Distributors will take the mick. simple as that.

KCross

Indeed, they can keep their €38k Kona EV.
Sadly, Kia are probably going to do the same which puts us right back to Leaf 40kWh.

It doesn't feel like EV's are moving forward at all really even though the headlines would make you think otherwise.

liamog

We've gone from poor mans Tesla (tech) to poor mans Merc (interior)

eagerv

listermint wrote: »

Its not real leather, i struggle to see why folks get so hot for that as an option

]

read the fine print.

having had Nappa leather in my previous BMW, im not really mad on leather anyway, Too hot in the summer too cold in the winter (even with heated seats it takes a bit to heat up)

Decent alacantara or cloth is much more comfortable.

I totally agree, don't like fake leather unless it's ventilated.

eagerv

KCross wrote: »

Indeed, they can keep their €38k Kona EV.
Sadly, Kia are probably going to do the same which puts us right back to Leaf 40kWh.

It doesn't feel like EV's are moving forward at all really even though the headlines would make you think otherwise.

I have lost interest in the Kona, the spec just annoys me.


I was prepared to pay about €39K provided the spec was reasonably similar to other markets. I am not prepared to pay €38 for a car that is missing a lot of items i have been used to for many years.


Will wait till the new year and probably go looking in the UK at perhaps an Ioniq. Or perhaps the Niro EV will come here better equipped, but I somehow doubt it..

Silent Running

The Ioniq was available as an ex-demo in the UK from just after January this year. The Premium SE could be bought and brought over if you needed the few extras that the SE gave you.

With no demo cars going to UK dealers, this won't be an option for the Kona next year. The only option would be to do what Dr Phil is doing and order a new one for delivery to a NI dealer. Then find a dealer that will work with you to buy VAT free 40 days after registration to the garage as a "demo", then import it.

Fuck it, if the Niro proves to be as disappointing, I'll keep the Ioniq for a few years and see what the options are then.

Silent Running

Another thing that has come to mind.

I asked him about the possibility of the 40kWh appearing in the Ioniq in the future. (I said 39kWh but he said it was 40) He said no, the Ioniq will continue with 28kWh for the foreseeable future.

liamog

A Hyundai garage in NI could be onto a nice little earner satisfying the demand for well specced cars for the Irish market.

Silent Running

liamog wrote: »

A Hyundai garage in NI could be onto a nice little earner satisfying the demand for well specced cars for the Irish market.

Couldn't agree more. I wonder if we could arrange a group buy.

liamog

Silent Running wrote: »

Another thing that has come to mind.

I asked him about the possibility of the 40kWh appearing in the Ioniq in the future. (I said 39kWh but he said it was 40) He said no, the Ioniq will continue with 28kWh for the foreseeable future.

Now I'm thinking your man is misinformed, Hyundai list the Kona Electric Lite as 39.2kWh on their worldwide website.

Silent Running

liamog wrote: »

Now I'm thinking your man is misinformed, Hyundai list the Kona Electric Lite as 39.2kWh on their worldwide website.

Well to be fair, his actual words were "we call it the 40".

liamog

Silent Running wrote: »

Well to be fair, his actual words were "we call it the 40".

Must be a Hyundai Ireland thing, they call the one they are selling a good spec

meep

eagerv wrote: »

I have lost interest in the Kona, the spec just annoys me.


I was prepared to pay about €39K provided the spec was reasonably similar to other markets. I am not prepared to pay €38 for a car that is missing a lot of items i have been used to for many years.

Same here. I was all set to really pursue this car but I'm bery disinterested in leather and rue the missing features and toys.

Looks like I'm burning dinosaurs for another while yet.....

gar

On a tangent, every time I see a Kona on the road I find myself mimicking the way Bjorn says it in my head
"Koooh Nah"

Padraig Mor

listermint wrote: »

Its not real leather, i struggle to see why folks get so hot for that as an option

]

read the fine print.

having had Nappa leather in my previous BMW, im not really mad on leather anyway, Too hot in the summer too cold in the winter (even with heated seats it takes a bit to heat up)

Decent alacantara or cloth is much more comfortable.

Like many marques, I reckon you'll find that the seat facings are the real deal, with the back and sides fake.

As for ventilation: meh, pretty useless in my experience.

liamog

You have to wonder who Hyundai did their market research with.

They've spent the budget on the interior instead of the tech when most people wanted the opposite.

If you wanted a very comfortable car you'd probably go with the Niro anyway as it's larger.

Shefwedfan

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Like many marques, I reckon you'll find that the seat facings are the real deal, with the back and sides fake.

As for ventilation: meh, pretty useless in my experience.

Audi A6, BMW 5 series have leather


Not sure what other cars put in but it ain't a patch on that leather....


I sat into a leather Toyota, jesus it was awful

Shefwedfan

liamog wrote: »

You have to wonder who Hyundai did their market research with.

They've spent the budget on the interior instead of the tech when most people wanted the opposite.

If you wanted a very comfortable car you'd probably go with the Niro anyway as it's larger.

Why didntthey just offer cloth seats with the leather upgrade the dealers all used to flog

liamog

I'm beginning to think they were just paying attention to Mad_Lad moaning about the budget ICE Kona, he must be their target market!

eagerv

I can just barely remember (Showing my age a bit:)) my father paying extra to get cloth seats. IIRC a Triumph Dolomite.

listermint

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Like many marques, I reckon you'll find that the seat facings are the real deal, with the back and sides fake.

As for ventilation: meh, pretty useless in my experience.

Afraid not. Leather on bolsters perhaps but the sitting and back areas are pleather.

It's very easy to tell the difference if you've had Nappa in a car before . Hyundai are not putting real leather on the entire seat. Simply not

unkel

eagerv wrote: »

I can just barely remember (Showing my age a bit:)) my father paying extra to get cloth seats. IIRC a Triumph Dolomite.

Cloth was extra over fake leather / skai / leatherette that came standard on many cars back in the 70s

Mercedes called it MB-Tex

meep

unkel wrote: »

Cloth was extra over fake leather / skai / leatherette that came standard on many cars back in the 70s

Mercedes called it MB-Tex

Maybe we can pay Hyundai extra to get cloth in the Kona?

Doc el brown

Hi Guys,
Does anyone know what the actual spec of the Kona EV in Ireland is going to be? 
thanks,

Shefwedfan

Doc el brown wrote: »

Hi Guys,
Does anyone know what the actual spec of the Kona EV in Ireland is going to be?
thanks,

www.hyundai.ie

Doc el brown

Really? I cant find it!

liamog

Doc el brown wrote: »

Really? I cant find it!

It will be early November for the confirmed spec. The one current listed is questionable.

Shefwedfan

Doc el brown wrote: »

Really? I cant find it!

Seriously? The front page is the Hyundai Kona and says Discover more.....how hard is it to find?


You have a huge button then "VIEW SPECIFICATIONS"

Doc el brown

I did look there before but now I could see it. It says nothing aboit ventilated seats in that spec but it does in the discription! I wonder does it have that feature? No adaptive cruse control either. Theres a big difference in spec from england's premium se spec.

Orebro

liamog wrote: »

I'm beginning to think they were just paying attention to Mad_Lad moaning about the budget ICE Kona, he must be their target market!

Nah, then they'd have fitted a Rex too :-)

Zenith74

Met an electric Kona on Irish trade plates charging in Longford today, doing range testing according to the driver who works for Hyundai.

unkel

What's he doing range testing for, LOL!

Let that car be a dealer demo asap...

ELM327

Should have asked if it had active cruise!

daheff

which of the existing non ev models does the ev version look to be closest too, spec wise?

liamog

ELM327 wrote: »

Should have asked if it had active cruise!

Should of drove in front of him, whilst speeding up and down to see what happens!

Silent Running

liamog wrote: »

Should of drove in front of him, whilst speeding up and down to see what happens!

With 200 horsies on tap, I'm sure you'd be looking at the back door disappearing into the distance.:D

liamog

Silent Running wrote: »

With 200 horsies on tap, I'm sure you'd be looking at the back door disappearing into the distance.:D

Active Cruise doesn't change lane

vidukasp

The All-New
Hyundai KONA Electric
From €35,995*
- An impressive driving range of 482 km
- All electric 64Kwh battery
- Bookings from November 5th
- Launching January 2019

DrPhilG

#paddyspec

BigAl81

Has that been 100% confirmed? Have my eye on the Niro and fear they might do the same ;(