The new Kona Electric shows the power of positive thinking with a cutting-edge design, a pure electric powertrain, a suite of advanced connectivity and safety features that puts it right on the vanguard of fashion and technology.

Officially introduced in Malaysia, the fully-imported all-electric SUV arrives in its facelifted guise and goes on sale in three different battery pack variants.

Hyundai Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) is offering the Kona Electric with a price tag of RM 149,888 for the base-range e-Lite, RM 169,888 for the mid-range e-Plus and RM 199,888 for the range-topping e-Max.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona has a stance of 4,205 mm in length, 1,800 mm in width, 1,570 mm in height and a wheelbase spanning 2,600 mm.

The Hyundai Kona Electric exudes a front look that personifies electric. Its unique closed grille sets the tone for sleek lines that provide optimal aerodynamics.

The rear of the car exhibits a robust yet sleek layout. It can be seen sporting a rear bumper design that continues the styling theme set by the front end. The top of the rear gets a roof edge spoiler that really accentuates a sporty outlook.

The headlamps are full LED units featuring three overlapping light graphics. Then, paired with slim and pointed daytime running lights to give off an overall sharper look.

The tail lamps are also full led with a wraparound and angular shape layout. Located at the bottom are the fog lights that complete the whole rear outlook.

It is power adjusted and power folded, with turn-indicators.

All three variants are equipped with a set of 17-inch square-like star-shaped rims wrapped in 215/55 R17 tyres.

The dashboard gets an all-black look with silver trims as a finishing detail around the air-conditioning vents and the spokes of the steering wheel. Overall, it has a minimalist inspired style and the cockpit layout is elegantly and logically designed to ensure a better driving experience.

The Hyundai Kona Electric gets a 10.25-inch Supervision digital instrument cluster.

All three gets full leather upholstery with the two top ranging trims getting 10 ways electric adjustment for the driver and 8 ways electric adjustment for the passenger. As for the base trim, it only gets the manual seat adjustments for both the drive and passenger.

Front and rear occupants have no issues with space as the Hyundai Kona Electric has generous headroom, leg room and shoulder room.

It has practical little spaces like a center console storage box, medium sized glove box, front seatback pockets and front and rear door storage.

There are 4 cup holders. 2 in the front center console and 2 in the rear seat armrest. As for the bottle holders, it has 2 and is located at the front door side panels.

The Hyundai Kona Electric gets one 12V power socket located in the front and three USB port with two for charging and one for connectivity. Also available is a wireless charging pad.

It gets up to 332-litres of boot space and up to 1,114-litres with the rear seats folded.

All the Kona Electric models come equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), traction control and hill-start assist. Plus, also included is the Hyundai SmartSense safety suite, but there are differences in specification with the e-Lite and the two higher-range offerings.

The e-Lite comes with Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Lane Following Assist (LFA), Leading Vehicle Departure Alert (LVDA), high beam assist, rear occupant alert and driver attention warning, but the Forward Collision Assistance (FCA), is limited to only vehicles and pedestrians as it features only a camera but no radar.

The e-Plus and e-Max get the full complement, including the front radar, adding on Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Avoidance (RCCA) and Blind Spot Collision Avoidance (BCA), which can apply the brakes where necessary, in addition to providing warning, Safe Exit Warning (SEW), which alerts passengers to oncoming hazards, Smart Cruise Control with Stop and Go, and the FCA on the two top ranges add on the capability of detection for track cyclists.

Passive safety on both variants includes seat belt reminders with graphical indicators and seat belt pre-tensioners for all seats. As for airbags, the whole cabin is covered with 6 airbags in total, dual front, dual side, driver and passenger, front and side impact beams, door ajar warning, rear parking sensors and front parking sensors and an ISOFIX.

There are four drive modes available, which are Eco+, Eco, Normal and Sport.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona is installed with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with many features such as, Bluetooth and AUX connectivity, USB, navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto & Voice Recognition.

The SmartSense suite of driver assistance systems will make driving less fatigue and long-distance travels less of a burden for the driver as well as ensuring the safety of the occupants on board.

The Kona Electric features a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) with a Lithium-ion-Polymer battery type for all three variants. 

The e-Lite and the higher-specification e-Plus, they sport a 39.2 kWh motor that generates 136 PS and 395 Nm of torque.

As for the range-topping e-Max, it sports a 64-kWh motor that generates 204 PS and the same torque at 395 Nm.

It has a Single Speed Reduction Gear transmission with a Shift-By-Wire electronic system.

The first two ranges sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.9 seconds and hit a 155 km/h top speed.

The top range sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and hits a 167 km/h top speed.

The Kona Electric features two charging ports, a Type 2 AC and a CCS2 DC. 

The base e-Lite has a 7.2 kW onboard charger, and regular AC charging via the single-phase 7.2 kW route will take around 6.5 hours to get the six module (90 cells) battery from 10 percent to 80 percent state of charge (SOC).

The e-Plus and e-Max variants have a 11-kW onboard charger, and regular AC charging takes 4.5 hours for the 39.2 kWh and around 7.5 hours for the 64 kWh, which has a 10 module (98 cells) battery.

However, DC fast charging with a 50-kW charger takes 60 minutes for the 39.2 kWh model and 90 minutes for the 64-kWh version, with a 100-kW charger, it’s 47 minutes for both batteries. 

The e-Lite and the higher-specification e-Plus offers an operating range of 305 km on a single charge (WLTP cycle), whereas the range-topping e-Max with its larger battery gives it an operating range of 484 km (WLTP).

It has, smart keyless-entry with push-to-start button and remote start, rain sensor wipers, auto defogging function, inside rear view mirror with electronic chromic mirror (ECM), rear view camera equipped with dynamic parking guide, roof rack, automatic light control, welcome and follow-me home light functionality, tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment, single zone full automatic air-conditioning, advance tyre pressure monitoring system and paddle shifters with regenerative braking control.

The Hyundai Kona Electric feels flexible and firm at the same time. The steering has been tuned to suit the revised suspension and tyres. The car now delivers a comfortable yet connected steering feel, with more linear and balanced weighing at all speeds. The overall drive has been tuned to provide complete stability and grip to the driver.

It has good sound insulation, with very good NVH aspects, the ride is quiet, more refined and the road noise is mostly muted.