Page 55 - Motor Trend (April 2020)
P. 55

Hyundai Kona Electric vs. Hyundai Kona 1.6T  I  COMPARISON




























































































             WE DRIVE TWO HYUNDAI KONAS, IDENTICAL EXCEPT FOR

                  WHAT’S DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT UNDER THE HOOD.
             WHICH IS THE BETTER EXPERIENCE?


             (Volvo is scheduled to release an electric                                                thus which powertrain) best handles the
             XC40 late this year, and the Kia Niro is     For most of us, how a car handles the ins    doldrums of daily driving.
             offered as a hybrid and an EV.)              and outs of the weekday commute and             In a lot of ways the Hyundai Kona is
               Using a Kona Electric and a Kona           weekend errands is the most relevant         the perfect medium for this test. For
             1.6T, we devised a series of tests to see if   factor in a new car purchase, so testing   starters, we happen to really like both
             average Americans could rely on an elec-     director Kim Reynolds and I decided          the gas- and electric-powered Konas;
             tric car as their sole mode of transit—and   we’d start there. Each of us would spend a  we named the entire lineup an SUV of
             with all things equal, determine which       week living with each of the Konas, with     the Year finalist in 2019. Its subcom-
             powertrain is more rewarding to drive.       the aim of figuring out which model (and      pact tall-hatchback body style is also



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