What is it?
If you haven’t been keeping count, this is now the fourth powertrain option to make its way into Hyundai’s popular compact crossover. Petrol, electric and since-retired diesel only provided so much choice - so you can now have your Kona as a hybrid as well.
It’s a familiar setup, with the same 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and 32kW electric motor as the Ioniq hybrid. Both work in parallel via a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox to drive the front wheels only, and the small 1.56kWh battery pack recharges itself entirely through braking and coasting.
Multi-link rear suspension is borrowed from the Kona Premium GT, with little else changed mechanically from the petrol car. Only minor exterior tweaks go with the vibrant palette of new colour options.
It’s a similar story inside the cabin, which was already well appointed in petrol guise. The Kona Hybrid does gain Bluelink, Hyundai’s connected car software, for remote unlocking through a smartphone app, along with live traffic, speed camera warnings and fuel prices.
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Hybrid savings (if you've the patience)
"the Kona Hybrid is certainly worth considering for the potential savings you could make at the petrol pumps" just bear in mind the 1.0t premium SE is £5,000 LESS. If you deduct £1,500 for the worth of an Auto box (if available) then it's £3,500 more.
Save, say 10% (£200) on fuel and £100 on tax a year you'll looking at payback in 11.5 years time by which time the car will be worth no more (maybe less) than the standard petrol verion. And that assumes nothing has gone wrong with the electric motor, additional battery or software.
Can’t argue with your maths xxxx
However you assume it’ll even be possible to sell a pure combustion car in 2030. Or what tax disadvantages/scrappage schemes will apply.
I’m not a betting man, but I’d back hybrids/bev’s to retain better value
Robbo
10 years
I'm pretty sure if you bought one today you'd be able to sell it secondhand in 10 years times. I'd go as far to say pure combustion cars will still be available new too, but that's pretty irrelevant.
xxxx wrote:
This was often the case for diesels over petrols, you needed to do a lot of miles before braking even, when we bought a scenic in 2000 on a PCP with 30k the mileage limit, I calculated I'd need to do over 90k miles to recoup the diesels extra outlay so bought a petrol. The only difference with this I think is what the future holds for the straight petrol version, it could get taxed to oblivion in the near future and I personally would have little concern over the hybrid tech as Prius and ima Honda's have been proven reliable so this should be no different. I know it's premium spec but if available the full electric version is not too far away price wise and if you head to MG the ZS is available for less, proving BEVs are becoming more affordable. Interesting times. All are still way too expensive for me though.