Choose Kona over Niro/Soul?

Discussion in 'Hyundai Kona Electric' started by SkookumPete, Jun 3, 2019.

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  1. My son has a Tesla M3, and I could give you a long list of why the Kona, and probably the e-Niro is better. But just for starters, the M3 has very uncomfortable hard leather seats (makes for a sweaty butt), hard to get into and out of, no CarPlay or AndroidAuto, even his extended range version is only about equal at best to the Kona, paid a fortune for options, tires, roof rack, etc., terrible in snow even with winter tires (RWD), and lots of little mechanical problems and bugs (spent lots of time in the shop), and more. And that center monitor is a huge distraction. When I ride with my son, he can't go 5 min without looking and poking at it.

    Only real advantage is that it has more power, but how much do you need. The Kona (and e_Niro) with 291 ft-lbs torque is no slouch either.

    The big diff with the Kona and e-Niro is back seat room. So if that is a priority, choose the Niro. For us, I like the extra garage room with the Kona. I don't spend any time in the back row,... haha.
     
    XtsKonaTrooper and BC-Doc like this.
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  3. FloridaSun

    FloridaSun Well-Known Member

    For me, it came down to the expiring tax rebate and the US lifetime warranty on the battery of the Kona..
    If Tesla would have been still eligible for the $7500 tax credit, I would likely have the mid range Model 3 now. I do not by any means regret going with the Kona.. Awesome car but the Tesla is a awesome car too..
     
  4. WMA

    WMA New Member

    I have leather-like seats in my Kona so I think it would be similar to the M3. I think both Kona and M3 have ventilated seats. I use it all the time in the summer otherwise I would get sweaty butt and back. I haven't sat in a M3 for a long drive so can't say if the Kona seats are more comfortable but I have no complaints about the Kona seats. The high seats on the Kona does make it easier to get in/out but if you are taller than 5'10" you have to watch banging your head against the top when getting in.

    Haven't tried AndroidAuto or Carplay as I wish it was connected by bluetooth so I could just drop my phone into the charging pad instead of plugging in every time. So this is not a factor for me when choosing a car.

    M3 definitely less range than the Kona and cost 20K more to get the same range.

    I hear lots of complaints about bug and defects on the M3 and service time...that's usually the biggest complaint about Tesla. As the company is fairly new it will take them time to work out everything and get the infrastructure to service all the vehicles. I'm hoping in the future these will be remedied.

    I like the minimalist design and large screen of the M3...people either love it or hate it.

    Power doesn't matter to me as most newer EV have plenty of power. I only drive around 60km/h everyday anyways. I rarely even take it on the highway.

    Space wise it would be nice to have the little extra room but not for an extra $3K as 99% of the time I'm driving by myself. The folding back seats provide lots of space for larger items. I removed all the foam and covers at the back so there is a lot of extra space. Haven't found anything that couldn't fit in there yet.
     
    BC-Doc likes this.
  5. I like model 3's over the air updates and software automation, right at the moment I don't think they have a rival here. Oddly model 3 does not have ventilated seat, heated steering wheel nor cloth seats as options. While these are not deal killers for me not having service support closer than 1200 km and the low slung sedan thing were.
     
  6. They are not perforated either like the Kona. Kona seats are very comfortable compared to the M3. The over the air updates are for the constant bug fixes, and pay for options, like auto pilot, which gives you ACC.
     
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  8. Should we add Tesla to the tile of this thread?
     
    R P likes this.

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