WOW. That was my first reaction when I peeked into the cabin of the all-new Hyundai
Then I slid inside and wow changed to why. With an upper-case question mark.
The cabin of the Elexio has a lovely plush look and feel, and the giant display screen is a scene stealer. But …
Why is the display almost entirely on the left-hand side, away from the driver’s eye line?
Yes, there is a teeny and natty heads-up display for speed and EV range, but …
Why the massive distraction on the left-hand side of the dashboard, which almost requires a passenger – co-pilot – for minor things like de-activating the driver assistance or changing the temperature on the air conditioning?
It’s just one in a number of buts for a car which should be a straight-up winner for Hyundai.
There are plenty of positives. It’s a mid-sized battery-electric SUV with a claimed range of 550 kilometres, it’s built in China to keep the price down, it has the usual Australian tuning of the suspension, and it is very well equipped and nicely finished.
But the introductory pricetag, $59,990 driveway for the Elexio Elite, has already expired unless you can find a car in stock at a nearby dealer. So the ‘real’ price is $61,990, but there is a cheaper ‘basic’ car – losing many frills – at $58,990 before the on-road costs.
But the driving experience is not as good as you expect from a Hyundai, with some lumpiness in the ride, and the driver-assistances – definitely the lane-keeping ‘assist’ – is over-aggressive.
And it’s built in China.
The China move is obvious, since it’s the heartland for electrification – even Tesla builds cars there – and helps cap the pricing. It also means the Elexio is a (very) close cousin to the Kia EV5, which it undercuts on price despite them sharing the same electric motor and battery pack.
But enough of the buts, because the car is fairly impressive.
The design is good for the mid-sized SUV scene, where almost everything is a giant box, with a very airy cabin and a back-end shape – which reminded me of the Mercedes R-Class that was hugely criticised – which provides good vision for the rear-seat passengers and more useable luggage space.
The Elexio goes well enough, it has regenerative braking that can be adjusted by what would be shift paddles in a combustion car, and the seats are comfy. The driver’s side even has bolsters which inflate – something I also remember from an S-Class Benz – to give cornering support.
But the ride is not as good as I would expect, although typical of battery cars, and the cornering is nothing special.
The electric range is good and it cost me only $26.47 for around a 50 per cent top-up at my local fast charger. It genuinely topped 500 kilometres, which has become the standard for properly useable EVs in Australia.
The heads-up display is clear and provides the essential speed reading, but I missed physical buttons for the aircon and other minor controls. But I should mention the headlights, which are excellent.
Hyundai is not selling as many EVs in Australia as it would like, despite the hotrod credentials of its super-quick N models, so the Elexio is a very important car for the brand.
It’s good, but there is room for improvement.
Price: from $59,990 driveway
Engine: single electric motor, 160kW/310Nm
Gearbox: single speed, front-wheel drive
Range: 546km claimed
Safety: not tested
The tick: No … screen is a deal breaker.