Hyundai Elexio vs Ford Fiesta

What's the difference?

The Elexio doesn't really push any boundaries in terms of its exterior design, its powertrain, or its battery. It doesn't drive itself. It doesn't look like a spaceship. And apart from some interior quirks, it's all pretty familiar in the way it goes about its business.

And I think maybe that's the point. Maybe that's what people are really looking for. Because Hyundai says this will be its best-selling EV in the country. And on our short test, we can't find too many reasons to disagree.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

Note: The author, Andrew Chesterton, is a co-owner of Smart As Media, a content agency and media distribution service with a number of automotive brands among its clients. When producing content for CarsGuide, he does so in accordance with the CarsGuide Editorial Guidelines and Code of Ethics, and the views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.

The Fiesta ST is an addictive car to drive. It's a modern classic and hard to beat when it comes to engaging performance and smile-inducing dynamics. Add in excellent value for money and you have a certified performance car bargain. 

I don't want to sound boring, but the thing I really like about the Elexio exterior package is there's nothing too challenging about it. Some of the Hyundai Ioniq cars can be a bit more polarising (and, in the case of the Ioniq 6, a lot more polarising) but there's none of that going on here.

It feels very clean, fairly timeless and like it's going to age pretty well. In short, it looks like a familiar family SUV with only really the full-width light bar, the cubed headlights and a bit of an architectural flourish at the rear three-quarter – which actually reminds me a bit of the Kia EV5 – giving it a more modern edge.

The wheels are 20 inches, there are only a handful of fairly predictable colours and it all just feels really familiar. But, as I mentioned, things do get a bit more out-there in the cabin.

Let's start with the good. I really like the fit and finish. It all feels very high quality and the materials used are lovely, including the velvet-like fabric in the door panels. I also like the square-edged steering wheel.

But the not so good? Now, the central screen looks great, but it controls everything – and I do mean everything. Apart from the steering-wheel controls, I couldn't locate a single physical button in the cabin.

The styling changes ushered in by the 2022 update are subtle. The Fiesta ST gains a revised front fascia with LED Matrix headlights, a larger grille with a repositioned Ford badge, and restyled bonnet and bumper. 

It gets a fresh 18-inch alloy wheel design and black tail-light surrounds at the rear. It also comes in two new exterior paint colours - 'Mean Green' and the 'Boundless Blue' of our test car.

The current-generation Fiesta ST has an appealing design that represents a clear evolution of its predecessor, and, arguably, it didn’t need much work this time around.

The ST’s sporty bodykit adds a touch of aggression but not in a boy racer sort of way. It’s a classic hatchback design with a bit of an edge. 

At just over 4.6m long, just under 1.9m wide, and just under 1.7m tall, the Elexio fits snuggly between the smaller Kona Electric and Bigger Ioniq 5 among Hyundai's electric family. In family vehicle terms, it's marginally shorter than the brand's petrol and hybrid-powered Tucson.

But owing to the magic of EVs and their flat floors, the Elexio feels massively spacious in the backseat. I'm 175cm, and had no trouble getting comfortable behind my own driving position, with plenty of leg and headroom. 

Tech is pretty strong, too. There are twin wireless charging pads up front, a total five USB-C ports, and a household style plug (which car companies call Vehicle to Load) located in the boot.

There's storage in the doors and centre console, including a storage drawer, and cupholders up front and in the pulldown divider that deploys over the middle seat in the back.

But the weirdest thing is the driver screen, which is the only straight-ahead access the driver has to things like speed or navigation directions. It's a very cool 3D-effect display, but it utterly disappears if you're wearing polarised sunglasses. 

That's actually pretty common with all head-up displays, but they usually are projected above a traditional driver's binnacle. In the Elexio, it's the disappearing screen or nothing.

To be fair, the central screen also displays speed and crucial information, but I hate having to turn my head to look at it. It's my least-favourite thing about Teslas, and if you're wearing polarised sunglasses, the Elexio ends up feeling a lot like that.

I do love that there is an actual control to select Drive, Reverse or Park, and I adore the addition of a physical stop/start button, too.

There's also an auto-opening boot which reveals a 506-litre space with the rear seats in place, and 1540 litres with the 60/40 split rear seats folded flat. Keep in mind there's no spare tyre taking up space, though. You'll be leaning on the repair kit should you get a flat.

As part of the update, the Fiesta ST gains new Recaro front sports seats that are firm and hug the body tightly. You feel well supported when cornering. The mix of synthetic leather and suede looks spot-on.

Like a number of sports-focused models, the ST features red stitching throughout the cabin - on the steering wheel, gearbox gaiter and air vent surrounds - and while it’s ubiquitous, it’s still a nice touch.

The chunky perforated leather steering wheel feels nice to touch, as does the metal gear knob. 

Cabin materials are a mix of soft-touch and hard plastics, and there’s carbon-fibre-look inserts on the dash.

There’s no denying Ford’s dash design is a huge improvement over the previous-generation Fiesta that ran from 2009, but the current model still lacks the polish of the VW Polo. It’s about on par with the Hyundai i20 N, although the Ford’s layout is a little busier.

In saying that, it’s hard to fault the cabin’s functionality. It has a deep central storage bin, which is larger than most cars in this category, a decent sized glove box, two-and-a-half cupholders in the centre console and storage for narrow bottles in the doors.

There’s a wireless charging dock behind the gear shifter, two USB ports (one in the storage bin and one next to the charger), as well as a 12-volt charger.

It’s nice to see the ST still has a manual park brake, too.

The facelift introduced a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster, and while some may lament the loss of analogue dials, it’s nice to see Ford taking the opportunity to improve the tech.

The multimedia is housed in a smallish 8.0-inch digital screen sitting atop the centre stack and it runs Ford’s Sync 3 system. 

Sync 3 functions well, is hard to fault and the menu layout is easy to navigate, but it is being left behind by competitors with more modern and appealing graphics. The latest version in the new Ranger will no doubt be a major improvement, but we won’t be seeing it in this generation of Fiesta.

The diminutive size of the Fiesta ST is more apparent when sitting in the rear seats. It’s pretty tight behind my 183cm (6ft) driving position, with my knees hitting the rear of the front seats. 

It’s a cramped space that’s not designed for long trips by adults. It has redundant tiny rear-side windows behind the C-pillar, but on the plus side, there’s acres of headroom. 

It lacks rear-seat air vents and the closest USB port is in the front centre storage compartment. Taller bottles won’t fit in the doors and it lacks a centre fold-down armrest, but it has map pockets.

The rear seats are flat and the Fiesta has outboard ISOFIX points for child seats.

Realistically, most people buying a car like this aren’t using it to haul children around so think of it as a two-seater with handy rear-seat storage.

The rear seats fold 60/40 but not flat. A space-saver spare wheel lives under the boot floor and it has a high boot lip, meaning you have to lift items up and over to get them in. 

At 311 litres, it’s a decent sized boot with usable space. It’s just one litre more than the Hyundai i20 N, and six litres more than the Polo GTI.

As far as mid-life updates go, the Fiesta ST’s isn’t significant. But the additions bring with it a bump in price. At $34,490, before on-road costs, it is $1200 more expensive than the previous version.

It still represents good value and is only $500 more than its newest rival, the Hyundai i20 N ($32,990 BOC). It’s quite a bit cheaper than the other big gun in the light hot hatch battle, the Volkswagen Polo GTI ($38,750 BOC).

Another offering in this group is the Suzuki Swift Sport which is the price leader, starting from $27,990 BOC.

Ford has specified a lot of standard gear for the price, including some niceties you don’t even get in pricier premium European cars.

It comes with a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel, heated front seats, Recaro sports seats, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, heated power door mirrors, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with digital radio, satellite navigation, 'Sync 3' multimedia with voice control and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and a 10-speaker audio system.

As with the pre-update model, the German-built ST is the only Fiesta variant available in Australia.

There’s just the one powertrain on offer here — with a front-mounted electric motor, so front-wheel drive, that produces 160kW and 310Nm. That makes the Elexio feel spritely enough, but it’s no rocket ship.

Under the Fiesta’s cute bonnet is Ford’s 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine delivering 147kW at 6000rpm and 320Nm at 4000rpm - the latter is an increase of 30Nm over the pre-facelift model.

Interestingly, it now matches the power and torque outputs of the Polo GTI. The i20 N pumps out 150kW and 304Nm.

The engine is exclusively paired to a six-speed manual gearbox - there is no auto transmission available - and it is front-wheel drive.

Delivering the driving power is an 88.1kWh LFP battery, which Hyundai says equates to a WLTP driving range of 546kms.

The Elexio’s E-GMP platform is a 400-volt architecture, which does limit DC fast charging to around 120kW – the Ioniq 5, for example, will charge in excess of 230kW. 

Hyundai says you’ll go from 10 to 80 per cent in around 38 minutes plugged into our fastest chargers. AC home charging is capped at 10kW.

Ford claims the Fiesta ST has an official combined cycle fuel use figure of 6.3 litres per 100 kilometres. 

After a week of predominantly inner city and freeway driving, we recorded a much higher 10.2L/100km. However, that was very shortly after an enthusiastic back-road blast to test its performance chops. We did see single-digit numbers throughout the week prior to that.

The Fiesta requires premium 95RON petrol and it has a 45-litre tank. CO2 emissions are 144g/km of CO2.

Ok, let's skip to the good part quickly. I really like the way the Elexio drives. Honestly, Hyundai (and, to be fair, Kia, Porsche, Polestar, Tesla, some German brands and Leapmotor with the new B10, amongst others I'm surely forgetting) are restoring my faith in how an EV can feel from behind the wheel.

It turns out they don't have to feel soft and saggy and come with a light sense of seasickness as standard. They can be engaging, connect you to the car and to the road below, and attack corners with some athleticism, too. 

And so it is with the Elexio, which – to be fair – has a spec sheet that reads a bit like a bedtime story, such is the lack of excitement in the numbers. A two-tonne-plus, front-wheel-drive family SUV that produces less power than a Toyota Camry doesn't exactly quicken the pulse.

And it's true that the flat-footed acceleration on offer won't knock your cap off (though it feels perfectly perky enough to get you up and moving). But the numbers don't tell the whole story here.

A sports car this ain't, but its driving nature perfectly suits the ethos of the car. The ride can feel a little harsh at times, but irons out most road imperfections to the point that you notice them, but they're not uncomfortable.

The steering is direct without being overly aggressive –though I prefer the sportiest setting with the heavier feel – and the body roll is minimal, too.

In fact, you can push the Elexio harder than you might think along twister roads, with plenty of confidence-inspiring stability and without too much complaint from the tyres. Because there's not a huge amount of power underfoot, and this is going to sound absolutely crazy, but it gave me (much-heavier) Mazda MX-5 vibes, in the sense that you can really feel like you're driving it without feeling like you're going to get yourself in too much trouble.

It’s easy to find your ideal driving position in the Fiesta ST, thanks to the reach and height adjustable steering wheel and the adjustable seat.

Aside from the extra 30Nm dollop of torque, Ford hasn’t changed anything else about the Fiesta ST mechanicals for 2022, but arguably, it didn’t need to.

The pre-facelift model could cover 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds, and while Ford has not revealed whether that has changed with the facelift, it feels about right.

It’s brisk from a standing start, without being neck-snappingly quick, but there is strong urge and a lack of noticeable turbo lag. There is, however, some axle tramp on take-off, particularly in the wet. We also detected some torque steer when pushing hard up a hill, but it was minimal. 

Speaking of, the little three-pot turbo engine is utterly unfazed by steep hills - it just keeps adding speed. A light kerb weight of 1218kg helps here. 

The three-pot turbo engine sounds wonderful when accelerating, and the Fiesta ST begs to be driven hard.

The engine is perfectly matched with the slick shifting six-speed manual gearbox that has lovely short throws and is a joy to use. Even if Ford offered an auto with the Fiesta ST, it would take away from the driving experience.

'Sport' mode ups the growl from the engine and throttle response, but it’s not a dramatic departure from 'Comfort' mode.

The ST’s strong brakes are bordering on sensitive, but the heavily weighted steering is incredibly sharp.

On a back road run, the front-wheel drive Fiesta ST comes alive, hugging corners confidently. 

On bends that would’ve seen many other cars come undone, the Fiesta’s tight, balanced chassis, grippy tyres and the standard mechanical limited slip differential ensure it maintains its composure.

The ride is undeniably firm, particularly around town in urban areas - you feel every speed bump. My partner found the ride a bit too much at times, but I was far more forgiving.

The Fiesta feels solidly built and has a level of refinement that’s missing from the likes of the Suzuki Swift Sport and Hyundai i20 N.

However, the cabin could do with more noise deadening materials as it can be quite rowdy at speed and on coarse chip roads. Another negative is the massive turning circle - a bit odd for a city-focused light hatchback.

But these are things I could happily live with. During my week with the Fiesta ST, I made any excuse to jump behind the wheel and go for a drive.

Me: “I’m just going to run to the shops to get pasta.”

My partner: “We’re not cooking pasta this week.”

Me: “Yeah but you never know when you need pasta. Bye!”

The Fiesta ST has not been tested by ANCAP for crash safety.

It comes with standard safety gear including auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, forward-collision warning, lane-keeping assist with lane-departure warning, speed-sign recognition, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

Given it’s a manual, it has old-school non-adaptive cruise control.

The Elexio is covered by Hyundai’s new seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, provided you service with Hyundai. If you don’t, then it's five years of coverage.

Service intervals are a pretty luxurious 24 months or 30,000kms, and Hyundai’s service plans will see you paying $779 at the two-year mark, and another $1118 at the four-year mark, which puts your annual cost at around $475.

I'd say that's about average, with the happily extended service intervals counterbalanced by slightly higher servicing costs than you might find with some competitors.

The Fiesta is covered by Ford’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and you get free roadside assistance and state/territory auto club membership each year that you service your car at a dealer, for up to seven years.

The servicing schedule is every year or 15,000km, whichever comes first. There’s a four-year/60,000km capped-price servicing program, which costs $299 per service. 

Ford also offers a free service car loan that can be booked in ahead of your service.