What's the difference?
There are really only four things you need to know about the all-new Hyundai Inster. It's small outside, yet surprisingly big inside. It's all electric. It's cute as a button. And it's as practical as a Swiss army knife.
Actually, there's one more thing. It's cheap for an EV. But it's still not that cheap, given the wave of cut-price Chinese product now on our shores.
So, can the Hyundai Inster carve itself a slice of the entry-level EV market?
Electric cars. Australia now has quite a few, and to add more confusion to the mix, there are a litany of all-new brands releasing models into this new frontier of the automotive landscape.
Most new electric cars are in Australia’s favourite buying category, the SUV, but there’s also a ute, some odd sedan-y things, and, of course, a handful of hatchbacks.
Hailing from Spain, the Cupra Born sets itself apart from the rest for a few reasons though. Firstly, it promises to be a hot hatch, something we haven’t really seen much of yet, and secondly, it has to bear the burden of launching Volkswagen Group’s all-electric MEB platform to the Australian market, but most importantly for Australians keen to hop into their first electric car, it promises to do this while offering a long range at a reasonable price.
Can it really do it all? We attended the Cupra Born’s Australian launch to find out.
The target market for the Inster isn't huge, and Hyundai knows it won't be a runaway best-seller for the brand. But those in the market for a bite-sized EV will find the Inster feels bigger, and drives better, than they might expect.
The Cupra Born has so much going for it. An appealing price, long range, and super cool design chief among them.
I think the main thing holding it back will be that it doesn’t quite have the same out-and-out performance people have come to expect from a ‘hot hatch’ in the era of cars like the VW Golf R.
Importantly though, it delivers huge dollops of fun and driver engagement, something that's quite rare in the electric era.