Mini Aceman vs Hyundai Kona

What's the difference?

In many ways - range, performance and purchase price, for instance - the Mini Aceman is decent value, somewhat par for the course and would give its logical competition a proper marketplace run. But it’s better than that. The car’s big point of difference is its retro charm and the fact that it’s been tuned to be a fun drive rather than the non-confronting experience some carmakers strive for.

The performance is strong and the handling and steering serve up a bit of entertainment as well as giving the car a particular flavour. Which, as electric drivelines threaten to homogenise cars even further, must count for something.

Yes, some of what you’re paying goes towards that arguably nebulous notion of 'driving-spice' but once you’ve driven it, you’ll probably know what we’re talking about. A new car purchase is always special, so why not make that specialness last a bit longer with a car that will still be an entertainer long after the showroom thrill has worn off.

Meantime, it’s easy to see why Mini has already begun to run-out stocks of the cheaper E model. The SE still manages to play on that cheeky charm, but offers a more mature vehicle into the bargain. Not a bad trick, really.

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

The Hyundai Kona Premium Extended Range offers a great amount of passenger comfort and space but its ongoing costs are a bit more expensive for the class and its low safety rating is surprising given its strength in that category in the past.

However, it drives well, looks good, and has great storage space so it's still in the race!

Though vaguely retro on the outside, the real nostalgia hit comes when you step inside the Aceman.

The huge, round central display that’s been associated with the Mini brand since day one, returns, but this time in 240mm, OLED screen form.

The display is also where you get to choose how the instrumentation and information looks, with configurable display incorporating a total of eight modes that alter the colours, sounds and visuals of the screen. Is it cool? Er, yes, actually.

There’s also the Mini personal assistant at your service to crank up the heat when you’re cold and switch on the air conditioning when you’re not (all voice activated) and the personal assistant can also learn stuff such as knowing particular navigation co-ordinates mean you’re at the entrance to an underground car-park, at which point the car will wind down the driver’s window so you can flash your credit card. If you think about it too hard, that’s going to be more creepy than cool for some of us.

The move to electrification, of course, is environmentally driven, so the Aceman’s ethos leans into that, too. There is, for example, a complete absence of leather or chrome, the alloy wheels contain as much as 70 per cent recycled material and are produced with renewable energy.

The floor mats, floor structure and interior surfaces are made from at least 90 per cent recycled polyester, and Mini claims a 98 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases compared with the same stuff made from leather.

The design for the Kona has always been a win in my books because it’s cute and functional.

Hyundai also designed the EV Kona first then based the fuel-powered versions on it. So, you get a flat floor in the back row, a cool-looking front with extended body panelling and some futuristic pleating across the panels.

The exterior LED lights are pretty cool as a lot of them resemble pixels and can be found in multiple spots at the front and rear. The long LED strip light across the front also sets it apart from it's fuel-based siblings.

The interior exudes a good sense of luxury with its light-coloured leather upholstery and trims. Coupled with the sunroof the cabin space is bright and cheery.

The 64-colour ambient lighting adds a touch of fun and the update sees some minor tweaks to accent panels where black plastic has been dropped in favour of a brushed metal look.

The dashboard has been redesigned with dual 12.3-inch technology screens (one for media, one for instruments), now standard across all variants instead of just the top model, which is great to see.

Perhaps it’s the packaging designed to play the retro card, but I can’t help feeling the door openings on this car are pretty tight. The rear doors, in particular, seem designed for someone smaller than I, and even once I’m in the news doesn’t really improve.

The Aceman’s rear pew seems tight for both foot and legroom and should you have an adult in the back seat, they’re only going to fit by having somebody smaller in the front seats. The chances of a six-footer (183cm) sitting behind a driver of similar stature are pretty slim (over a distance, anyway).

This is all to do with Mini keeping the overall length of the car to just over four metres, and stuffing a compact SUV into that space.

Perhaps that also explains the giant blind spot formed by the thick B-pillar. Either way, taller drivers will find themselves peering around it when crossing or tuning into intersections.

The seats themselves, however, are quite charming. They look a bit small with their cloth trim, but in reality, they’re comfy and supportive. The pleated John Cooper Works front seats that are standard in the SE are phenomenally good. The only thing missing is that distinct smell of leather we’d normally associate with a 60-grand car.

The traditional row of toggle switches under the central screen remains… sort of. These days, they’ve been modified to act as the starter button for the keyless start system and also the gear selector. The problem is that they’re gloss black on a black background, so they can seem a bit indistinct.

The gear selector has also been reinvented – again – with a separate Park button now to the side of the toggle. The other ergonomic glitch I noticed was every time I went for the interior door handle to leave the car, I fumbled for a second till I located it, tucked up under the armrest.

The clean, uncluttered dashboard means a couple of items have moved to the space between the front seats. So, there’s a pair of cupholders, a small, lidded compartments and a pair of USB charge-points all living in the real estate between the front chairs. That’s in the SE, anyway, because the cheaper E retains only the cupholders.

The luggage space is deeper than a lot of EVs manage and the rear seat folds 60/40 to open up a huge area if you don’t need the seats. With the rear seat up, there’s 300 litres of capacity and, with the seat folded, that leaps to 1005 litres.

There are three child restraint tether points, and the luggage space is served by a 12 volt socket.

There’s also a luggage cover that can be quickly removed for taller items. The tailgate is manually operated.

There are also three ISOFIX attachment points for child seats; two on the rear seat and one on the front passenger seat.

The Kona's size has increased for its second generation, which means more occupant space and storage capacity. The front offers more space than you’d expect for a small SUV and I’d describe it as roomy, even for someone taller than my 168cm height.

The rear row also has fantastic head- and legroom for the class but it's the storage options which clinch the practicality for me.

Up front the centre console is still the hero for storage with multiple nooks and spaces for items like keys, phones and wallets. You get two retractable cupholders, a 1.5L drink bottle holder in each door and a good-sized middle console and glove box.

In the rear, you get map pockets, 0.7L drink bottle holders in each door and two cupholders in a fold-down centre armrest.

The boot sees an additional 33L, expanding the overall capacity to 407L with all seats in use. That jumps up to 1241L when the rear row is folded. Underneath the adjustable floor, you get a temporary spare wheel.

The electric front seats aren’t as comfortable as the previous generation. They’re narrower, firmer and sit a bit higher than I remember. Though I still love the added comfort functions they have, including a reclining relaxation mode. 

The rear seats are better cushioned and offer longer under-thigh supports and middle seaters should be comfortable thanks to the flat floor. 

The technology looks good and the 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system is easy to use once you spend some time with it. You get built-in satellite navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto.  

The 12.3-inch digital instrument panel isn't customisable but all information is easily seen as is the colour head-up display.

Charging options are great throughout the car with each row getting two USB-C ports, the front also featuring a wireless charging pad and 12-volt outlet. The next-gen model sees the Kona get V2L (Vehicle To Load) capability, too, which is great.

There are a whopping eight variants for the Kona range and you have a choice of four powertrains – petrol, turbo-petrol, hybrid or fully electric like our flagship Premium Extended Range model.

The model on test is priced from $68,000, before on-road costs, and that positions it in the middle of its rivals.

Based on a NSW, 2000 postcode you can pick up the Kia Niro EV GT-Line for $66,590 MSRP and the Volvo C40 Plus variant for $78,990 MSRP.

The most affordable rival is the newcomer, Renault Megane E-Tech for $64,990 but it's important to note the E-Tech is only offered in a mid-spec variant for the Australian market at the moment.

Compared to it's rivals, the flagship electric Kona is well-priced but it’s a hefty $20K jump up from the equally equipped top petrol version.

Being top dog, you should expect a host of premium features like a sunroof, heated, ventilated and power-adjustable front seats, heated rear outboard seats, a heated steering wheel and eight-speaker premium Bose audio.

The front seats also feature a 'relaxation mode' where they act as a recliner, providing a comfortable option for charging sessions.

Practical features include a handsfree powered tailgate, 27L frunk storage, remote parking assist (from the key fob), over-the-air updates for the built-in satellite navigation and Hyundai connected services app.

Unusually for an EV, you also get a temporary spare wheel in this model instead of a repair kit.

Other features include some A-grade tech like dual 12.3-inch technology screens, fast USB-C ports, a wireless charging pad, and vehicle-to-load function in the form of a three-pin standard house socket so you charge larger appliances.

Things kick off the with the E model’s 135kW electric motor that also produces 290Nm of torque. That, says Mini, is enough to get it from rest to 100km/h in just under eight seconds. The motor is powered by a 38.5kWh battery living under the floor

The SE gets more battery and more power; 49.2kWh and 160kW, respectively, with 330Nm of torque on tap as well. The claimed 0-100km/h time falls almost a second to 7.1sec.

A single-speed reduction transmission is fitted and the electric motor in both models is a single one, driving the front wheels in true Mini tradition.

Of course, the other aspect of a Mini’s driving experience is its go-kart handling. To that end, the Mini EV is tuned for handling and response and features a MacPherson strut front end and a multi-link suspension arrangement at the rear. Potentially offsetting that sidestep, however, is the car’s heft which, at 1.6 tonnes, is very un-Mini.

The Premium Extended Range model is front-wheel drive and has an electric motor with outputs of 150kW and 255Nm.

It’s not as spritely as some of its rivals but it’s able to hold its own on the open road. Just don't expect it to blow your hair back.

Mini claims a power consumption figure of 14kWh per 100km for the E and 14.4 for the SE. Theoretically, that should give the E a (WLPT) range of 310km and the SE a claimed maximum of 406km.

In reality, you’ll be looking for a power-point before that, because those are both maximum range projections and, in highway conditions, without the regeneration potential of suburban running, you’ll use more power per 100km travelled.

Both version of the Mini EV can use fast chargers, the E model capable of 75kW DC charging, and the SE’s bigger battery able to handle 95kW. Charging at home on an 11kW AC outlet is also possible but, obviously, takes a lot longer to reach full charge.

For DC charging, the Mini uses a CCS Type 2 charging plug.

Speaking of which, on that 75kW fast charger, the E’s battery will go from 10 to 80 per cent charged in 28 minutes, while the bigger battery in the SE will take 31 minutes, its faster charging offset by its larger battery capacity.

At 11kW AC, the Aceman E can go from discharged to fully charged in four hours, 15 minutes, while the SE will take five-and-a-half hours.

The official energy consumption figure for the Premium Extended Range model is 16.7kWh/100km and a week of mostly urban road driving resulted in an average of 16.6kWh/100km.

That's very good consumption and the official driving range from the 64.8kWh lithium-ion battery is up to 444km but I’d have my eye on the range on a longer journey.

The top electric Kona has a Type 2 CCS charging port which means you can benefit from faster DC charging speeds.

But it can also accept a top speed of 10.4kW on AC power. On an 11kW AC charger, you can go from 0-100 per cent in a little over 6.5-hours.

The Premium Extended Range model can only accept up to 100kW on DC charging, which is lower than its rivals, and you can go from 10-80 per cent in just over an hour on a 50kW system and in as little as 45 minutes on an 100kW system.

Again, it's figures are a tad slower and lower than rivals but not inconvenient for everyday use.

Much is made by Mini of its tradition of go-kart-like handling. And fair enough, it’s one of the things that allows the Mini brand to justify a premium price-point. And the good news is that this version, electric driveline notwithstanding, continues that theme. Position the manually-adjustable steering column to the right spot and suddenly, you’re in a car that encourages you to enjoy the drive.

The steering is light but accurate and is actually one of the better calibrated modern, electrically-assisted set-ups we’ve sampled for a while.

The only thing it doesn’t do is give the feeling that you’re sitting right over the physical point in the car that it rotates around when it corners.

Instead, you get the impression of there being a fair bit of Mini nose jutting out in front of you, with the driver’s seat positioned well back in the cabin.

Given the extra length of the five-door layout, that’s not completely unexpected, but it’s something drivers of short-wheelbase Minis will perhaps note.

What that doesn’t affect is the way the car feels tied down pretty well, but never degenerates into a crashing, buck-board. Despite the flat cornering, there’s always some suspension travel left, it seems, and the damping is clearly spot on as it arrests wheel movement without interfering with the fun.

There’s plenty of grip, too, and if you play the Mini game and hustle it through a few corners, the Aceman quickly reveals its fun side, which is precisely the point here.

The instant urge of an electric drivetrain is also very much in evidence and flooring the throttle pedal results in an instant surge of Newton-metres. I could do without the Warner Brothers soundtrack (and I did, by turning it off) but the acceleration itself is pretty impressive without being confronting (as some EVs with their brutal delivery can feel).

The only other thing we’d comment on is a level of tyre and road noise that is far from best in class. Okay, so a bit of tyre roar is okay, and it’s only audible at all because silence from traditional mechanical sources is such an EV thing.

The top model's single motor delivers smooth power in most instances but you can lose traction if your accelerate too quickly from a standstill.

Mostly urban kilometres covered during this test and despite the Kona not having the punchiest motor, I’ve still had moments of it feeling zippy.

The steering feels like it’s in the middle of firm and makes for responsive manoeuvring. You get some roll when cornering and the car can feel a bit light-footed when you’re shooting across traffic but otherwise it's well-balanced.

The ride comfort is very good in terms of suspension, where it feels well-cushioned but not too floaty.

Road noise isn’t intrusive, either, but there's some wind noise, even at lower speeds.

It’s an old gripe but the speed-sign recognition tech in a lot of Hyundai and Kia models is intrusive and annoying with how often it chimes at you.

It's worth the effort to turn off the warning sounds every time you drive, particularly if you're in the city. Usually, this would be in the safety section but it affects the driving enjoyment.

When it comes to parking, the Kona's compact dimensions make it your best friend in a car park. A fabulously clear 360-degree camera system also helps.

The 2024 electric Kona has a long list of safety systems but surprisingly its previous-generation model’s five-star ANCAP safety score hasn’t been matched, with the new version getting four stars from testing in 2023.

Penalty points have been applied across a few items and its individual protection scores for vulnerable road users and safety assist systems are at 64 per cent and 62 per cent, respectively. 

The Kona has seven airbags, including a front centre airbag and a highlight feature is the blind-spot view monitor which shows you a camera feed of your blind spot on the dashboard.

Other standard features include blind-spot monitoring, driver attention warning, safe exit warning, rear occupant alert, full LED lights, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree view camera system, as well as front, rear and side parking sensors.

The Kona has AEB with forward collision warning which is operational from 5.0-85km/h for pedestrian and vulnerable road user detection and 10-180km/h for car detection.

For any families out there, the Kona has ISOFIX child seat mounts on the rear outboard seats and three top-tether anchor points but two seats will fit best.

The Mini factory warranty was extended a couple of years ago to five years/unlimited kilometres. That’s an improvement on the three years the brand previously covered, but it’s still well short of the seven, eight and even 10 years of some competitors. In the fully electric Aceman’s case, there’s also eight years/160,000km worth of cover for the high-voltage battery. There’s also five years of roadside assistance thrown in.

There are no set service intervals for the Aceman, Mini instead preferring to use the concept of condition based servicing which involves the car telling you when its ready for maintenance. There’s capped price servicing available which costs $1371 for the first four years.

Beyond that, running costs will depend heavily on where and how your charge the car. Charging at home form a solar array will be the cheapest, while using commercial fast-chargers will inevitably ratchet up your running costs.

Servicing costs for the Hyundai Kona are quite expensive for the class and you can pre-purchase one, two or three services. Services cost $520 (one service), $1040 (two services), or $1560 (three services). It's typical to see EV servicing sit closer to the $250 mark.

Warranty terms are pretty typical, though, the Kona coming with a five-year/unlimited km warranty and the battery covered by an eight-year, or up to 160,000km warranty term.

Servicing intervals are every two years or 30,000km, whichever occurs first.