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Hyundai's 2022 Kona Electric features a simpler, smoother design

It offers similar performance and the same 258-mile range as last year's model.

Hyundai has unveiled the 2022 Kona Electric with a cleaner design, but no significant changes to range and performance. Where the previous model had crisscross indents on the grill (to hide the charging port), the new model has a clean front end, other than said port. On the back end, Hyundai has gotten rid of the cladding found around the rear wheels, giving the Kona Electric a simpler, smoother design. It also gets new alloy wheels optimized for airflow, plus newly designed headlights and LED taillights.

Hyundai's 2022 Kona Electric
Hyundai's 2022 Kona Electric (Hyundai)

The interior gets a slightly more dramatic makeover, with the former 7-inch center touchscreen and dash replaced by a pair of 10.25 screens offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also has a cleaner finish around the dash, along with wireless charging in the center storage compartment. Buyers will have the option to get Hyundai's BlueLink system that lets you control your car with a smartphone, and get key info about range, charge times and charging station locations.

The Kona Electric also gets new acoustic windshield glass, along with extra insulation around the instrument panel and in the cargo hold -- something that should make an already-quiet interior even quieter.

Inside, the Kona Electric still packs a single 201 horsepower electric motor that kicks out 291 pound-feet of torque, and the same 64 kWh battery. As such, it should offer the same 258-mile range as before, and similar charging times (10-80 percent charge on a Level 3 DC fast charger, and nine hours to a full charge with 240-volt level 2 charging. Performance should also be roughly the same, with a zero to 60 MPH time of around 6.4 seconds.

The Kona Electric will hit Korea first, but should arrive in the US sometime this spring. Prices will start at just under $40,000 before rebates, making it slightly more expensive than last year's model.