India-bound Hyundai Inster Electric Reviewed
Hyundai is India’s second largest car manufacturer and they currently have a variety of cars and SUVs in their line up. Few years ago, Hyundai launched the Casper micro SUV abroad but, we never got that in India. Now, Hyundai has introduced an electric version of the same Casper micro SUV and it is called Inster. There are reports that suggest Hyundai will be launching the Inster EV in India by 2026 and enter the affordable EV segment to compete with the likes of Citroen eC3 and Tata Tiago.ev. We have seen several images of this EV online and now here we have first drive review of the same.
The video has been shared by CarsceneKorea on their YouTube channel. In this video, the vlogger drives the all-new Hyundai Inster on the roads of Korea and shares his experience. He starts by talking about the exterior and interior of the Inster. He mentions that the design looks heavily inspired from the Casper.
The micro SUV does get EV specific changes like closed front grille, large round headlamps with LED DRLs, LED turn indicators and a faux skid plate below the air dam. The rear also gets Parametric tail lamps like seen on other Hyundai EVs. First thing he liked about the car was its size. He mentions that it is extremely easy to park and drive around.
He drives the car on the road soon realises that it is a good handler. It is heavier than the Casper due to the battery pack placed under the floor. He liked the Inster more than the Casper in terms of driving.
It is quick, it offers ample space and comes with decent number of features too. The car is available with two battery pack options. The 49 kWh battery pack version generates 115 Ps and 147 Nm of torque. The smaller 42 kWh battery pack variant generates 97 Ps and 147 Nm of torque.
Both these variants feel quick to drive and the vlogger really enjoyed it. He even compares this with the Mini Cooper JCWs because of its size. He mentions that seats in the Inster are not the most comfortable. The SUV does offer exteremely practical features like 360 degree camera, ventialated seats and even an electric sunroof along with several storage spaces.
While he really liked several things about the Inster, vlogger also mentions a few things that he didn’t like in the Inster. He wished that Hyundai would have offered a faster charging setup for the Inster like many expensive models. Other than that he also talks about the NVH levels. The cabin insulation is pretty good but, he can still here the noise from the motor while decelerating.
Other than these few issues, he feels it is a perfect city car but, if you want to use it for long highway drives, it has got decent battery pack which would let you do that too. It should be noted that the vlogger is talking it from the Korean roads perspective where the charging infrastructure and roads are better than what we have here. In short, the vlogger was really impressed with the Hyundai Inster EV.