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Looking for a ‘small EV SUV’ to adventure beyond low emission zones? The outdoor focussed Hyundai Inster Cross could be the answer.
Hyundia’s ‘small EV SUV’ debut — the Inster — has received a rugged crossover facelift, targeting mini-adventures in the great outdoors.
We hear outdoor adventures; we think off road credentials. So, does the Inster Cross have four-wheel drive? Well, no. Does it have locking differentials? Er, no again. But as a ‘versatile electric city car with outdoor-focused design’, maybe these 4x4 features are a lot to ask.
So, what does this little sub-£30k e-SUV bring to the table?
The standard Inster’s small yet sturdy proportions remain on full show on the Cross, with the soft-focused pixel-graphic front lights taking centre stage on the convex façade. Think of the retro-futuristic Renault 5, but with a little less of the ‘retro’, and an injection of bulked-up bubbliness in its place.
‘the Inster somehow manages to look chunky, dainty, and friendly, all at the same time’
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But of course, this is the ‘outdoor focussed’ edition, so there’s been some changes. The overall smooth, soothing aesthetic is here offset by the new offroad-ey elements which include extended blacked-out bumpers, functional skid plates, and durable cladding. The upright, boxy silhouette is then extended further skyward by a roof rack which can be fitted with an optional roof basket.
Add in some bespoke 17-inch alloy wheels, and, overall, it maybe not quite be Inster-gram worthy, but the mix fresh components do come together nicely with the old, and the design intent remains clear.
In a world where there’s an eccentric 500-bhp Renault 5 Turbo 3E on its way, the Inster Cross’s 113-bhp may feel distinctly sensible. But for what it is, sensible may well be a good thing.
Rather than eye watering 0-60 figures (around 10 seconds here if you’re wondering), the 49 kwh battery and 85.5 kw motor combine to produce a range up to 223 miles. That’s a good chunk further than the Dacia Spring — a key electric ‘city SUV’ competitor — which can only muster 140 miles, but does fall slightly short of the lookalike Renault 5’s 248 miles.
So, it may not have the grunt required for any extreme off-roading, but we’d say it does have the juice needed to escape the cities’ LEZs for some countryside adventures — which is still a pro, even if it’s just a feature carried over from the base model.
In the cabin, it’s much the same story: leaning on the existing capabilities of the standard Inster, but with a little outdoorsy twist.
The dual 12.5-inch infotainment and instrument cluster screens are back, but now surrounded by some unique lime-yellow dashboard accents — evoking a sort of techie mountaineering gear aesthetic. This colour scheme is then carried across the interior trim, with high-vis elements popping out among grey cloth furnishings.
The Inster Cross should have you micro-voyaging in comfort too, as there’s substance beneath the interior style. This comes in the form of adjustable front and rear seats, the former of which can be heated along with the steering wheel, zonal air-con, and some pleasant ambient lighting. Oh, and should you want to let a little bit of nature in during your travels, there’s a nice little sunroof too.
Priced from £28,745, and available to order now, we can see an allure to Hyundai Inster Cross and its adventurous motives. However, we have been left with some questions around how much of this is already present in the standard Inster, and whether more could have been done to enhance the EV SUV’s outdoors-ing capabilities.
Hero image credit: Hyundai
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