00:00what should a city car be like small agile clever this is the hyundai insta and it's
00:06like a combination of the original renault twingo and a volkswagen up let's see if it's any good
00:37so
00:44so
01:01Hyundai Insta is an extended version of the Casper, a model which has been on offer in
01:07Korea since 2021.
01:09Remember the Hyundai Atos?
01:12Casper replaced it, and since it is less than 360 cm long, it meets the light vehicle's
01:18regulations, so it qualifies for tax incentives, something that the EU should think about instead
01:24of promoting large heavy SUVs.
01:26The Insta, or Casper Electric in Korea, is 382.5 cm long, and these days, it's hard to
01:35find a car of similar dimensions in Europe.
01:37We either have smaller models, such as the Hyundai i10, Suzuki Ignis, or Toyota Aigo Cross,
01:44or larger ones, like the Hyundai i20, Citroën C3, or Toyota Yaris.
01:50Of the cars still available new that the Insta is closest to in terms of dimensions is the
01:57Mitsubishi Space Star.
01:58Among the models that have disappeared from the market or have been replaced by newer and
02:02larger generations, the Insta is roughly the size of the Audi A2, early generations of Citroën
02:09C3, the Peugeot 206, or the early generations of Renault Clio.
02:15Design is bold, quirky, and fun, like the original Renault Twingo.
02:20The Twingo was also quite practical, like the Volkswagen App, which did not see a second
02:26generation because it was killed, like many other small cars, by European regulations.
02:32But why the Insta, and not, for example, the Ioniq one?
02:36Because, like the Hyundai Kona, the Insta is not built on a dedicated EV platform.
02:40Regardless, it has a long wheelbase.
02:42At 258 centimeters, it's larger than some B-segment cars.
02:46Unfortunately, there is no frunk, but there is a charging socket in the front.
02:53Here, a few words about battery and charging.
02:56The Insta comes in 42 and 49 kilowatt hour battery variants.
03:00That's 39 and 46 kilowatt hours net.
03:03This is the bigger battery variant.
03:06Peak DC charging power is 85 kilowatts, and the onboard AC charger takes 11 kilowatts.
03:12So, fast charging, 10 to 80 percent in 30 minutes, and about 4 and a half hours to full from
03:17a wool box.
03:21The Insta is an example of intelligent use of space.
03:25Remember the Honda E and its pitifully small boot?
03:28At first glance, the Insta doesn't seem to be any better, but with space under the boot floor,
03:35there is actually 280 liters, and with the seats moved forward, even 351 liters.
03:41I will add that at the very bottom, under the carpet, there is also a compartment for repair kit.
03:47Meanwhile, the Honda E, which was a larger car than the Insta, had only a 171 liter boot.
03:58In the back, even with the seats pushed all the way forward,
04:02I still have legroom behind the driver's seat set to my driving position.
04:05I'm 175 centimeters tall, and after sliding the seat all the way back,
04:10both the driver and the passenger in the rear could be even taller, because there is still some headroom left.
04:17Okay, I have my thighs up in the air, the batteries under the floor forced the designers to make a
04:22choice how tall the vehicle is supposed to be, they decided they do not want a van.
04:28There are no cup holders in the back, and there is only one USB-C port. However, the inserts you
04:34see on
04:35the doors and the seats allow you to attach accessories. I didn't see any standalone cup
04:40holders among them, but there is a folding tray table with a place to secure a cup. The only two
04:47IceFix anchor points are on the two rear seats, and there are only two rear seats. The Insta is
04:53homologated as a four-seater. Therefore, the rear seat is divided 50-50. Both halves slide and can be
05:00folded flat. And check this out, you can also fold the front passenger seat and the driver's seat as
05:07well, which gives you a flat-ish space measuring some two meters in length to lie down. At the widest
05:15point, it's about one and a half meters, and in the narrowest in the boot, 95 centimeters. Since it's
05:20an electric car, you can leave it on to have heating working all night, and there's also a 230 volt
05:26socket
05:26to, I don't know, power a kettle? Now, if you are planning to sleep in the car more frequently,
05:35I'd get some sort of a mattress, and don't take too much luggage, unless you're gonna use your bags as
05:41pillows. The cockpit of the Insta is a greatest hits of Hyundai parts bin. There's something from
05:53the Ioniq 5, something from the Tucson, and probably from some other models as well. Since these are not
05:59elements from the most recent models, it also means old infotainment, in which Apple CarPlay and
06:04Android Auto are wired. Maybe after the facelift, this will change. Apart from this inconvenience,
06:10the cockpit is exactly what I expect from a car. This is what Volkswagen used to be before 2020.
06:15There is a display on which you can set things that are used less often, and there are physical
06:21buttons for the most important functions, including air conditioning. Does the upholstery look familiar?
06:28Remember the first generation Kia Soul? There was a custard paint job version, and there was a
06:36houndstooth pattern applied on the bonnet and on the tailgate, and repeated on the upholstery.
06:41It looks like Hyundai took inspiration from Kia's design archives. I say, go for it! Almost 20 years later,
06:49it still looks cool. On the doors, more goodies from the options catalog. Here a card holder,
06:56maybe for a charging card or a parking card. Do we still use these instead of apps? Above the left
07:03knee
07:03is a parking brake, headlight level adjustment, steering wheel heating, and ESP. On the steering
07:10wheel, there are buttons for cruise control and media, and a special button, more about which in a moment.
07:16During a test drive, pay attention to the gauge cluster. Anna, who is 160 centimeters tall,
07:22can't see the upper part of the dials, regardless of how we set the seat and the steering wheel.
07:27Of course, within a range that ensures safe and comfortable driving position for her.
07:31The infotainment system is mainly good for displaying Android Auto and driver aids. While the
07:37audible speed warning can be turned off by long pressing the mute button on the steering wheel,
07:42I recommend turning off the driver attention warning system every time as well, because it's overzealous,
07:50and this is why it's worth to program the special button on the steering wheel, so that pressing it
07:55takes you into the driver aid settings. Below the screen are the aforementioned much coveted physical
08:04AC controls. Then there's a wireless charger, which is unnecessary because the phone is always
08:09dangling on a cable for Android Auto to work. Lower is another cubby, which is so low that you'll remember
08:16about things you left there only when you bend to plug something into the 230 volt socket, like the
08:22kettle I mentioned earlier. So this is a place where you could, I don't know, put a
08:27power brick for stuff and things. Not very easy to reach. Still, having a kettle in a car, brilliant idea.
08:38The cup holders are between the driver and the passenger in the seat cushion. Be careful because
08:43one of them is under the armrest, so taller vessels can only be placed in the front one. You can
08:49hang a
08:50second larger bottle, for example, on a door hook on the passenger side, because the door pockets are very
08:56slim. Above the glove box is a shelf with the USB and 12 volt outlets. Below is an average size
09:03glove box.
09:04Around the passenger's left knee there is another hook, maybe for a purse. A very sensibly designed
09:11interior, especially considering the small space that the engineers had to work with.
09:31Depending on the battery capacity, the Insta has 97 or 115 horsepower and up to 327 or 370 kilometers range,
09:41respectively. A little less on the 17-inch rims, this is the larger battery and higher trim variant,
09:46so it's more powerful and it has larger wheels. I'm reviewing this car early in the spring of 2025,
09:54when it's still rather chilly and windy at times. Daytime temperature is below 10 degrees Celsius and
10:00there's even some frost at dawn. I park the Insta outside, I do not pre-conditioning it. After charging
10:07to full, the computer shows a range of about 360-370 kilometers and, based on kilometers driven,
10:16this range seems to be realistic. Urban energy consumption is about 15 kilowatt hours per 100
10:21kilometers. Similar on country roads, it increases slightly on expressways. On warmer days, this result
10:29will probably improve. However, if you do the math, the Insta will not cover the 360-370 kilometers under
10:37current conditions. I suspect region braking helps. It can be set to one of several recuperation levels,
10:45including I-pedal, which is Hyundai-speak for one-pedal driving, or you can switch it to automatic
10:50mode and then the car starts braking or regenerating energy when other vehicles in front start slowing down.
10:57You do this with the puddle shifters on the steering wheel. Hyundai claims a 0 to 100 kilometers per
11:06hour time of 10.6 seconds. I checked and I managed to achieve a result about half a second faster.
11:12The Insta proved to be quicker in normal mode than in sport mode. In the city, the Insta accelerates from
11:19a stoplight to 50 kilometers per hour in about four seconds, so unless you're racing against something
11:24very sporty, you'll probably squeeze in front just before your lane ends.
11:30The brakes are good. Visibility is fine.
11:33The Insta has a camera system that displays the blind spot view in the instrument cluster
11:39when you turn on the indicator. The soundproofing is decent for a sort of budget city car.
11:47However, the turning circle is big for a small city car. Maybe it's because it shares its platform with an
11:54internal combustion engine model. If I had to find fault with anything, it's the stiffness of the
12:02suspension. The Insta weighs about 1400 kilograms and the optional 17-inch rims don't help to cushion that weight.
12:30The price of the Hyundai Insta started 23 900 euro for the base trim with a 42 kilowatt hour battery.
12:37This is the top trim, large battery model. With options, it costs 31,770 euro.
12:45That's without any local incentives. Are there any in your region? Let me know.
13:03The latest European safety regulations mean that instead of small, light cars, more and more large
13:09and heavy SUVs are driving around our towns. Electric cars may not be super light, but at least they can
13:14be
13:15relatively small. And the Insta is an example of how European manufacturers lost the first round.
13:21I can't wait to see what their game is going to be in the second round. And how do you
13:26like the Hyundai Insta?
13:27Let me know in the comments section below.
13:32If you like my sarcastic, down-to-earth and possibly mildly amusing car reviews,
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13:46Thanks for watching and I will see you in the next one.
