BODANGORA won’t be a reputation you realize, until you’re from the central west of New South Wales.
This tiny locality performs host to some homes, not many individuals, and an remoted airstrip – which is the place we acquired to drive the brand new Hyundai Inster.
Effectively, type of… The automobile we drove was truly a hand-built prototype decked out with the camouflage coverings you’d anticipate each inside and outside; and, as I used to be instructed by the Hyundai Australia group, it was “not consultant of what the ultimate product shall be like”.
The automotive we acquired to drive – one in every of two right here for world sizzling climate testing forward of its introduction to our market in early 2025 – was left-hand drive, and I used to be instructed it weighed about 1350kg.
So, regardless of its tiny measurement, it’s a bit hefty.
In reality, measurement is a vital consideration. The Inster, which is predicated on the petrol-powered Casper mannequin offered in South Korea, is the smallest mannequin within the vary, spanning 3825mm on a 2580mm wheelbase, with a width of 1610mm and a boxy physique giving it a peak of 1575mm.
So, why Bodangora?
It’s in the midst of nowhere, firstly. It’s additionally a sizzling location – actually, the mercury frequently passes 45 levels Celsius in these elements, and the Inster was in Australia for warm climate testing.
On a Sunday in January it was a fairly gentle 37 levels.
And whereas I wasn’t anticipating to be taught an excessive amount of in regards to the automotive by driving it up and down Bodangora airstrip just a few occasions, there have been some issues that impressed me.
The check mule had a number of drive modes, and whereas it wasn’t clear that every one the modes had been tuned to their closing settings, there was a distinction in zippiness from a standstill and through roll-on acceleration.
The claimed 0-100km/h time is 11.7 seconds for the Customary Vary and 10.6 seconds for the Lengthy Vary – and whereas I didn’t have something to measure that quantity, it appears fairly sincere.
However actually, it’s the 0-50km/h acceleration that is likely to be extra pertinent as that’s what this shall be doing extra usually in metropolis streets and suburbia, however it felt nippy and quick sufficient.
As with the Kona EV and different Hyundai merchandise, the Inster I examined additionally had a number of regen braking modes.
You may basically tailor the behaviour of the brakes, together with a ‘single pedal’ mode, which was assertive sufficient – and you should use the paddle shifters to regulate these modes, and even maintain down the left paddle and the automotive will come to an entire cease – identical to different Hyundai fashions.
Hyundai Australia stated that Inster fashions offered right here will characteristic a domestically developed trip and dealing with tune, however the check automotive didn’t have that but.
And look, a clean, straight line isn’t the perfect location to check the steering and trip anyway, however it appeared to really feel decently planted and predictable sufficient by way of the steering response.
Whereas this was hardly an exhaustive check, it’s clear that this is a vital mannequin for Hyundai – supplied that the model will get the pricing and specs proper…
