- The Hyundai Inster Cross adds skid plates, matte paint, a roof box, special 17-inch wheels and embossed cladding to the standard Inster EV hatchback.
- The Inster Cross still is mechanically the same as its standard Inster hatchback.
- Hyundai also introduced a new base model of the standard Inster in South Korea, starting at $20,000 before any government incentives.
Every day I log into the internet, the more frustrated I get watching the rest of the world enjoy well-styled, well-designed, not-so-big, and not-so-expensive electric vehicles. The Hyundai Inster is one of them; Hyundai took its Korea-only city car, stretched the wheelbase a bit, made it electric, and now it’s headed basically everywhere but here. And Hyundai’s decided to rub salt in our wounds by introducing a more rugged version of its cutest little EV.
Dubbed the Inster Cross, Hyundai’s done a few visual add-ons to its standard Inster (or Casper Electric, if you live in South Korea), to make it that much more attractive. To start, Hyundai has redesigned the front and rear bumpers for more of an off-road attitude. They’re wider and more rectangular, incorporating a skid plate to protect the car from rocks and mud from the mini excursions it could go on. The Inster Cross also comes with trim-exclusive 17-inch wheels, embossed cladding and an optional roof basket. The mini-crossover will come available in this matte army green (Amazonas Green Matte) pictured here, alongside the other fleet of colors the regular Inster can be purchased with. Inside, the Inster Cross gets lime green accents to set the model apart from its non-cross variant.
Now, this is more of an appearance pack rather than an outright upgrade to the vehicle’s abilities. The Inster Cross will still get the same 42 or 49 kWh batteries as the standard Inster. As far as we know, the Inster Cross still is FWD. Hyundai made no mention of an additional motor or AWD added to the mini-crossover.
But, does it matter? I think Americans are desperately in search of more of attitude rather than capabilities. I mean, just look how many crossovers are on roads with all-season tires, never ever seeing anything more than mildly wet pavement. The Inster Cross doesn’t need AWD, it’ll do just fine without it.
In the meantime, the Inster/Casper Electric has been a hit in its home market. Korean news outlet Yonhap News reported that it’s the best-selling EV from Hyundai. It’s so popular that Hyundai has introduced a new base model trim called “Premium,” which starts at $20,000 USD, before any government subsidies.
Just imagine what life would be like if we had access to such a cheap EV. Granted, the base Premium model with its 42 kWh battery and 95 horsepower motor isn’t a lot, but I’m certain it’s probably enough for more than a few EV drivers in the U.S.
Hyundai doesn’t have any plans to bring the Inster or Inster Cross to the U.S., which is a shame.
Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com
