Kuna (right) and Geometric C. The Korean is taller and more Japanese, the Chinese is more handsome (Photo: Walla! Group, Udi Etzion)
It was clear that with all the talk about the quality of the environment and the climate crisis, at the moment of truth the state will find it difficult to give up the golden egg called the car market: NIS 18 billion a year that we pay in taxes on fuel and NIS 10 billion in taxes on the purchase of a new car.
An electric car consumes electricity on which there is no tax, and until last week only 10% purchase tax was charged instead of 83%.
So under pressure from the head of the Tax Authority Eran Ya'akov, the Finance Committee meeting was canceled which could have stopped the doubling of the purchase tax on the streetcars, and the reduction of the maximum tax deduction from 75 to 60 thousand shekels.
This is contrary to the trend in the world: the USA gives 7,500 dollars to anyone who buys an electric car, France 7,000 euros and Germany 4,000 euros.
Officially, the reason for the cancellation is the need to approve urgent money transfers, but this is what the chairman of the committee, Moshe Gafni, said later in the plenary: "It makes no sense to make electric vehicles more expensive now and pollute the planet even more.
Then they come and say that the purchase of such cars is encouraged in Israel, but the Tax Authority opposes and wants the prices to rise with all kinds of idle excuses."
Even after the price increases we saw this week when the importers updated their price lists, it is still possible to purchase a 2023 model electric crossover in Israel for less than NIS 160,000.
The Geely Geometric C 350 Pro is the smaller battery version of the Chinese crossover that became a streetcar sold in Israel in 2022: only 53 kilowatt hours and an official range of 350 km.
The price before the tax increase was NIS 147,000.
The importer has not yet published an updated price list, but the new price will be between NIS 152 and 157 thousand.
There is also a long-range model, with a 70 kWh battery, a range of 460 km at an additional cost of about NIS 13,000.
In front of her was the Hyundai Kona EV in the base version, with a 39 kWh battery, an official range of 305 km and a price of NIS 153,000.
The long-term version of the buyer, with a 64 kWh battery and a range of 480 km, was the first victim of the tax increase, after it was supposed to become more expensive to the region of NIS 200,000, and the importer decided to stop its marketing.
So how far are they able to travel in reality and which one is better?
Stay with us.
buyer.
It's more pleasant to sit in front of a normal-sized digital dashboard (Photo: Udi Etzion)
Geometric C. More futuristic, at the expense of ease of operation (photo: Walla! system, Udi Etzion)
Design:
This is not about the most beautiful cars on the street.
In the non-white color of the test car the buyer looks a little more interesting, but even so with the opaque grill and no wind left in the roof, fenders or anywhere else, it doesn't really turn heads.
The Geely is slightly more successful thanks to a two-tone combination in the roof (with an additional price of NIS 2,000) and slightly more aerodynamic lines.
The passenger cabin:
here, too, the Chinese made sure to combine a variety of colors and an airy feeling, and a more advanced design with a 12.3-inch screen that sticks out from the dashboard.
The dashboard is replaced by a tiny 5.4-inch screen, which is cluttered and less convenient to read.
Hyundai went from white on the outside to gray.
The multimedia screen, only 8 inches, is recessed into the dashboard, but the instrument panel is both normal size and digital, with sharp 10.25-inch displays.
It is difficult to find cars with more profound differences in the seating position.
The buyer is higher but wraps around a lot and gives a sense of control.
With the adjustments, the steering wheel goes far out and you can easily find an ideal sitting position.
Add to all these a good combination between buttons and screens and you will get successful human engineering: in
Geely the situation is reversed.
Although the seating position is low, the driver sits "on the car", a feeling that is obtained due to the low dashboard and large windows.
The steering wheel itself does not adjust comfortably and it is difficult to reach an ideal sitting position.
An advantage for Geely in the back, in the knee space and the existence of an air conditioner outlet (photo: Walla! system, Audi Etzion)
The buyer has better headroom in the back and a significantly smaller trunk (photo: Walla! system, Audi Etzion)
Spacing:
The Geely passengers have better space for their legs, the base of the seat is higher and longer.
In addition, there are air conditioning outlets and slightly larger windows.
The only advantage of the buyer is recorded in the headroom, mainly because of the panoramic sun window that takes up space in the Geely.
Surprisingly, the seat width of both competitors is exactly the same.
In both, 2 adults sat side by side comfortably, but don't expect a third passenger to agree to sit in the middle for a long time.
Trunk: The
Geely (417 liters) has more volume than the Hyundai (332 liters), but the Hyundai has a flat loading threshold, and a hanging hook for bags.
Equipment:
The Geely is better equipped.
Beyond the sunroof, it has an air conditioner outlet in the back that Hyundai doesn't have, a wireless charging pad for a smartphone, LED headlights, perimeter parking cameras and a BOSE stereo.
In the Hyundai, the two front seats are electric, compared to only the driver in the Geely.
safety:
An advantage for Hyundai, which received 5 out of 5 stars in the European crash test, while the Geely has not yet been tested in it, although it received 5 out of 5 in the Chinese crash test.
The Hyundai also has blind spot detection, with active steering that prevents the driver from swerving towards a vehicle he does not see.
But Geely has adaptive cruise control and Hyundai - normal.
The cheap price is due to relatively small batteries: Geely has a slightly longer range (photo: Walla! system, Audi Etzion)
Engine and performance: the
Geely has 204 hp compared to the Hyundai's 136. The Kona surprises when leaving the scene thanks to a significantly higher torque, but the Geely quickly overtakes it and will be more agile in detours, including on winding roads with short dashed sections. The Hyundai has more effective control of the recharging of The battery, using levers from the steering wheel, in Geely you can select a regeneration mode from the central screen, and in any case it is less efficient.
Range and charging:
Trams are very sensitive to the nature of driving.
In a test that included quite a few strenuous sections in the Jerusalem mountains, but also suburban and intercity driving, the Hyundai was significantly more economical, with 14.5 kWh per 100 km, compared to 19.1 in the Geely.
The low consumption allowed the Korean to greatly reduce the range gap from the Chinese, which has a 40% larger battery, and in the test drive it would do 270.5 km, compared to the Geely's 277.5. In a calm intercity drive (90-110 km/h) you can expect For 290 km in the Hyundai and 305 km in the Geely, and those who combine a lot of urban driving, where electric cars are more economical than outside the city, on the contrary to gasoline cars, the Hyundai will achieve its manufacturer's figure (305 km) and the Geely You will get about 325 km.
On the other hand, fast charging of the buyer at the DC stations on the road, from 10% battery to 80%, takes 47 minutes compared to 36 minutes in the Geely.
Comfort and behavior:
The Kona is stiffer, which allows the Geely to be a little more comfortable in small disturbances, but its suspension is noisier, and in general it is less isolated.
The stiffness gives the buyer an advantage in curves: it is more balanced, restrained and more stable, its steering is sharper and it gives the driver more confidence.
The Kona is surprisingly good on the road, but the Geely is a better family car (Photo: Udi Etzion)
The bottom line:
it's hard not to like the buyer, especially if you're one of those who like to drive.
It is dynamic and even fun here and there.
Everything in it falls into the hands and is intuitive to use.
And, it is exceptionally economical and its range is reasonable in relation to the promises.
But
for the family the Geely is better: it is more spacious and equipped, it has a more useful trunk, and although it consumes more electricity, it reaches a slightly longer range.
The warranty on its battery is also slightly longer.
And so she wins
.
Geely Geometric C Pro 350: on the technical side
Price:
NIS 154.5 thousand*
Score:
8/10.5
We liked:
better equipped and more spacious, agile and with a better range
We didn't like:
comfort, noise isolation, highway behavior
, drive:
electric, front
power (hp) / torque (kgm):
31.6/204
Battery:
53 kWh
Gearbox:
auto, direct transmission
Dimensions:
Length (m):
4.43
Width (m):
1.83
Height (m) ): 1.58
Wheelbase (m):
2.70
Trunk (liters):
417
Performance:
0-100 acceleration (seconds):
7.7
Maximum speed (km/h):
150
Range (test):
277 km
Range (manufacturer):
350 km
Notable equipment:
12.3-inch multimedia screen, wireless charging for a smartphone, sun window,, perimeter parking cameras + a look at
safety:
European crash test score: not tested
Active safety:
lane deviation correction, automatic braking, vehicle detection warning in "dead zone", adaptive cruise control
Air pollution:
0 grams of C02 per km, pollution degree 1 out of 15
Warranty:
5 years or 100 thousand car km, 8 years or 160 thousand km for the battery
* The 2023 price list has not yet been published, the price will range from NIS 152 to 157 thousand
Hyundai buys an EV: on the technical side
Price:
NIS 153,000
Score:
8/10
We liked:
easy to drive and not clever, high seat, good road behavior.
We didn't like the efficiency of the small battery
:
less spacious, less equipped, shorter range
Engine, drive:
electric, front
Power (hp) / torque (kgm):
40.2/136
Battery:
39.2 kWh
Gearbox:
automatic , direct transmission
Dimensions:
Length (m):
4.21
Width (m):
1.80
Height (m):
1.57
Wheelbase (m):
2.60
Trunk (liters):
332
Performance:
Acceleration 0-100 (seconds) :
9.9
Maximum speed (km/h):
155
Range (test):
270 km
Range (manufacturer):
305 km
Prominent equipment:
8-inch multimedia screen, electric driver and passenger seats, reverse camera, control of the regeneration level from the steering wheel
Safety:
European crash test score: 5 m -
5 stars in the European crash test
Active safety:
lane departure correction, front and rear automatic emergency braking, vehicle detection warning in a "dead zone", cross traffic warning, warning of a passing vehicle when opening a door, warning of forgetting children
Air pollution:
0 g C02 per liter m, pollution degree 1 out of 15
Warranty:
5 years or 100 thousand km for the vehicle, 7 years or 150 thousand km for the battery
vehicle
Vehicle tests
Tags
Hyundai
Jilly