Hyundai Turns Tiny Inster Into Adorable Adventure Rig
Hyundai has just given its Inster crossover a dose of outdoor adventure. The Inster Cross EV gets a new roof rack, special bumpers, and skid plates, along with an optional roof basket. What it doesn’t offer is more drive wheels, because, like the original Inster, this one is front-wheel drive only.
Hyundai
Hyundai Motor Company was founded in 1967 by Chung Ju-yung, 20 years after the birth of the Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company. The automotive marque’s first model was the Cortina, birthed with the help of Ford in 1968, while its first self-developed car arrived the year after as the Pony. Since then, the company has found success with affordable cars and has consistently become known for reliability and value. Nowadays, its ventures vary from combustion, hybrid, all-electric, and hydrogen mobility solutions to robotics.
- Founded
- 29 December 1967
- Founder
- Chung Ju-yung
- Headquarters
- Seoul, South Korea
- Owned By
- Hyundai Motor Group
- Current CEO
- Jae-Hoon Chang
Small On The Outside, Roomy On The Inside
The Hyundai Inster and its new Inster Cross sibling are electric versions of the Hyundai Casper. That friendly, tiny crossover is the smallest vehicle that the Korean automaker builds right now, at just 150.6 inches in length and 63.4 inches wide.
Because the Inster is as tall as it is wide, it’s still roomy inside. It also has cargo space-enhancing tricks like a sliding and reclining second-row seat and a front bench for an extra seating position. Cleverly, every seat folds flat, and it has walk-through access across the front to maximize versatility.
Evidently, Hyundai thinks that’s exactly what you need to make a more rugged version of the Inster desirable. It’s hard to ignore this cute little hatch, especially with the extra cladding and more rugged bumpers Hyundai added.
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The Inster That Thinks It’s Tough
Ignore the lack of AWD, and suddenly the Inster Cross looks like a competitor to the likes of the Suzuki Jimny. Toss on the optional roof basket and add the available Amazonas Green paint as seen in the photos, which is exclusive to this grade, plus the standard 17-inch wheels, and it starts to almost toughen up a bit. Just watch how much cargo you put up atop this tall, narrow vehicle.
Of course, that’s in Hyundai’s photos. This thing is barely bigger than a Toyota iQ, so on the road it’s going to look more adorable than tough.
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Lime yellow touches in the cabin mark this as the Cross from the inside. The center strip on the dash and part of the lower console are finished in the bright color. Hyundai has also gone with matching Inster embossing on the seat backs and a contrast stripe.
Inster Cross Gets Two Battery And Motor Options
Like its standard sibling, the Inster Cross will offer a choice of 42 kWh or 49 kWh long range batteries. The former gets 186 miles, the latter 221 miles. Both on the WLTP test cycle. The regular Inster comes with a 95 horsepower electric motor on the smaller pack and 113 horses with the larger pack. Both get 108 lb-ft of torque and hit 0-62 mph in around 11 seconds. Active safety assists include features like Hyundai’s Highway Driving Assist 1.5, smart cruise control, and forward collision assist 1.5.
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Hyundai didn’t announce pricing, but said that the Inster Cross would see production start before the end of the year. Expect it in markets where the standard Inster is sold, namely Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region.
