Let’s be honest: most SUVs these days look tough but collapse at the sight of a puddle. They’re all lipstick and no spine. Then Hyundai rolls up with the Crater concept and suddenly the game changes. This is a proper, unapologetic off-roader that just happens to run on electricity. No petrol, no compromise, just silent torque and the promise of mud-splattered glory.
Look at it. Short, boxy, riding high on 33-inch tyres that scream “take me somewhere stupid”. Roof rack loaded like a survivalist’s backpack, tow hooks front and rear, limb risers over the windscreen to punch branches out of the way, and side mirrors that double as floodlights. Wide arches, rear-hinged back doors for easy loading when you’re caked in filth, and a stripped-back metal body wrapped in a full roll cage. Inside you get racing buckets with four-point harnesses, a weird but brilliant steering wheel covered in mode buttons, and almost no screens – everything you need is blasted onto the windscreen via a head-up display. The message is clear: eyes on the trail, not on TikTok.
Power? At least two electric motors, probably four when they let it loose, delivering instant, neck-snapping torque to all corners. It climbs, crawls and charges in total silence. No roaring V8, no diesel clatter – just the sound of gravel being punished and your mate in the passenger seat quietly questioning his life choices.
Hyundai calls it a concept, but really it’s a statement: the electric future doesn’t have to be boring. The Crater is the blueprint for proper XRT versions of the Ioniq line – think Ioniq 5 with actual ground clearance, bash plates and the guts to leave the tarmac behind. Because why buy a soft-roader that pretends when you can have one that genuinely delivers?
What I love is that it isn’t trying to be pretty. It’s raw, purposeful and a bit mad – exactly what off-roading should be. In a world drowning in identical crossovers, the Crater is the middle finger to mediocrity, proof that battery power can tackle the rough stuff better than the old guard ever managed.
So yes, the electric revolution isn’t just for city runabouts anymore. It’s coming for the mountains, the rivers and the tracks that don’t even have names. And I for one can’t wait.
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