The Kona’s entrance finish is busier than downtown Seoul at rush hour.
Craig Cole/Roadshow
Like pineapple as a pizza topping, you will both love the Hyundai Kona’s appears to be like or not, and you may resolve for your self if it is one thing you need to make month-to-month funds on. If, nevertheless, you are firmly within the naysayer camp due to the design, that is a disgrace as a result of there’s a lot to love right here.
LikeSturdy real-world gas economyFriendly and helpful techNicely designed interiorSpunky efficiency
Don’t LikeLow-speed transmission juddersEngine seems like deathBackseat is a bit tight
I get it. This crossover’s styling is just not for everybody. The Kona is a small automobile with quite a lot of grille. That slitlike applique above the primary opening appears to be like like a whole afterthought. Those superangular lamp assemblies that home the daytime working lights are positively alien. And then there’s the dark-gray physique cladding, which is at all times of questionable tastefulness. Personally, I do not thoughts the Kona’s design and admire that Hyundai was prepared to take a raffle right here as a result of a few of this crossover’s rivals are fairly boring, like, ready on maintain together with your web service supplier boring. Seriously, have you ever seen a Ford EcoSport?To attraction to a broad vary of drivers, the Hyundai Kona is obtainable in 5 trim ranges, from entry-level SE to highfalutin’ Ultimate. My top-shelf all-wheel-drive tester rolls on fashionable 18-inch alloy wheels, is fitted with customary LED headlights and options loads of driver-assistance tech.
The Kona competes with different subcompact crossovers just like the Honda HR-V and Nissan Kicks, although consumers are prone to additionally cross-shop Hyundai’s sister firm’s Kia Soul, which has an equivalent wheelbase of 102.4 inches. All these automobiles, and a number of other others together with the Toyota C-HR and Chevy Trax, are the same dimension, although this Hyundai is the shortest of that group at simply 164 inches from hood to hatch.Curiously, the C-HR’s further size does not translate into further inside area. At 19.2 cubic ft, the Kona has 0.1 cubic foot extra cargo capability than the Toyota. Drop its backrest and that benefit grows considerably, with capability topping out at 45.8 cubes in contrast with the C-HR’s 37 cubic ft. The HR-V, Kicks and Trax all supply extra cargo area than the Kona, although Kia’s Soul is the hauling champion right here, with 62.1 cubic ft of most area.
This automobile’s backseat is comfy, however a bit extra legroom could be appreciated.
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The Kona’s backseat can be on the tighter aspect, with a claimed 34.6 inches of legroom. That is sufficient area, although I do want my knees had only a contact extra respiration room. Noggin area, then again, is great for my 6-foot body.
Numbers apart, the rest of this Hyundai’s cabin is fantastically crafted. The dashboard’s design is simple, plus there are many good supplies. Rigid polymers are attractively grained and there is a good swath of soppy plastic working throughout the dashboard. The same materials on the door uppers could be good and way more elbow-friendly, however it is a budget-price automobile, so you’ll be able to’t count on all of it. Interior space for storing is respectable for a smaller crossover. There’s a cubby forward of the shifter that simply accommodates a cellphone, pockets and different small objects. The bin beneath the middle armrest is decently sized, although just a few extra nooks and crannies for storing junk may be good.My Kona Ultimate tester’s customary leather-based seating surfaces look nice however really feel extra like vinyl than something that was shucked off a residing, respiration creature. Brightening up an in any other case inky-black inside are vibrant-green accents across the air vents, starter button, shifter base and even on the seats within the type of each piping and distinction stitching. These prospers echo the outside paint coloration my Kona is wearing, a luminous hue known as lime twist. This cornea-accosting paint is definitely not for everybody, however I believe it actually makes the Kona pop and is completely consistent with its youthful demeanor. If you’ll be able to’t deal with inexperienced like this, a palette of different colours is obtainable, which incorporates the requisite black, white, silver and grey, however a searing orange and a denimlike blue are additionally on the menu.This is a well-designed and properly constructed inside.
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Ultimate fashions have an 8-inch tablet-style touchscreen that is mounted excessive on the dashboard the place it is simple to achieve. This show is house to a largely likable infotainment system, one which’s comparatively simple to make use of and fairly responsive. It’s definitely one of many higher choices in the marketplace as we speak, particularly because it has embedded navigation and consists of an eight-speaker Infinity audio system. Higher-end variations of the Kona additionally characteristic a 4.2-inch reconfigurable display within the meter cluster, which is the place you’ll be able to maintain observe of gas economic system and keep abreast of the lane-keeping system, amongst different issues. No matter the mannequin, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are customary. The similar is true of lane-keeping help, ahead collision warning and a driver consideration monitor. That lane-centering system is especially wonderful, virtually nearly as good as what Honda or Nissan supply. (Among mass-market producers, their adaptive cruise-control and lane-centering techniques are among the greatest.) Stepping up the ladder, rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring are included on all however probably the most primary Kona mannequin. Finally, the Ultimate trim stage is the one one which comes with automated excessive beams, adaptive cruise management and a helpful head-up show, which tasks helpful info like automobile velocity onto a separate combiner panel that pops up from the dashboard. If you do not care to make use of this characteristic, that half folds out of the way in which on the push of a button.Two powertrains are supplied within the Kona. Lower-end fashions include a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that is good for 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, figures that examine very favorably with what’s supplied in rival fashions. It’s paired with a traditional six-speed automated transmission. Limited and Ultimate variants, nevertheless, characteristic a 1.6-liter turbo-four that is appreciably stronger, churning out 175 hp and 195 lb-ft of twist. Front- or all-wheel drive is obtainable with both powertrain, a pleasant choice to have. Rivals together with the Kicks, C-HR and Soul don’t supply this traction-enhancing characteristic.Potent and environment friendly, the Kona’s drivetrain may very well be smoother.
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Those engine output figures could not look all that spectacular, however the Kona’s force-fed four-cylinder delivers loads of torque all through its working vary, which helps this crossover speed up with sudden ease, although there’s a trade-off: This is just not probably the most nice powerplant ever constructed. It sounds sickly when pushed onerous, like a connecting rod would possibly liberate itself at any second by punching a window within the cylinder block. This engine can be a bit on the buzzy aspect, at occasions impersonating a random-orbital sander by sending little tingles via the Kona’s construction.The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is mostly fast to alter gears and it is largely easy whereas going about its enterprise. Overall, it is a good unit, if not fairly an excellent one. Multigear downshifts can take a second or so to manifest while you flooring the accelerator, however because of that meaty torque band that is hardly ever crucial. The bigger downside with this transmission is that it judders ever so barely when taking off from a standstill. No, it does not shake the automobile, however you’ll be able to really feel the drivetrain quivering. Dual-clutch gearboxes have their advantages, however they virtually by no means really feel as easy or responsive at low speeds as transmissions fitted with conventional torque converters. Underway, the Kona is impressively refined. This crossover’s inside is well-defended in opposition to wind and street noise, the experience is well-isolated and its brake pedal is agency and simple to modulate. As for steering, it is solely nice, with a fast ratio that makes the automobile really feel gentle and maneuverable. The Kona might be extra satisfying to drive than any of its main rivals, maybe aside from Mazda’s CX-3. It ought to be far faster than an HR-V or Trax, and its steering is orders of magnitude higher than the Nissan’s, which is extra standoffish than a moody teenager. With turbocharged energy underneath its hood and an all-wheel-drive system spinning every tire, my top-shelf Kona Ultimate is rated at 26 miles per gallon metropolis and 29 mpg on the freeway. Combined, it ought to return 27 mpg, a determine that is woefully inaccurate. In real-world use I obliterated that determine, averaging a whisker lower than 35 mpg in blended driving, which is totally stellar. The Kona is a wonderful small crossover.
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How a lot does this South Korean excellence price? Eschew all choices and it is best to be capable to drive house in an entry-level Kona SE for round $21,440, a worth that features $1,140 in freight prices. This determine may be very corresponding to the bottom costs of many main rivals, although curiously, the most-basic Soul undercuts it by almost three grand. The Kona I’m evaluating right here checks out for round $31,000 together with vacation spot charges. All-wheel drive provides $1,400 to the bottom worth, that fancy inexperienced paint prices an extra $300 and carpeted flooring mats additional inflate the sticker by $155. With turbocharged torque, an upscale inside and wonderful driver-assistance tech, the 2020 Hyundai Kona is among the greatest small crossovers you should purchase as we speak. Sure, it could be a bit tighter inside than a few of its rivals and the transmission may very well be higher dialed in, however the remainder of this automobile is so compelling it is simple to dismiss these minor faults. If you’ll be able to’t reside with the Kona’s styling, nicely, I assume that is your loss.