Hyundai Kona
With its slashed headlights and pronounced wheel-arches, it’s fair to say the MK1 Hyundai Kona wasn’t designed to be a shy, retiring wallflower, probably best demonstrated with the release of the Kona N, which was rather good. This is the MK2 Hyundai Kona, it picks up where the original left off and turns the volume up to eleven.
Seamless Horizon Lamps
The first thing that grabs you are those full width, robocop-esque head and tail lights that take the new Kona to an even more futuristic level. Keeping things as SUV as possible, the arches are even more of a feature thanks to some strong lines. Unfortunately those eye-catching lights, or ‘Seamless Horizon Lamps’, if you will aren’t quite enough to meet legal requirements so some more traditional light clusters have been incorporated into those wheel arches. It’s a clever effect, though, as they’ve been designed in a way that they’re hiding in plain sight.
Actual buttons and dials
Inside the new Kona is more of a blend of the modern and the traditional than the exterior. The gear selector is a chunky stalk protruding from the steering column and the dashboard is made up of a wraparound, driver-centric display that incorporates the driver’s dials, the infotainment system and a speaker. The rest of the interior goes very heavy on actual buttons and dials, though.
Whether this refusal to lump 90% of controls into a touchscreen is because Hyundai has been listening to recent opinions on the trend or because their more local Asian markets prefer a button to press and a dial to rotate isn’t entirely clear. Be it a happy accident or impressive awareness of the way drivers are going, the New Kona does a good job of blending a modern infotainment system with physical controls and it’s very welcome.
Roomier than you might think
Whether you prefer your dashboard clean and modern or not, what’s safe to assume is the vast majority of people will want their small SUV to be as roomy as possible. That’s one of the new Kona’s strong suits; taking the gear selector and parking brake away from the centre and putting them on the steering column and dashboard respectively has freed up space in the front and if you’re sat in the back you may be surprised at just how much head and leg room the new Kona has. The front seats aren’t the grippiest around bends, nor are they the most sumptuous but they’re just fine for short to medium distance driving.
Full & mild hybrid, electric but no PHEV
The new Kona is available with most of the powertrains you may expect in 2024. There’s a full electric, a mild hybrid and this full hybrid. The only version missing from the range is a plug-in hybrid; the closest PHEV Hyundai offer is the Tucson.
This Kona hybrid starts at £30,385 in Advance trim and tops out at £34,585 for the Ultimate version. In between there’s an N Line and N Line S. This is the N Line, it costs £32,185 OTR and for that you get heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, a 12.3″ infotainment screen, USB C sockets smattered liberally around the cabin and various safety features.
All Kona Hybrids come with a 1.6 litre petrol engine mated to a DCT ‘box with either 127 or 139bhp driving the front wheels. Economy is excellent, as you’d probably expect from a hybrid with every trim level averaging over 64mpg.
Very comfortable
One of the most appealing aspects of the new Kona is how comfortable it is. Despite being badged N Line, the mechanicals of this hybrid Kona are identical to every other spec and that means multi-link rear suspension. The extra weight a hybrid system brings doesn’t go entirely unnoticed but the ride is impressively compliant over rough surfaces. There is a down side, of course, and that is a fair amount of body roll through quick bends and that extra weight comes into play again as it encourages understeer which the stability control attempts to reel in by intermittently cutting power.
Should I buy a Hyundai Kona?
With niches within niches the Kona faces severe competition, some of it from other Hyundais. Its striking looks grab attention and unless you want a PHEV there’s a new Kona for everyone. Performance isn’t dazzling in this hybrid but economy, equipment levels and comfort are. Hopefully there’s a new Kona N on the horizon to tick that box too.
By Ben Harrington
2024 Hyundai Kona N Line Hybrid Specifications:
Engine – 1.6-l petrol & electric motor, Transmission – 6–speed DCT, Layout – Front engine, FWD, Power – 139bhp,Torque – 265Nm Emissions – 106g/km CO2, Economy – 60.1mpg, Maximum Speed – 103mph, Acceleration – 11.2s – 0-62mph, Price – £32,185 OTR,
The 2024 Hyundai Kona is available now, priced from £26,040. For full details go to:www.hyundai.com/uk
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