What's the quickest way to make a car into an SUV? Easy, with plastic body
cladding like on this Hyundai Kona. Given its zany cladded style you might peg the
Kona as a fraud lacking any real capability, but among small SUVs the Kona's
legit. Naturally front-wheel drive comes standard, but for $1,300 you can
add all-wheel drive. That might seem like a prerequisite feature for crossover
SUVs, but tell that to the front drive only Toyota CHR and Nissan Kicks. In fact
the all-wheel drive Kona is so serious it includes the attraction enhancing
magic of a locking center differential. That means let's scale the only dirt
hill within 20 miles.
Of course gnarly off-roading like this is a rarity for the small SUV crowd.
People buy these things because they're affordable, relatively roomy, and offer a
better view of the road ahead. On that last score the Kona succeeds, sitting just
high enough to offer a confident view forward, and thanks to minimal blind
spots in all other directions.
How about roominess? Well upfront headroom is good. We also like the
comfortable even height armrests, natural and commanding driving position, and
available adjustable lumbar support for lumbar obsessed drivers like me. In back
my head clears, but my knees are awfully close to the seat back is a supremely
average five foot ten inch man I've barely fit behind myself. Depending on
the occupants sitting three abreast could be dicey. Well not for us, We're the
best of friends. Cargo space lands at 19.2-cubic feet, that's
larger than the Mazda CX-3, smaller than the Honda HR-V, and right in line with the
Toyota CH-R. Under the adjustable floor there's an area for storing supplies or
your panda hat and masquerade ball mask. Look we're not here to judge what you do
with your Kona. Scrutinize the interior and you'll notice lots of hard plastic
but with a starting price around $20,000 that's to be expected.
If you want a squishy interior for less than $20,000 buy a used Lexus
ES350. One area Hyundai nailed is the dash design. I don't think the climate
control could be any simpler. The same holds true for the standard seven-inch
or optional eight-inch touchscreen. It's placed high for excellent viewability.
An un-daunting number of physical buttons surround the screen for
easily navigating menus, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard,
so you won't have to hear me bemoan their absence. Phew, thank heaven. Powering
lower trims is a 2.0-liter engine married to a six-speed automatic transmission.
This combo delivers modest acceleration and admirable efficiency that takes a
notable hit with the addition of all-wheel-drive. The pricier Limited and
Ultimate trims employ a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine teamed with a
7-speed dual-clutch transmission with. EPA combined efficiency that matches the
2.0-liter engine there's little downside to the much more powerful torque rich 1.6,
mostly. Okay it's turbocharged nature is revealed through slightly surging
acceleration, but more noticeably the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission
could use another pass through finishing school.
Beyond occasionally delayed reactions to throttle changes the dual
clutch could be smoother when leaving from a stop. While imperfect we'll accept
a little transmission funkiness in exchange for abundant turbocharged pork.
Driven at freeway speeds wind and road noise are noticeable but not offensively
so, while bouncy pavement results in a bouncy ride, but for most driving ride
quality is perfectly acceptable. Note, all-wheel drive models ditched the front
drive cars torsion beam rear axle for the superior ride and handling of an
independent rear suspension. Speaking of handling the Kona is one of the more
enjoyable small SUVs you can drive. The steering is quick giving the Kona a
playful feel in corners. Engaging sport mode sharpens the throttle response but
it also needlessly heavies up the steering, so for best results leave it in
normal mode and then if you want sharper throttle response just stab the throttle
really aggressively that's how the pros do it. That's not how the pros do it. The
base Kona SE trim includes essentials like cruise control and a backup camera
with dynamic guidelines, but climb the trim ladder and you can add passive
entry with push-button start, leather seats, a head-up display, wireless
phone charging and parking sensors that elevate the compact Kona's already
strong parking abilities. Like many of its competitors the Kona also offers a
host of safety options things like blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alerts,
and forward collision warning with automatic braking abilities, but
strangely not dynamic cruise control. The Kona also offers lane departure warning
and lane keeping assist, and as you'd hope, it works like you'd expect, warning
you when you depart your lane and also steering you back in. Though I have
noticed that at higher speeds it tends to wander a bit on the freeway unlike
some of the steadier systems we've use.
Before plunking down hard-earned dollars on a Hyundai Kona it's worth considering
your small SUV alternatives, which include the Jeep Renegade, Chevy Trax
Toyota's CH-R, Subaru Crosstrek, Honda HR-V and perhaps the Kia Soul among others.
The small SUV field is overgrown with choices, but if you want a fine-driving,
comparatively capable SUV with polarizing style and you don't care
about trivialities like rear passenger space, the Hyundai Kona is an excellent
choice, body cladding and all.