We like
Good performance, Bluelink connected with over-the-air updates, funky dash and exterior styling, comfortable ride, well featured, economical, roomy cabin

Room for improvement
Pricey, intrusive ADAS, economy claim optimistic, cluttered satellite controls, phone connect fiddly, lag selecting reverse gear, average headlights, four-star ANCAP rating

Overview

 

HYUNDAI offers an almost overwhelming 15 variants of its new Kona small SUV that arrived sequentially last year starting with petrol models in June then later hybrid and electric.

 

On test was the desirable Kona Premium Hybrid priced from $43,500 excluding on-road costs that sits towards the top of the local line up.

 

Competitors include the Nissan Qashqai Ti e-Power from $51,590, Toyota C-HR Koba from $49,990, Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos from $47,030 all excluding on-road costs and the Honda HRV e:HEV at $47,000 drive-away.

 

All Kona variants feature 18-inch alloy wheels as standard, LED headlights and taillights, and dual-zone climate control with Premium variants adding a Bose eight-speaker premium audio and power tailgate.

 

Bluelink connected car services add to its convenience, safety and security also offering Over-The-Air (OTA) update capability.

 

Safety in Kona is further boosted by an extensive suite of Hyundai’s SmartSense advanced active safety and driver assistance features as standard. They include the latest ANCAP requirement Forward Collision Alert that recognises stationary and moving motorcycles.

 

Premium variants add Parking Collision Avoidance Assist-Reverse (PCA-R), Blind Spot View Monitor (BVM) and Surround View Monitor (SVM).

 

Hyundai’s front centre-side airbag is part of a standard seven-airbag suite, but ANCAP crash testing only rates the Kona at four stars.

 

The Kona Premium Hybrid is powered by a 1.6-litre, four pot petrol GDI engine (non-turbo) with an integrated battery electric system utilising a 32kW/170Nm electric drive motor and 1.32kWh lithium-ion battery pack with 5.5Ah capacity and 8kW/35Nm starter/generator for improved efficiency.

 

It’s good for a claimed 3.9 litres per 100km combined cycle fuel economy.

 

Combined output is 104kW and more importantly 265Nm that facilitates the small SUV’s 1300kg braked towing capacity. Power goes to the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT).

 

A novel feature is reverse gearing that is handled solely by the starter/generator, allowing for simpler operation and efficiency gains on the DCT.

 

Adding to its efficiency is three-stage regenerative braking with a new “Complete Stop” function and electric dynamic torque vectoring control for enhanced handling and reduced understeer. Suspension is by MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear.

 

Refinement gains in the new gen Kona come from a range of noise and vibration isolation measures that benefit from the rigid new body structure and to absorption materials, a sound-insulating acoustic windscreen, and redesigned rear suspension mounting bushes.

 

New Kona’s funky interior is highlighted by its ‘floating’ horizontal wide screen dash with a 12.3-inch multimedia system and an additional 12.3-inch cluster found in upper variants. A shift by wire drive selector is under the indicator stalk.

 

A large-capacity open-type console design features a horizontal wireless charging pad and cup holders.

 

Kona Premium variants are available with a genuine leather appointed interior in a choice of three colours – Obsidian Black, Light Shale Grey, and Sage Green.

 

Driving Impressions

 

Performance from the Hybrid Kona is a step up on the standard 2.0-litre ICE model and it uses substantially less fuel into the bargain… at a premium of $4000.

 

The difference would take a while to amortise given the price of petrol and the difference in economy with the Hybrid capable of a claimed 3.9 litres per 100km and the 2.0-litre rated at 6.6L/100km.

 

Only problem is achieving 3.9 L/100km is nigh on impossible as we found with 5.2 L/100km a more accurate rating.

 

It remains a good number and the performance gain alone is worth pursuing as the Kona Hybrid has quite a sporty flavour to its drive feel when you plant the right foot, hook into tight corners or jump on the picks.

 

The superior strut/multi-link front and rear suspension delivers a more controlled ride overall than the torsion beam equipped base 2.0-litre reflected across all driving environments and better still is the whole plot is locally calibrated… and it shows.

 

The perky little 1.6-litre Atkinson cycle mill spins away under the bonnet sometimes audibly but mostly and particularly with electric motor assistance, almost silently.

 

When you take off in EV mode which is a lot of the time, the ICE motor will activate after a short distance, and you can hear it then… but there’s plenty of readily available acceleration across a broad engine speed range coupled with silent short duration EV running if desired.

 

The six-speed DCT functions effectively but selecting reverse dictates a degree of patience as the starter motor engages to drive the model backwards.

 

Hyundai’s claim of refinement gains holds true as the new Kona has a premium feel across all areas right down to the shape of the seats, noise suppression available interior room and standard equipment.

 

The dual-screen instrumentation is a highlight perfectly complementing the Kona’s Robocop exterior look.

 

But there are some quibbles starting with the number of “satellite” controls around the steering column of which there are too many too closely spaced.

 

It is entirely possibly to inadvertently touch the right-side drive by wire gear selector, the indicator stalk and the right gear paddle sometimes with interesting results.

 

And rifling through the multi menu screen on the move is downright dangerous. Lucky most of the functions are not available on the move.

 

But it means you have to spend around two minutes of your life clock every time you drive the Kona selecting which pesky ADAS functions you can tolerate and which you want to turn off and there are quite a few.

 

During our test we covered some 1000km of mixed driving at which the Kona excelled. It is as adept at long distances as it is to short commutes and will allegedly even tow up to 1300kg.

 

There is adequate room in all five seats for an adult and a decent load space (expandable) down the back.

 

Creature comforts abound in the Premium variant which has real leather upholstery (egad, no!) a powerful Bose audio system and dual-zone climate numbered among its extensive standard features list.

 

We had issues hooking up Apple CarPlay and resorted to wired connect to access apps like Waze… which was OK by us.

 

The test car was in a striking greenish/grey tone that elicited plenty of positive comment from randoms and the front sweep of “headlight” is another strong point of interest in amongst a sea of cloned looking competitors.