Yahoo Finance 2018 Hyundai Kona 1.6L Turbo Tested, Is Actually Fun
Perched up on its wheels, with a distinct forward cant that gives it the impression of a puppy excitedly leaning in to lick your face, the Hyundai Kona is easy to like. Its eye-catching embarrassment of forward-lighting riches is attractively arranged and is matched by the rear end’s similarly stacked upper and lower lighting elements. (For the record, the pair of “eyebrows” situated over the square-shaped headlights are LED running lamps, while fog lamps live in those hexagonal gashes in the lower intake.)
Given that it’s a small crossover, competing in a segment for which America has developed a growing dependency, it also wears black plastic fender flares and bumperettes to finish off the urban incursion-vehicle vibe. It all adds up to a better-looking alternative to the hot-selling, vaguely outdoorsy Subaru Crosstrek with which it directly competes.
Choosing the Lime Twist paint that glowed like radiation from our Kona test car also unlocks the option for color-matched trim in the mostly black yet quality-feeling cabin. A straightforward-to-use touchscreen flanked by physical shortcut buttons to access key menus sits high up on the dashboard; below, there are the climate controls and a small phone-shaped tray that, on top Ultimate models, contains an inductive charging pad. Soft-touch materials cover most of the dashboard and the upper halves of the front door panels, but move rearward in the cabin and, as is typical in this class, that squish gives way to starch. The hard plastics are nicely grained, however, and every elbow meets a padded armrest. Rear-seat space is tighter than in the larger Crosstrek (its wheelbase is 2.5 inches longer than the Kona’s) although not untenably so. Subjectively, the Kona’s comfortable front and rear seats feel on the more spacious end of this class. Its 19 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats is just two cubes shy of the Subaru’s.
Brace Thyself, Things Kona Get . . . Sporty?
So that’s all fine, the style and usefulness and such. But the Kona delivers on deeper planes, too. Beneath its clothing, components gathered from throughout Hyundai’s automotive empire are assembled into a fun, refined package. Among tallish subcompact hatchbacks-er, “crossovers”- nothing comes close, not even the fun-to-drive Mazda CX-3 or the 10Best-winning Kia Soul. Have you actually seen or driven a Mitsubishi Outlander Sport or a Chevrolet Trax? We rest our case.
Take the paterfamilias Kona Ultimate tested here. Its 175-hp turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission rank as more powerful and complex than nearly everything else in the subcompact crossover space. The powertrain is shared with the Kona Limited, and both are distinguished visually from the SE and SEL models by their natty 18-inch wheels and some additional chrome trim. Those lesser trims are powered by a more class-standard 147-hp naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four and a conventional six-speed automatic. Front-wheel drive is standard across the lineup, and all-wheel drive that can be locked into a 50/50 front/rear torque split is available for $1300.
We’ve neither driven nor tested a Kona with the weaker engine, but our experience with the same 2.0-liter in other Hyundais suggests it should be entirely serviceable, if unexciting. Besides, the Kona SE starts at just $20,480, and the $22,130 SEL ranks as a genuine bargain given its standard 7.0-inch touchscreen, blind-spot monitoring, heated front seats, proximity-key entry with push-button ignition, and 17-inch wheels.
The turbocharged engine in the $25,680 Kona Limited and the $28,380 Kona Ultimate skips adequacy for more thrills than is the norm in this segment. Our all-wheel-drive Kona Ultimate reached 60 mph in 6.6 seconds, a hair behind the lighter and more powerful Kia Soul Turbo with essentially this same engine and transmission (sans all-wheel drive), and quicker than every other subcompact SUV-not to mention the most recent Honda Civic Si sedan we tested.
Acceleration feels strongest with the tachometer needle in the middle of its arc, around 3000 rpm (the engine makes its 195 lb-ft of peak torque at 1500 rpm, but all 175 ponies don’t gallop onto the scene until 5500 rpm). Under heavy throttle, the dual-clutch dexterously selects whichever ratio puts the engine in its gutsy midrange. In normal driving, the transmission quietly seeks out higher gears to keep the engine waffling along at low revs, where its torque lugs the relatively lightweight Kona around with ease. There is a Sport mode, but it merely gives the engine and transmission a more frenetic feel; their reactivity-already adroit in the default Drive setting-doesn’t change.
As with most dual-clutch transmissions not employed by the Volkswagen Group, the Kona’s exhibits a pronounced on/off clutch engagement at low speeds when “creeping” forward with one’s foot off both the throttle and brake pedals. Accelerate more deliberately than an octogenarian, and the clutch grabs promptly and off you go.
In spite of its utter lack of sporting pretense, the Hyundai changes direction eagerly. It claims a “torque vectoring” function, but as is typical in inexpensive vehicles it’s brake-based, meaning the Kona just drags the brakes on the inside wheels during a turn to help the car rotate. We never felt the feature in action, and whatever its contributions, they’re overshadowed by smart suspension tuning that delivers flat cornering and a stunningly stubborn resistance to understeer. We saw a heady 0.88 g of lateral grip on our skidpad, tying the performance of the Honda Civic Si sedan on all-season tires.
Taut wheel control, combined with the Kona’s stiff body shell, eradicates the flop and flex that Hyundai also has been eliminating from its other products. Better still, the Kona’s ride is mature, isolating the passenger compartment from both the feel and sound of impacts with road disruptions, and the cabin remains relatively hushed at speed. Braking, not a particular strong suit of any crossover, proved mediocre; our Kona halted from 70 mph in 171 feet. Ditto its numb steering, which is par for this class but disappointing in light of the abilities of the chassis.
Things Kona Get Expensive, Too
Optioned with $125 floor mats and all-wheel drive, our Kona Ultimate’s price came to $29,805. That is rich for a subcompact crossover, even one as decent to drive as this one. Frankly, we could do without the Ultimate-exclusive 8.0-inch touchscreen with navigation, Infinity audio system, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and automatic high-beams.
The flip-up head-up display, too, seems useless. Its proximity to the driver means that you must look down to see the speed, navigation directions, and blind-spot alerts it projects, hovering only slightly higher than the regular gauges the HUD purportedly supplants. Hyundai’s explanation that projecting data onto the windshield would require more expensive glass sounds more like a reason to not bother doing it at all.
In what also feels like a whiff, forward-collision warning and lane-keeping assist are available only on the Ultimate trim or, curiously, the SEL’s $1500 Tech package, leaving SE and Limited buyers in the lurch. This (and the absence of automated emergency braking and adaptive cruise control on any Kona) runs counter to industry trend at this price point, where such active-safety features increasingly are standard fare across entire model lineups. We’d suggest Hyundai fix that-and consider making the turbo standard, too. For now, the $26,980 Kona Limited with all-wheel drive offers a better intersection of features, price, and that turbo engine. With its 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, fog lights, leather seats (heated in front), automatic climate control, and sunroof, you’d sacrifice little compared with this Ultimate model. Buy a Kona for the looks or the goodies, and you’ll get a well-rounded, characterful vehicle in a class that’s as hot as any despite its dearth of well-rounded, characterful vehicles.
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