History/Overview
Hyundai appears to have nailed the compact crossover nail on the head with the Kona. This fun-looking vehicle has been a big success since its 2018 introduction, so much so that its South Korean maker has opted to carry it over unchanged for the 2021 model year.
Available Trims
Kona trims are Essential, Preferred, Trend AWD, Luxury AWD, and Ultimate AWD. As their designations suggest, all-wheel drive is standard in the upper trio of trims, but it is optional in the two entry-level versions, too.
Essential, Preferred and Luxury trims use a 2.0L four-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission, and Trend and Ultimate trade up to a more potent 1.6L turbo motor that comes with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
Standard Features
Essential trim comes dressed with 16-inch tires and alloy wheels, auto on/off headlights, LED daytime running lights, power-adjustable/heated side mirrors, and variable intermittent front wipers.
Inside, there are heated front seats, a six-way manual driver’s seat, cloth upholstery, Bluetooth, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, a six-speaker stereo controlled through a 7.0-inch touchscreen, air conditioning, cruise control, power windows/door locks, keyless entry, and front map lights.
Preferred models get 17-inch wheels, fog lights, blind spot monitoring, lighted vanity mirrors, leather-trimmed steering wheel and shifter, a heated steering wheel, a 3.5-inch digital gauge display, passive keyless entry, lane change assist, and rear cross traffic alert.
Trend models gain 18-inch wheels, chrome and dark gray exterior trim.
Luxury trim switches back to 17-inch wheels and tires and brings solar front glass, rear privacy glass, leather seating, an eight-way power driver’s seat with lumbar, satellite radio, painted interior door handles, automatic climate control, Bluetooth voice commands, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, forward collision detection with automatic braking, driver attention warning, and a sunroof.
Finally, the Ultimate brings back 18-inch wheels with all of Luxury’s features, and then adds LED headlights with automatic high beams, rain-sensing wipers, a head-up display, navigation in an 8.0-inch touchscreen, wireless smartphone charging, a 4.2-inch gauge cluster display, BlueLink connected services, an integrated garage door remote, and reverse parking sensors.
Fuel Economy
Hyundai’s fuel consumption estimates for the Kona are 8.6/7.0 L/100 km (city/highway) with the 2.0L engine, six-speed transmission and front-wheel drive; ratings for AWD versions are 9.2/7.8 L/100 km.
Estimates for 1.6L turbo/seven-speed/AWD models are 9.0/8.0 L/100 km (city/highway).
Competition
With the Kona, Hyundai competes with a vast array of popular small SUVs, including the mechanically similar Kia Seltos, which is a new model for 2021.
Other vehicles worthy of being on your radar include domestic-branded vehicles like the Chevrolet Trax, Ford Ecosport, and FCA’s Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X.
From Japan come the Honda HR-V, Mazda’s CX-3 and CX-30, the Subaru Crosstrek, Nissan’s Qashqai, the Toyota C-HR, and Mitsubishi’s RVR.
