Hyundai Kona Car Review
A global leader in the motor market, Hyundai have witnessed substantial growth over the last number of years and are now following the small crossover craze with their new Hyundai Kona. We got to test drive the Kona 1 litre petrol to find out how this compact SUV performs on the road.
The Kona currently competes against the Kia Stonic, Renault Captur and SEAT Arona. Priced slightly more expensive than its competitors, Kona’s standard model starts around €21,500.
For this review, we managed to obtain the executive model, which starts from around €23,500 and in our opinion, is the best option among the Kona range.
With a boot capacity of 361 litres, the Kona ranks above average compared to its rivals. If that’s not enough, the rear seats can fold forward, increasing the capacity to 1,300 litres. Several tethering points can be found in the boot along with storage space under the false floor for valuable belongings.
The compact crossover’s rear doors open to a full range, improving access and making it effortless for families who will be using children’s car seats. However, the Isofix points are awkwardly placed in the seat, making them difficult at times to use.
The Kona provides a generous amount of head and legroom for passengers. Several storage spots exist, some of which include cup holders in the door cards and two additional storage points are located on the rear of both driver and passenger seats.
Front seat passengers are treated to a more open and spacious surrounding; however, that is to be expected. As the Kona is weighted towards practicality and affordability over style, the overall interior is quite basic and takes away from its unique exterior design. In some higher spec, Kona’s coloured stitching is available to improve the interior.
The touch screen infotainment system comes in five, seven or nine inches depending on the spec and has all the features you’d expect like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a sat nav. If buying the standard model, we would recommend upgrading to the seven inches as we believe it is a must-have. Other stand out features worthy of mentioning include its lane assist, which is nothing short of incredible.
The 1 litre has an eager yet refined engine that makes it one of the more fun compact SUV’s to drive. The high mounted body gives excellent visibility of the road for drivers and has no problem driving over rough terrain. The petrol version is quite responsive, but its handle is not as advanced in comparison to the Arona.
Overall we would recommend the Kona as it is a functional and safe car to drive. Equipped with some super features, it’s easy to understand why the Kona is a popular option for current car buyers.
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