The Hyundai Kona - Go on, make yourself more interesting

By Ané Theron

Pros

• Excellent, noticeable design
• Characterful and ergonomic cabin
• Super-safe

Cons

• Boot is a little small
• Noisy, somewhat indecisive gearbox
• Not much legroom on the rear bench

The acid green (or yellow, as they say it is) Hyundai Kona turned heads wherever we went, and was quite the conversation starter in and around town this week. Is it as much fun to drive as it is to behold?

Finally! Hyundai has created something again that is visually very beguiling. Think of the Kona as Korea’s answer to the Audi Q2, the Mercedes-Benz GLA and the BMW X2: Compact, fashionable, and very happy to do some light off-roading. While the outlandishly styled Hyundai Veloster (coupe/hatchback combination) did not seem to be selling much at all, the Kona’s sales figures are already telling a different story. The Kona 1.0 T-GDI Executive (manual) starts from R379 900, while its sibling, the Kona 2.0 NU Executive (auto) which I tested, carries a price tag of R399 900.

Styling

It is indeed the DRL “slanting eyes” that are situated quite a few centimetres above the off-square headlamp cluster unit that create the most aesthetic appeal. The placement of the fog lamps and the concave curves next to the nose and grille round off the modern crossover look perfectly. Generous amounts of black cladding as well as roof rails and elegant tail lights (with more cladding that surrounds the rear brake- and fog-lamps in a separate cluster below) complement the front of the Kona nicely. It really is a great-looking car. So many people came up to me to take a closer look or to find out what I thought of the Kona in general.

“The basic thinking was to give the all-new Kona slim, modern and high-tech daytime running lamps”, says Daniel Kim, Senior Designer. “This was a priority as it is one of the main things people notice all the time, whether it’s during the day or at night, which makes it appealing and visible. We took this opportunity to create something unique by having a main projection lamp integrated with fender cladding. Overall, this gives it a protective, but tough and modern aspect.”

Interior

On the inside things look equally cheerful without being so way-out that you might tire of it. A nice touch is the matching acid yellow seat belts, but it did make me wonder how long they might stay clean, especially if the under-twelves will be joining you on most of your journeys.

Touches of the same acid yellow can be seen around the air vents and in strips of vinyl in the middle of the partial (faux) leather seats and seat stitching. The seats have material in the centre and below your behind, so you won’t burn the back of your thighs as you sit down if the car’s been parked in the hot sun. The intuitive infotainment touchscreen has Apple CarPlay (and also Android Auto) and that’s what I used from the moment I set foot inside the Kona. As soon as I plugged in my phone everything was instantly connected. If only Hyundai would adopt this specific system in all their cars…

The Drive & Performance

Here is where it gets interesting. The Kona, in town, is hardly as engaging to drive as it looks. One moment you’re cruising comfortably and the next moment you want to overtake someone. You press the accelerator and it’s loud, extremely loud. It almost sounds like you’re driving a car with a CVT gearbox. Out on the open road, at cruising speed, the engine seems more hushed, but it’s still not quiet by any means. The 6-speed auto-box has a penchant for gear-hunting and the strained-sounding noise is a bit off-putting.

The Kona also comes with driving modes namely Sport, Eco and Comfort. On dirt, Comfort mode does soften the ride nicely, and the Kona’s suspension travel is quite generous too, which underscores its crossover status. While Sport mode makes the car quite a bit more sensitive to throttle input, steering is still a little vague, but it’s not a hatch, it’s a crossover.

Performance wise, the Kona’s naturally aspirated 2-litre engine (110kW & 180Nm) is punchy enough, and fortunately you do have the option of driving it in manual mode if the auto-gearbox isn’t your cup of tea.

Space & Comfort

Up front there’s oodles of space, but on the rear bench the legroom is limited - there’s more room in the back of a Grand i10 (but don’t be fooled, since the i10 is abnormally spacious for such a small car). The 60:40 split rear seat is handy if you want to load longer items like surfboards. The boot is of average size, and its capacity of 361litres can be increased slightly if you remove the hidden storage tray.

Safety

The Kona’s EuroNCAP five-star safety rating is very attractive, and parents of young children will undoubtedly sit up and take notice. While features such as stability control aren’t necessarily a given in Korean cars, the Kona is equipped with this as standard. The active safety features also include an Anti-Skid Braking System (ABS), Downhill Brake Control, Blind-Spot Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning, which warns you if there’s oncoming traffic about to pass by the rear-end of your your car as you reverse. There are also six airbags.

Fuel Consumption

As is expected, there’s quite a big difference between driving in town and freeway driving. On my 114 km journey from Hermanus to Constantia my trip computer showed an average of 7.7 litres per 100 km, but in town it was in the region of 9, even 10, with a lot of stop-starting.

Price

The Kona looks fantastic and is chock-full of features, but your R399 900+ can get you quite far in this segment. The Toyota C-HR, for example, is more of a refined ride and the top-spec model, the C-HR 1.2T Luxury CVT, is priced at R426 300 while the model just below, the 1.2T Plus CVT is priced at R380 900. The Tiguan 1.4TSI Trendline is priced at 403 900, And the Nissan Qashqai 1.2T Acenta Auto costs R404 900. These are all fantastic cars, but do they have the street-cred that the Kona has? The Toyota, maybe, but the others seem almost a little too sensible-looking in comparison, if the Kona’s styling is what attracted you in the first place.

Verdict

There’s very little about the Kona that I do not like, but the practical 40-year old which I have become warrants that I pick something slightly more spacious, but only because my kids are getting a little tall for the rear bench.

Expert rating: 4 out of 5