Kona, Hyundai Motor’s flagship compact SUV model, featured a new look with changes on the interior and the exterior. Since its first debut in 2017, it has evolved to New Kona. While maintaining the dynamic style and outstanding practicality as an SUV, futuristic design and overwhelmingly competitive safety and convenience features in its segment are newly applied to New Kona. The new Kona’s powertrain lineup – turbocharged 1.6-liter gasoline engine, hybrid, and the N line – reaches new heights in terms of a variety of consumers’ tastes. Here are the innovative changes in The New Kona, which is a new icon for small SUVs.
More dynamic and futuristic exterior
With a bold, progressive design and adventurous personality, the New Kona has added a sleek, sophisticated look while keeping its robust signature style.
Changes in the Composite Headlamps, hoods, and bumper are the key changes on the front. The Composite Headlamps give the body a sophisticated yet sharper look. The stretched bonnet ends sharply over the center grille with a wide, distinctive shape that gives Kona a powerful look. This effect is further enhanced by the wide, thin LED Daytime Running Lights. On the lower bumper, the robust skid plate appears to embrace the lower air intake, and visually complements the shape of the radiator grille. Integrated into the bumper corners are vertically oriented aerodynamic inlets that improve airflow.
The side body retains the muscular and sculpted shape of the previous Kona, but the sporty wedge-shaped silhouette is further accentuated by the visual connection between the shoulder creases and the sharper, cleaner, more harmonious front. On the sides, the body color claddings and new rocker panels are complemented by the dedicated alloy wheel design. The new Kona is 40mm longer than the previous model, giving it a sleeker and more dynamic look that complements its wide, strong visual stance. Also, the rear bumper incorporates a large, horizontal, and stable stance.
The exterior parts exclusively for the New Kona N Line reinforce the dynamic image of the vehicle. The Kona N Line stands out through its motorsports-inspired front and rear end, body-color claddings, diamond-cut wheel design, as well as a one-side double muffler.
The High-Tech, Spacious Interior
The New Kona’s interior combines high-tech sensibilities tailored to the latest trends and a more visually spacious look. The biggest changes include a 10.25-inch touchscreen and a digital cluster. Not only does the bigger touch screen increase visibility but it also improves utility by moving buttons to the bottom. The digital cluster, which replaces the existing analog instrument panel, also consists of a full-screen LCD to provide a clearer variety of information while driving.
The center fascia design was also redesigned to highlight the horizontal structure, which allows the driver to enjoy the wider cockpit. There are also delicate and sophisticated changes. The chrome-like material used for the garnish and the cup holders adds a sense of luxury, and the ambient light is applied to cup holders in the center fascia and the legroom of the front seats to enhance emotional quality.
The New Kona N line also creates a sporty atmosphere in the cockpit. It is equipped with a gear knob and metal pedals that are designed exclusively for N-line, with red colors implying high performance throughout the room. In addition, the N logo is attached to the steering wheel and the gear knobs to offer the unique sentiment of the N brand.
Enhanced Advanced Driving Assist Features and Safety Specifications
The new Kona is equipped with a range of safety and driver assistance features as these become more and more important when choosing a vehicle. The New Kona further offers Hyundai’s state-of-the-art advanced driver assistance system, Hyundai Smart Sense Active Safety Features. One example is Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) with pedestrian and new, optional cyclist detection. The optional FCA uses a sensor in addition to a camera to better detect potential collisions. If the system senses a potential collision and the driver fails to react in time, it automatically applies the brakes. As another enhancement, FCA now comes as standard, including Safe Exit Warning, which provides a warning when a vehicle approaches from behind.
It also improved front and rear cameras, which support Lane Following Assist (LFA), Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA), Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA), and other advanced safety features. The enhanced Highway Driving Assistant (HDA) was the biggest help while test driving. Thanks to the feature, driving was not demanding at all. The New Kona N line drives on its own at the set speed or the set distance from the car ahead, and assists steering along the lane smoothly, by utilizing navigation and traffic information.
Robust Powertrain With Sporty, Agile Driving Performance
The engine and transmission, which are the basis of driving performance, have also undergone major changes. The New Kona’s driving performance focused on making the SUV ‘agile and perky’. The new powertrain offers the best-in-class efficiency, and thanks to it, Kona has been reborn as a compact SUV that allows drivers to enjoy thrilling driving based on its agile yet sporty driving performance.
The New Kona’s 1.6 gasoline turbo engine has excellent performance with a maximum power of 198 horsepower, maximum torque of 27.0kg/m, a fuel efficiency of 13.9km/l (2WD, based on a 16-inch wheel, combined fuel economy), and is equipped with a newly developed 7-speed DCT transmission to provide high transmission efficiency and a high sense of acceleration. The New Kona Hybrid is equipped with the latest hybrid powertrain completed with a high-efficiency system, providing 19.3km/l (16-inch wheel, combined fuel efficiency), maximum system output of 141 hp, and maximum torque of 17.3kg·m, providing optimum power yet quiet and comfortable driving quality only hybrid vehicles can offer.
The New Kona N line offers sporty and thrilling driving emotion based on its robust power performance. Suspension, steering, and brake tuning consummated the enhanced performance, perfecting a differentiated driving experience. In addition, regardless of powertrain, the New Kona provides grip control as standard. Grip control offers a total of three modes: snow, sand, and mud, to improve driving stability with optimized output control in any road condition.
Unique User-Experience with Advanced, High-Tech Specifications
The New Kona adds a large number of various infotainment features and convenience specifications, providing a user experience that can be satisfied by people in every generation. First of all, personalization profiles have been added so that the vehicle can remember each different driver’s settings. In addition, the vehicle has evolved into a safer and more convenient family SUV by applying the Hyundai Digital Key that can lock/unlock the door without a smart key, using just a smartphone. The vehicle also features a built-in camera that can record surroundings during the whole journey.
In addition, the company has added new features for its customers, including automatic wireless navigation updates, and Car To Home, which can control home IoT devices such as lights and air conditioners from inside the vehicle.
High-tech specifications are added for the safety of passengers. Rear Seat Alert (RSA) alerts the driver through pop-up messages on the cluster if someone or something remains in the back seat.
Based on Sensuous Sportiness, Hyundai Motor’s design identity, the New Kona carefully refined everything from more wide and sleek designs to high-tech specifications to enhance completeness. The New Kona is also the charm of the new powertrain, with its robust driving performance and improved fuel economy. Many customers will experience the newly evolved New Kona.
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