Bridging the class divide
The Kona is middle-class personified, while driving the Stepway was a real culture shock, writes Campbell Spray
IT probably wasn’t — and isn’t — a totally fair comparison but that’s the way the cookie crumbles, or, in this case, how the test-drive schedule bookended two cars.
However, after considering the two cars at a week’s distance, you can see that while there is an awful lot that divides them — think apple and oranges rather than chalk and cheese — there is something that unites them beyond four wheels and an engine.
First up was the brand-new Hyundai Kona, a mid-sized SUV named after an Hawaiian island that will be one of the great successes of 2018.
Already advance orders have assured it of a top-10 place in the new-car list for January, and that is only likely to build as the year goes on. It will be making big inroads alongside its big sister, the Tucson, the top-selling Irish car for the past two years.
You cannot but be impressed by its stunning looks, that is maybe too much for some but to me is a real sculpted beauty. The build quality reflects Hyundai’s aspirations to premium feel and the safety and driving assistance programmes available are absolutely top rate, even if at times a bit nanny-like in taking control.
Now it isn’t an exciting boy-racer drive or a totally involved one but for the people who buy these Hyundai SUVs in their droves, above all, they want absolute reliability, predictability and that nice, warm feeling that comes with being in such a solid, confident car. Nonetheless, its firmness and responsiveness suited our driving.
The Kona starts at a latte short of €22k, but it is worth paying another €2,000 for the executive level, while another €3k will take you to the premium model. Above that there is an automatic and AWD with massive GT trim but as they both use the 1.6 petrol engine — rather than the very peppy 1.0-litre three-cylinder — I wouldn’t go there. They might demonstrate what the car can do but are really over the top for most people’s needs and wallets.
I thought both the rear seats and the luggage area were a tad tight for four adults, let alone five, but that is not what, or who, the car is aimed at.
Infotainment is excellent and easy to use, the driving position is great and the whole car exudes success. I am looking forward to the electric version and hopefully a hybrid, which is where the future will be. A diesel is coming but only if you must.
The car has lots of rivals, some better to drive, others less flamboyant to the eye. However, the solid feel about the Kona, together with the stand-out styling and the peace of mind that the name Hyundai gives, should combine to make it a massive winner. But it should look over its shoulder at the Seat Arona.
And then there was the Dacia Logan Stepway, which even with a lot of extras, comes to around €18,000. But it is left with “steel wheels with alloy-look wheel trim”. Please!
However, in many ways, it is a generation away from the Hyundai, which is ahead of its game. When I picked up the car from its Romanian-built offshoot of Renault, I couldn’t believe the rather flimsy feeling and sound of the bodywork. Getting in and driving was like a trip down memory lane despite a sat-nav and reversing sensors on board. Going around corners, acceleration and general driving refinement were of a different era.
Quite rightly, just before I returned it, a colleague be- rated me with: “well what do you expect from a 12-year-old Renault?’’ And that’s where the Stepway is and remains, an old-fashioned car with plenty of space that is bargain basement. It does exactly what it looks like and costs. Basically, it does what it says on the tin and till.
But like the Hyundai, this Dacia is for people who don’t really believe the joy of motoring is the summit of their ambitions but want something that suits their image and, above all, utility.
The Hyundai is middle-class personified; the Dacia is totally basic ordinariness. Both have a five-year guarantee. Work the Dacia non-stop for those years and then get a scrappage price for it. You won’t have top-end comfort, safety or driving confidence, but you will be OK.
Do the same with the Hyundai on the school runs, days out and trips to the hills and it will give you image and respectability.
I’d choose one, you’d chose another. But that’s what an open market is about.