Aloha from Hawaii
Hyundai joins the fight in the newest crossover segment with their 2018 Kona
If you are going to name a car Kona, there’s only one place to introduce it – Hawaii’s big island of the same name.
Since this Kona is a brand-new model in a brand-new segment. Hyundai was willing to spend the money to do it. And most of the invited journalists were willing to spend a long time getting there to be the first to drive Hyundai’s Kona.
The Kona is a small crossover utility vehicle, built on a platform that’s small enough to compete with crossovers such as the Jeep Renegade, Honda HRV, MINI Countryman, and Chevrolet Trax. But because this is a newly developing segment, there is quite a spread of features and approaches from this group. Especially compared to more established segments where there’s much more commonality between the various offerings
This is a new platform and that allows Hyundai to focus on the qualities most important to the Kona’s proposed buyers. Those buyers would be Millennials living in cities. These customers are the Holy Grail of automobile marketing and are beginning to set the style standards.
Getting to their hearts now is the key to selling them vehicles for a half century. Research shows that their bucket list of wants for their automotive purchases include all the same attributes as any other customers – safety, features, price, dependability and style. But the same research shows that Millennials are much more responsive to style than other population groups.
That made Hyundai’s design teams hit the hot spots for Millennials finally growing into needing or wanting personal transportation as a part of their lifestyle. But good as the design must be, the vehicles must meet their owner’s needs. That means the Kona seeks to be urban vehicles which carry plenty for their size and have the looks and capabilities to attract those Millennials.
This is a segment in the making, consisting of cars, uh, crossovers, which are smaller than the very popular compact crossovers such as the RAV-4, Escape and Rogue. Built on a 102.4-in. wheelbase, the Kona is 164.0-in. long and 70.9-in. wide. This puts it fairly in the middle of these small crossovers.
It is small, but attractive. The long wheelbase and short overhangs creates its low, wide stance and almost classic proportions. Starting at the front, you know it’s a Hyundai coming at you, thanks to the “family” grille. It cascades downwards while the fenders flare outward highlighting the LED headlights and daytime running lights which gives the car its high-personality face.
The sides use strong lines to pull the eye rearward along the strong, even aggressive wheel arches. While the Kona’s waistline is flat and straightforward, the roofline is a dramatic descending flow to the rear, where the d-pillar makes it clear that this isn’t a small hatchback, but one of the new, proud, small CUVs.
The cabin isn’t as edgy as the exterior. It is modern and also comfortable. Sitting behind the wheel you don’t feel at all like you are driving a car made on a subcompact chassis.
Hyundai says their designers created a space based on the concept of Companionship – this is where we’re spending time today. While I’m not normally inspired by these design-conceptual statements, this one actually makes sense. And fits quite well with the Millennial perceptions.
The seats are both supportive and comfortable, the instrumentation is good. I particularly liked the heads-up display, which is an option worth getting. The information is projected on a movable clear plastic screen on top of the instrument panel. If you don’t want to use it, push a button and the panel descends into its invisible cubbyhole.
It is simply too cool for a car in this price range.
Mechanically the four trim levels share two engines and there are both front- and all-wheel models available. The two base models, the SE and SEL, are powered by the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine. As many as two-thirds of Konas sold are expected to be this powertrain. While this is a popular engine appearing in many Hyundai vehicles. It produces 147 hp. and 132 lb.-ft. of peak torque. It is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.
But for those who want a bit more power – and a lot more fun – can opt for the turbocharged 1.6-liter direct gasoline injected four-cylinder engine. It produces 175-hp. and 195 lb.-ft. of peak torque. The power flows to all four wheels in the Limited and Ultimate models through a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. While even these models aren’t a hot rod, they are a bit spritelier.
The suspension also represents what designers and engineers can do with a suspension to improve both the car’s handling as well as its comfort and quietness. The Kona uses a McPherson-strut system using sub-frame bushing to do just that.
In back there are different designs for two- and all-wheel drive models. The FWD models have a rigid torsion beam setup and the AWD drivers use an independent, dual-arm, multi-link design. In both cases designers worked hard to limit the room the suspension takes up so that more of it can be in the cabin.
This being a new model, there are plenty of safety features included or offered. The platform itself is stiffer and constructed to flow energy away from the passenger section in an accident. To keep you from having that accident you can add plenty of active safety features. These include lane-keeping assist system, blind-spot collision warning, rear cross-traffic collision warning, lane change assist, parking distance warning and forward collision-avoidance assist with pedestrian detection.
The Kona is arriving in Hyundai dealerships throughout the country now. The four models have starting prices of $19,500 for the SE and $21,150 for the SEL. The top two trim levels are the Limited starting and $24,700 and the top model, the Ultimate has an MSRP of $27,400. The model we tested was the Ultimate with everything possible on them. Their price topped out at just more than $31,000