Hyundai Kona

Step inside the car and you will be greeted by an extrovert and aggressive interior. The dark-themed cabin has black headliners, a mix of soft and hard touch plastic materials, fabric, and faux leather.

Looking at the three-spoke steering wheel, you will find controls for audio, cruise control, and Bluetooth. Although it doesn’t have a touchscreen infotainment system, which is becoming like a new normal to a lot of cars nowadays, the center console can still be considered admirable. The Radio System with Mono LCD that has a floating-type display is connected to two 6-piece speakers being two of them as tweeters. Its infotainment system is compatible with AUX, USB, and Bluetooth. In between the radio controls and the mono LCD lies the horizontal AC vents where the hazard button is at its center.

As for the other interior features, Kona has not so much to offer but it has the standards, like the manual airconditioning, overhead console with sunglass holder, an accessory power outlet, front map lamps, room lamps, rear covering shelf, and luggage lamp.

This 5-seater car’s rear seats might have been a little cramped as well as the headroom given its dimensions. But, it is definitely applicable to most families here in the Philippines.

Some standard technology features include tire pressure monitoring, power windows, power door locks, and power side mirrors.

Kona’s exterior can be described as futuristic and bold. It is aggressive in nature which is quite above the fluidic philosophy of Hyundai. Since it has a very modern outlook, it can appeal more to the younger generation of motorists.

At the center of the fascia lies the new generation cascading grille which can be compared to the outlook of Audi cars. Hyundai did a very good job of making this car look as futuristic as it can get. They have placed an air scoop-like thin strip to serve as the hood’s ventilation.

On the sides of the eye-catching grille is the three-tier headlamp set-up which makes this car look very different than the others. The daytime running lights are both placed on the top of the headlamps that make it look like an eyebrow of a robot. Meanwhile, the headlamp earns its distinctive appeal for being placed below the DTRL with some nice and thick black cladding around it. Below the headlamps are the fog lamps that were distinctively placed at the end of the scuff plate below the cascading grille for a more unique appeal.

You may find the side design of Kona as simple as it veers away from an extrovert design language but, the low slung stance with crossover cues, like lifted clearance and side cladding actually gave some sporty stance to the car. 

Kona’s manufacturer didn’t have that usual mistake of focusing just in the front and forgetting the rear as its aggressive stance is still very visible at the back. The LED tail lamps are seemingly long and slim while the turn indicators and reverse signal lights have separate housing with the same black cladding as the headlamps. The car’s sporty outlook was continued at the rear with the presence of a roof-mounted spoiler and roof rails.

Kona rides with 17-inch alloy wheels.

With MacPherson struts at the front and coupled torsion beam axles at the rear, it can be said that Hyundai Kona has a conventional suspension configuration. Good thing, Kona is still considered as best in the Hyundai portfolio in terms of driving experience so the riding and handling of the car would not be a problem that much.

Its steering wheel has some controls that can be much more efficient for the driver. You can easily adjust the music volume, Bluetooth connectivity to your phone, and the cruise control without looking away from the driveway.

When it comes to convenience, the rear passengers might encounter some situations given lesser legroom so this might not be an ideal car for very long travel.

The model available in the Philippines is only one so you only got one engine option. Hyundai Kona 2.0 GLS 6 A/T is powered by a 1598cc 2.0-liter 4-cylinder 16-valve NU MPI Atkinson engine that can fire up to 146 PS at 6,200 rpm and maximum torque of 18.3 Nm at 4,500 rpm. This gasoline engine is partnered with a 6-speed automatic transmission for smooth shifting of gears while on the thoroughfares. It has an emission rating of Euro 4 and the fuel tank capacity is 50L.

The Kona is equipped with ventilated disc and disc brakes for the front and rear, respectively. There is not so much problem with the brakes of this car as it can be adaptive enough to normal drives and is also equipped with a standard safety feature which is the Anti-lock Braking System or ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD). 

In the safety department, this is where Kona might have lacked. The model available in the Philippines has standard safety features only which include: dual front airbags, side, and curtain airbags, smart key with button start, immobilizer, child seat anchors, retracting seat belts, door ajar warning, front and side-impact beams, day and night rearview mirrors, engine check warning, and crash sensors.

The driving performance of Hyundai Kona is relatively good while the handling, riding, and braking are considerably fine. Moreover, it is also affordable enough as the price is not that far from its competitors in the same class. It is also definitely eye-pleasing and very impressive in terms of style and design, however, it lacks advanced tech and safety features but is very ideal for the millennial drivers out there who love to keep driving with style. With this in mind, let’s all hope that the new version of this compact car will soon arrive in our shores and wish it will be similar to its European version.