Hyundai Motor has officially pulled the wraps off their all-new Global Compact SUV, the Hyundai Kona in Korea. The Kona is the first of Hyundai’s mid-to-long term product strategy to introduce more SUVs to their portfolio.
Sitting below the Santa Fe and Tucson, the new B-Segment SUV measures at 4,165 mm in length, 1,800 mm in width, 1,550 mm in height and 2,600 mm in wheelbase. Compared to the crowd favourite Honda HR-V, the Kona is shorter by -129 mm, rides less taller (-55 mm) and the wheelbase is -10 mm shorter. It is however, 28 mm wider than the HR-V. Hyundai claims the proportions give it a more solid and dynamic silhouette.
The athletic design is complemented with slim LED headlamps and angular bumper design that houses the fog lamps and turn signals. The plastic claddings are specifically designed to protect the alloy wheels.
Inside, the Kona gets the company’s latest features such as ‘Combiner’ Heads-up Display (HUD), 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, smartphone wireless charging tray and Creel Sound system to meet the needs of the target market. Despite its petite dimensions, the Kona has a rated boot space of 360 litres.
In Korea, the Kona is available with two powertrain options – a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder T-GDi petrol and a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel. Both engines are mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Like the Tucson T-GDI and Elantra Turbo Sport, the T-GDi mill dishes out 175 hp and 265 Nm of torque. The oil burner has an output of 134 hp and 300 Nm of torque.
In other markets, customers have the option for a 2.0-litre four-cylinder MPI engine with 147 hp and 179 Nm of torque and a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder T-GDI with 118 hp and 172 Nm. The naturally aspirated mill is paired to a six-speed automatic while the latter gets a six-speed manual.
For a more dynamic driving experience and optimum traction across different driving situations, Hyundai has equipped the Kona with four-wheel drive and rear-wheel multi-link suspension. Front-wheel drive layout will be available in certain markets.
On the safety front, the Kona comes equipped with Hyundai SmartSense safety system that bundles Forward Collision Avoidance-Assist (FCA), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Driver Attention Warning (DAW), Blind-spot Collision Warning (BCW) and Rear Cross Collision Warning (RCCW). With this, Hyundai is eyeing on full marks in all crash tests including Korean NCAP and Euro NCAP.
Prices for the all-new Hyundai Kona start from Korean ₩19 million (RM72k) to ₩27 million (RM102k). The Kona will officially go on sale in Korea by end June and will be available in European and US market by second half of 2017. Expect the Kona to reach Malaysian shores later this year, if not next year.
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