PICS: Aggressively restyled Hyundai Kona priced

With less than a year having passed since the unveiling of the updated Hyundai Kona, the South Korean marque has now announced price and spec details of the revised crossover.

Sporty with a capital N

Once again positioned between the Creta and Tucson, the Kona, of which 1 700 units have been moved since its local market introduction four years ago, receives a redesigned front bumper, slimmer lower headlights with integrated daytime running LEDs, a revised grille and lower air intake, a new rear bumper with a faux satin silver skidplate, tweaked taillights and new wheel arch cladding.

Debuting however as the new range-topping model for now is the N Line, which gets a different bonnet with faux air intake slits, model specific 18-inch alloy wheels, colour coded wheel arches, a gloss black mesh pattern grille, extended door sills, N front and rear bumpers, N Line badging on the front wings and grille, and a spoiler integrated into the roof.

Dimensionally, the Kona measures 4 205 mm in overall length, with the inclusion of the N Line exterior resulting in a further gain of 10 mm. Wheelbase stands at 2 600 mm with the width remaining at 1 800 mm and the claimed length at 1 550 mm or 1 560 mm in the case of the N Line. Boot space is rated at 544-litres with the rear seats up, although this expands to 1 296-litres with the 60/40 split bench folded forward.

More power but no more manual

On the model front, Hyundai has upped the Kona line-up to three with the inclusion of the N-Line, but with alternations to the drivetrain options.

In this regard, the normally aspirated 2.0-litre petrol remains, but drops the torque converter automatic gearbox for a CVT known as Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT) in Hyundai-speak. Still producing 110kW/180Nm, the Executive spec 2.0-litre will get from 0-100 km/h in 9.7 seconds and top out at 195 km/h. Claimed fuel consumption is 6.5 L/100 km.

Replacing the previous 1.0 T-GDI unit, the new 1.6 T-GDI serves as the second powertrain option for the Executive and the sole choice for the N Line, and comes hooked to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox that replaces the six-speed manual the former offered.

Delivering 146kW/265Nm, the setup allows the Kona to sprint from 0-100 km/h in 7.7 seconds with the claimed v-max being 210 km/h. Fuel consumption meanwhile is a claimed 7.5 L/100 km. As before, and like the 2.0-litre, drive in the T-GDI goes to the front wheels only.

Hyundai has however confirmed availability from early next year of the red-hot Kona N as the second performance N model after the i30 N.

Spec sheet

In terms of specification, the Executive receives cruise control, a wireless smartphone charger, a reverse camera and rear parking sensors as standard, as well as the following:

• faux leather wrapped gear lever and multi-function steering wheel;
• 17-inch alloy wheels on the 2.0-litre and 18-inch wheels on the 1.6 T-GDI;
• tyre pressure monitor;
• automatic climate control;
• eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto;
• four-speaker sound system;
• LED daytime running lights;
• voice recognition, USB and Bluetooth;
• 4.2-inch TFT instrument cluster display;
• electric windows all around;
• folding and heated electric mirrors;
• Drive Mode selector with four settings; Eco, Comfort, Smart and Sport;
• Rear Seat Alert;
• faux leather seats;
• keyless entry;
• electric tailgate;
• auto lock/unlock doors;
• ABS with EBD and ESP;
• Downhill Brake Control;
• six airbags;
• Hill Start Assist

Building on these, the N Line receives red stitching on the seats, steering wheel and gear lever in addition to an electric driver’s seat, LED headlights and a10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. Also included is:

• Adaptive cruise control;
• push-button start
• Pre-Collision Avoidance Assist;
• Blind Spot Detection;
• Lane Departure Warning;
• Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist;
• Forward Collision Avoidance Assist;
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance Assist;
• Driver Attention Warning;
• Lane Follow Assist

Price

As before, the Kona line-up comes standard with seven year/200 000 km warranty as well as a five year/75 000 km service plan.

• Kona 2.0 Executive IVT – R449 900
• Kona 1.6 T-GDI Executive DCT – R499 900
• Kona 1.6 T-GDI N Line DCT – R579 900