Written by Marco Carvajal
2022 Hyundai Kona N
The Hyundai Kona is a 5-passenger crossover designed for people with an active lifestyle, keeping pace with modern technology.
The Kona is an original, modern compact CUV, with a unique cool, adventurous exterior design with a starting price of $22K. The Kona N that I am driving is a high-performance SUV with more power and features, starting around $34K.
This compact crossover keeps growing and new Kona models are getting a bit bigger as the Kona’s popularity keeps expanding.
For 2022 the Kona lineup adds an all-new N Line trim with a sporty differentiation. The N Line and the N are two different trims. The N Line is a sportier version of the base Kona, but the Kona N is a high-performance model ready for the racetrack.
I like how Hyundai gives you a lot of features included on each Kona, you get a lot for your money when buying a Kona. The different trims of the Kona come with tons of standard features that could be optional and more expensive in other compact cars.
Even with the Kona’s compact dimensions and low roof line, the Kona’s interior feels spacious and comfortable due to a very smart design with great space distribution. This is a nice car with a practical design for running everyday errands. with good storage space and space distribution.
Evolution of the Hyundai Kona
The first ever made Kona, the Urban Compact CUV for Active Lifestyles, the 2018 Hyundai Kona, has been available for purchase in the United States since 2018.
This new model is expanding the segment of compact crossovers in the US, with current Hyundai crossovers like the Tucson and Santa Fe.
The KONA name comes from a coastal district in Hawaii, in the idyllic west-coast region of the Big Island. The Kona region in Hawaii attracts endurance triathletes and thrill-seeking adventurous travelers. These are features that inspired Hyundai designers when creating this small but robust CUV.
Hyundai’s automotive designers took this energetic image of Hawaii’s Kona area to associate it with the new innovative and functional design of this active-lifestyle CUV.
The appearance of this car was Hyundai’s first step in the SUV-B segment, which means very small SUVs, usually built with less cargo and passenger space, and smaller engines resulting in better fuel economy. The Kona is very appealing to young car drivers, which explains the design and style of this interesting new car.
The Kona N gets more power as the Hyundai Veloster N has been discontinued.
High-Performance Kona N
The Kona provides comfort, safety, and entertainment for all passengers on board and if you want high performance then go for the Kona N. Some of the highlights of the Kona N are:
- N Turbo
- 2.0L turbocharged GDI engine
- high 276 horsepower
- 289 lb.-ft. of torque
- 8-speed wet DCT transmission with paddle shifters
- Signature crackle-and-pops of the N exhaust
- N-Corner Carving Differential (eLSD)
- 235/40 R19 Pirelli P-Zero summer tires
- 19-inch dark alloy wheels
- Front Wheel Drive
The Kona’s 2.0L turbocharged GDI engine produces a high 276 horsepower and 289 lb.-ft. of torque. This turbo-engine works great with a fast 8-speed wet DCT transmission, with paddle shifters for manual control of shifting speeds, and a rev-matching for smoother, more responsive speed shifts.
A big red “NGS” button, N Grin Shift, makes the Kona faster with 20 seconds of maximum acceleration as horsepower gets boosted and the transmission shifts down to the optimal gear.
The high-performance KONA N is as capable of running fast speeds on the race track with its signature crackle-and-pops of the N exhaust that provides a lot of power.
The Kona N allows you to select different exhaust characters. The high-flow active sport exhaust belts out energizing crackles and burbles from the dual large-bore exhaust tips.
The Kona N-Tuned electronically-controlled suspension works with the ECS continuously adjusting its damping force based on road conditions, speed, and the driver’s characteristics for enhanced handling stability and control.
The Kona’s N-Corner Carving Differential (eLSD) works great while cornering, the smart eLSD system distributes more power to the outer wheels, maximizing turning speed and traction and reducing understeer.
The good performance of the Kona N is the result of a few elements, including its sporty 235/40 R19 Pirelli P-Zero summer tires that are mounted on large 19-inch dark alloy wheels that produce optimal grip, traction, and great lateral stability.
Kona’s N, Launch Control helps control engine torque and the clutch for the fastest possible start.
Custom drive mode controls the engine, suspension, eLSD, rev-matching, steering, and exhaust sound.
As a high-performance vehicle, braking is very important. The KONA N has a powerful stopping power due to its pre-fill brake function working together with the 14.2-inch front high-performance large rotors and high-friction brake pads that help maximize endurance under heat conditions.
Pricing for the Kona N
The Kona only has one trim model with the right smart pricing around $35K. While you can choose other Kona models starting at 22K, the Kona N is the most powerful and high-performance-ready Kona.
- Kona N Starting MSRP $34,950
Kona N is not just a fast Kona, this is the dream car for those who love performance but want to have a car that can be used for everyday activities.
Exterior Design
The new Kona’s N exterior is bright and sporty, but mostly very original. The interesting exterior design reminds me of some of the vintage cars from 5 decades ago but re-made into a completely modern design. The Kona’s body exterior is very different from other Hyundai models.
The KONA N is stylishly modified for performance with aggressive N-exclusive features and accents to create a sporty and modern look.
Some of the exterior details of the Kona include narrow slots of navigation lights, located above the main headlights, LED fog lights, a radiator grille cascade, a bumper that looks solid and strong, large 16-18 inch wheels, and a cup-shaped roof line.
A nice detail is that Hyundai is letting car owners explore their creativity by having several playful color variations that allow you to customize the appearance of your own Kona.
Interior Style
The Kona crossover has a nice interior with high-quality materials and a lot of equipment and features like climate control, a high-tech instrument panel and convenient multifunctional steering wheel, front heated seats, and a modern 10.25-inch multimedia system.
The Kona N easy-to-use interface includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and it shows performance information like oil temperature and boosts pressure.
Adding more style to your performance, you can use vivid animations and color themes for each drive mode.
The Kona is smart and modern with a 10.25-inch advanced touchscreen that puts at your fingertips a custom drive mode menu and performance features like a g-force meter that measures the direction and strength of lateral acceleration. A lap timer that records your best lap times at the track while keeping track of your fastest and current times.
The interior of the Kona is spacious for its segment and new Kona models are offering more space.
Safety Features
The Kona comes with several features like an Autonomous Emergency Braking system, Driver Attention Alert, Smart Cruise Control, Blind Spot Detector, intelligent Assistant with Rear-Cross Traffic Alert maneuvering to see all objects 180 degrees behind the car, High Beam Assist and more.
Keeping with modern safety technologies, we find the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection (FCA-Ped), with the help of the front camera and a radar to detect and prevent collisions or minimize the consequences by autonomous braking. There are also other safety systems that use the front camera to enhance safety and convenience.
Among many safety features included in the Kona, the Driver Attention Warning System prevents driver-related danger, for example, it detects driver fatigue or negligent driving.
The Lane Following Assist (LFA), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), function Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist (BCA) recognizes road markings and recognizes cars in your blind spot, and automatically steers the Kona N if necessary.
Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Avoidance Assistance (RCCA) gives you a warning of vehicles approaching on either side and applies the brakes automatically when needed.
One safety feature that can avoid small accidents is the Safe Exit Warning (SEW) which will give you a warning while the car is parked, its radar detects vehicles approaching from behind.
The Kona N is a high-performance compact SUV with a N Turbo engine ready for the racetrack. It is a fun and fast car to drive with its multiple performance and safety features wth an innovative and original design.
