Hyundai has rolled out a new, sporty version of its Kona crossover called the Kona N.
As a “hot SUV” – as Hyundai puts it – the Kona N is geared toward high performance, alongside Hyundai’s other performance vehicle, the i30 N.
For R750,000, owners get a four-cylinder, 2.0-litre, turbocharged petrol engine, producing 206kW and 392Nm.
Power is delivered to the front wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, giving the car a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 5.5 seconds, a top speed of 240km/h, and a combined fuel consumption of 8.9l/100km.
Furthermore, the SUV allows the driver to switch to manual and use either the gearstick or paddle shifters to maintain control over the car’s revs.
The car is also fitted with an Electronic Limited Slip Differential (e-LSD) to improve cornering and five drive modes – Eco, Normal, Sport, “N,” and custom.
Similarly, four traction modes can be cycled through to account for dry, wet, snowy, or muddy conditions.
Hyundai fitted a “rev-matching” system, too, which “synchronizes engine speed to the input shaft speed for the next gear, reducing wear and enhancing durability.”
The Kona’s “N Grin Control system” then includes three high-performance functions aimed toward enhancing the driving experience, comprising:
- N Power Shift – Mitigates reduction in torque to deliver maximum power
- N Grin Shift – Additional 7kW of overboost and 20 seconds of high-performance acceleration
- N Track Sense Shift – Selects the correct gear and shift timing
Finally, a series of sporty design choices and exterior features were added.
This includes a double-wing roof spoiler, 19-inch alloy wheels, a low-body profile to improve centre-of-gravity, an active variable exhaust system, and high-performance tyres and brakes.
The competition
We compared the Kona N’s performance figures to that of SUVs and crossovers in a similar price bracket, below.
Click on the underlined prices for more information.
Mazda CX-5 2.2DE AWD Akera
- 0-100km/h – 9.5 seconds
- Top speed – 209km/h
- Power – 140kW/450Nm
- Engine – 2.2 turbo diesel
- Price – R731,900
Honda CR-V 1.5T Executive
- 0-100km/h – 9.3 seconds
- Top speed – 200km/h
- Power – 140kW/240Nm
- Engine – 1.5 turbo petrol
- Price – R720,900
Toyota RAV4 2.5 Hybrid VX E-Four
- 0-100km/h – 8.2 seconds
- Top speed – 180km/h
- Power – 163kW/221Nm
- Engine – 2.5 petrol-electric hybrid
- Price – R744,900
Audi Q3 40TFSI Quattro S Line
- 0-100km/h – 7.8 seconds
- Top speed – 220km/h
- Power – 132kW/320Nm
- Engine – 2.0 turbo petrol
- Price – R741,000
BMW X2 sDrive20i M Sport
- 0-100km/h – 7.7 seconds
- Top speed – 227km/h
- Power – 141kW/280Nm
- Engine – 2.0 turbo petrol
- Price – R753,727
Mini Cooper S Countryman
- 0-100km/h – 7.5 seconds
- Top speed – 226km/h
- Power – 141kW/280Nm
- Engine – 2.0 turbo petrol
- Price – R711,904
Volvo XC60 B5 Momentum
- 0-100km/h – 7.0 seconds
- Top speed – 180km/h
- Power – 183kW/350Nm
- Engine – 2.0 turbo petrol
- Price – R750,963
VW Tiguan 2.0TSI 162kW 4Motion R-Line
- 0-100km/h – 6.5 seconds
- Top speed – 225km/h
- Power – 162kW/350Nm
- Engine – 2.0 turbo petrol
- Price – R746,400
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