2018 Hyundai Kona Is Comfy Inside, Funky Outside
CARS.COM — There’s room for a lot more crossovers in the Hyundai showroom, according to Hyundai, and we’re going to see a bunch of them coming in the next couple of years. It starts with this one — the 2018 Hyundai Kona, a diminutive Elantra-based SUV that slots below the Tucson and is meant to compete with subcompact SUVs like the Mazda CX-3, Honda HR-V, and Jeep Renegade.
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On paper, its equipment sounds pretty good. It’ll be more powerful than most of its competitors, with a sprightly turbocharged four-cylinder engine that promises to be fun. The suspension could mean fun, too, thanks to an independent rear on the turbo model. Available 19-inch wheels promise low-profile rubber that should also help handling.
Inside, the Kona is surprisingly spacious and comfortable, with passengers obviously getting the nod over cargo room. There’s plenty of head and legroom in the front, and while the backseat doesn’t feature too much room for your toes, you won’t be cramped thanks to large windows and adequate width. Materials quality in the model I sat in was only average, but it’s an early production prototype, so I won’t judge that for true until I get to sample an actual salable example.
From the inside, the Kona looks and feels like a great idea. It’s the outside that offends, quite frankly, because there isn’t an original line on the car: All of the Kona’s wild exterior styling cues are found on other vehicles that did it first, and that’s a shame. While obviously limited to what they can do given a platform this small, one would hope that Hyundai’s design studios — which have created some truly unique and avant-garde designs over the last decade — could have created something fresh and unique instead of the odd mish-mash of styles we see here.
Still, the Kona will get noticed, especially in the fun colors Hyundai will offer. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that it’s more attractive than a Ford EcoSport or Nissan Juke. But something more original would’ve been nice.
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