2018 Hyundai Kona Video Review: What Makes the Kona So Special?

Small crossovers and SUVs are all the rage these days. Everybody’s buying one, and they’re buying them more and more every single minute. Hyundai does not want to be left out of the party, which is why it has brought us this: the new 2018 Hyundai Kona.

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While the name may make you think of volcanic islands, tropical breezes and beautiful Hawaiian beaches — that’s not what this Kona is. We got up close and personal with the Kona in Detroit, on Belle Isle, and as beaches go, that’s pretty much all there is. However, we also have this fantastic new crossover from Hyundai to play with. So, what makes it so special?

I’m not sure it’s the styling that makes it special, because we’ve criticized the Kona in the past for looking like a mishmash of every crossover on the market put together. The upper lights aren’t the headlights; they’re the daytime running lights, which are LED and standard. The actual headlights are down below the running lights, in the bumper. And if that looks like the last-generation Jeep Cherokee to you … well, frankly, it looks like that to me, too.

The grille is wider and is meant to evoke Hyundai’s steelmaking processes. It’s supposed to look like an urn where the steel is melted before being poured into something else. And if you’re a fan of black-plastic cladding, the Kona has that, too. It’s all down the front, on the fenders, on the back bumper, along the sides … it’s meant to make the Kona look more rugged and a little more like a machine.

For the rest of my impressions on the new 2018 Hyundai Kona, watch the video above.

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