[Taboleo] Straight Eyebrows and Expanded Interior... Small Size, You Say?

Hyundai Motor's 2nd Generation New Kona
Bigger and More Practical Interior Compared to 1st Generation

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Looking at the cars coming out of Hyundai Motor Company these days, I truly feel they are serious about maximizing interior space. Interior space utilization has long been rated superior compared to imported cars, but recently it feels like they are really grinding their teeth to perfect it.

The newly redesigned compact sports utility vehicle (SUV), Kona, is no exception. It has returned completely changed after five years. The body is bigger, and there is more usable space inside.

Recently, I drove the 2nd generation new Kona for 100 km around Goyang City and Paju in Gyeonggi Province. The vehicle I test drove was the 1.6ℓ gasoline turbo engine version. I chose the highest trim (30.97 million KRW) with all options including BOSE premium sound system (590,000 KRW), parking assist (980,000 KRW), wide sunroof (590,000 KRW), built-in cam (440,000 KRW), and interior color package (200,000 KRW). The fully loaded model costs 33.77 million KRW.

The 2nd generation Kona looks different from the 1st generation from the exterior. Hyundai’s ‘Seamless Horizon Lamp,’ a horizontally connected LED lamp without breaks, has been applied. It was previously used on the Staria and Grandeur. This is also called a ‘family look.’ Personally, I like it because the design consistency makes it instantly recognizable as a Hyundai wherever you see it.

The body has grown larger. Compared to the 1st generation, the overall length and wheelbase have increased by 145 mm and 60 mm respectively. It made me think it could challenge higher-class models. As the size increased, the interior became more spacious. Notably, like the Grandeur, the gear shift lever has been moved next to the steering wheel. This change improved the usability of the space where the gear shift used to be. Additionally, storage space was created above the passenger-side glove box. This is the part where I felt they were truly serious about space utilization.

The rear legroom is surprisingly spacious. Although body sizes vary individually, for someone 174 cm tall, there was about one to two fists of extra space. However, headroom might feel a bit tight. When sitting upright, there is about one fist of clearance. The trunk space is also ample. It has increased by more than 30% compared to the previous model, reportedly reaching 723 liters.

The 2nd generation Kona features a 12.3-inch LCD cluster and a 12.3-inch navigation system. This is a feature applied to most recently released Hyundai models. The uniquely clean instrument panel may be polarizing. It is the same as the one in the Grandeur.

Driving performance is adequate. The test vehicle’s powertrain is a 1.6 gasoline turbo with 198 horsepower, 27.0 kgf·m torque, and a combined fuel efficiency of 13 km per liter. When pressing the accelerator pedal firmly, the engine response can sometimes be slightly delayed. However, this is due to the nature of turbo engines, known as turbo lag, and it does not significantly affect driving. I did not feel any other shortcomings.

Noise insulation is also good. Double-glazed glass has been applied, and soundproofing materials have been reinforced in various places. Even when exceeding 100 km/h, wind noise was not unpleasant. Various convenience features are an added bonus. The biggest difference between older and newer vehicles is this aspect. The Kona includes forward collision avoidance assist, highway driving assist, lane keeping assist, navigation-based smart cruise control, remote smart parking assist, blind-spot collision avoidance assist, and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist.