DETROIT, Mich — For all of the SUVs and crossovers on sale, there’s a definite lack of reasonably priced, non-luxury efficiency choices. You’ll discover no scarcity of them within the luxurious area with costs above and past $75,000, however what about the one who desires some additional zest with extra practicality on a funds? Say hiya to the 2023 Hyundai Kona N.
And earlier than you head to the feedback, sure, calling the Kona “sensible” is definitely a stretch, even perhaps the N’s undoing. The precise usability of its cargo area and rear seat is about on par with what a VW GTI provides. Nevertheless, it does have the upper seating place and higher floor clearance that American SUV patrons get pleasure from. Plus, it serves a sensible function in Hyundai’s N division lineup. With the Veloster N dying, the Kona N takes over as the one N mannequin with a liftgate. The Elantra N could have a spacious backseat, however there’s no denying the added usefulness of a hatch with foldable rear seats to create an enormous, ethereal dumping spot for all of your stuff whenever you’re not hotfooting it in your favourite roads.
Slam the throttle down from a cease within the Kona N, and the entrance tires gentle up as quickly as increase builds, sending you right into a minor skirmish with the steering wheel. Yeah, there’s torque steer on faucet right here. Whereas the Veloster N and Elantra N do exhibit a small quantity of torque steer, the Kona N appears to perform a little much less to quell it. If you will get into the humor of a tiny crossover having a lot energy that it may possibly yank you round beneath acceleration, then you could discover it charming. No one is (properly, possibly no one) attempting to set quick lap instances with the Kona N, so think about it added character.
In fact, I’m certain there are various — together with others on workers — who would moderately see the Kona N with an all-wheel drive system that’d fully remove torque steer and improve efficiency. A torque-vectoring rear differential à la Golf R can be the icing on the cake of stated AWD system, too. There’s little question the Kona N can be a extra controllable and competent car with energy to each axles, however it will come on the expense of added price and weight. As is, the Kona N prices $36,285 and weighs 3,340 kilos. I’d moderately not see both of these numbers improve.
You’re getting an absolute hoot of an SUV for the cash. Hyundai’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 276 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of torque is readily available, and similar to in different N fashions, the Kona N’s exhaust is totally hilarious. You’ll be able to drive round in a customized drive mode that retains the valves open and the outrageous bang-and-backfire soundtrack on always, or you possibly can shut all of it up for quieter, albeit nonetheless loud, cruising. Count on loads of double takes with the Kona N in its extroverted mode, as few anticipate these noises from a tiny Hyundai SUV.
Past the theater of sound, the Kona N has enjoyable enthusiast-oriented options just like the “N Grin Shift” mode that provides you 20 seconds of additional efficiency through an overboost perform (with 10 additional horsepower). It’s activated through a button on the steering wheel, similar to Porsche’s “Sport Response” button, that’ll immediately prepared the automobile for max efficiency. With N Grin Shift activated, Hyundai says the 0-62 mph dash takes 6.4 seconds. You get there through the quick-shifting eight-speed dual-clutch computerized transmission. Stated transmission is glad to be subjected to loads of launch management begins, the place the Kona N jumps off the road adeptly for a front-drive automobile. Simply maintain a decent maintain on the wheel beneath acceleration to maintain it pointed straight.
Once you’d moderately go left or proper, the Kona N is glad to oblige. It has an electronically-controlled adjustable suspension with various ranges of stiffness. They vary from “stiff” to “wow, my again is beginning to harm” ranges of firmness. The Kona’s quick wheelbase inherently means a choppier journey, and including the dealing with functionality anticipated from an N mannequin means much more compromise to day by day driving consolation. On Michigan’s damaged roads, the Kona N can develop into grating to even these with a tolerance for stiff-riding vehicles.
A lot will be forgiven whenever you discover a twisty little bit of pavement, although. The Kona N turns in precisely and with the extent of sharpness and really feel anticipated from the N badge on the again. There’s little or no physique roll, and consecutive corners are straightforward to string collectively. It’s not fairly the featherweight that the Veloster N was on the highway, however the Kona N comports itself leagues higher than any commonplace Kona does when pushed. Hyundai’s eLSD does its job by successfully pulling you thru corners with out understeer beneath throttle. There’s nonetheless some twitchiness within the type of torque steer eager to throw you off monitor, nevertheless it’s gentle in comparison with launches from zero.
Grip from the 235-section-width Pirelli P Zero summer time tires is greater than ample, and the upgraded N brakes yank this tall hatchback to a cease shortly with a stiff pedal that may deal with a beating with out fade. Calling it a tall, scorching hatchback is de facto one of the best ways to sum up how the Kona N drives. As somebody who prefers the decrease seating place {that a} automobile provides, the Kona N is usually a little off-putting, however driving it exhausting makes it tough to dislike. Tapping up and down the gears of this super-quick transmission, listening to the exhaust blat out its offended voice earlier than ricocheting off tunnels on the overrun, even simply wanting on the comically aggressive exterior bodywork … all of these traits make this a highly-desirable fanatic car.
What would possibly flip you towards the Kona N is the inside. Identical to the Veloster N’s back-to-basics cabin, the Kona N is usually barren and boring inside. It’s the drab sprint, clean doorways and lack of any intriguing trim that go away this inside feeling low cost. Black plastic is the theme right here, and the dearth of aptitude certainly helps attribute to the low price ticket.
The few N-specific objects Hyundai tosses in are at the very least welcome enhancements. Its high-bolstered seats with suede inserts do a swell job of holding a physique in place. The leather-based steering wheel with blue accents, sizable paddles, blue drive mode buttons and the crimson “NGS” button add some character. Plus, the digital cluster has distinctive show modes (big tach within the middle and so on.) to amp up the sensation that you simply’re in a scorching automobile. Maybe the perfect of all of the N-specific modifications for the Kona is the presence of a guide handbrake. The usual Kona options an digital emergency brake, however that’s no good for kicking the rear finish out on a slick floor. It appears the Hyundai engineers behind this automobile are similar to the remainder of us who get pleasure from a fast slide when the snow begins falling, and so they made certain the automobile can be up for the duty.
How the Kona N compares to its contemporaries is the place issues get a little bit bizarre, largely as a result of the Kona N has no direct comparisons. The automobiles of us are more likely to cross-shop it towards are all scorching hatches, since an array of reasonably priced scorching crossovers merely does not exist. A GTI will be had for the same worth. If you need AWD, the worth of entry escalates shortly because the Toyota GR Corolla, Mini JCWs and VW Golf R come into play. The issue right here, that you could be already be seeing, is that the majority fanatics would probably simply go for a efficiency automobile, not a crossover, when introduced with a worth level. Hyundai does a bang-up job of constructing the Kona N so enjoyable that it may possibly fairly be in comparison with these vehicles, nevertheless it’s nonetheless going to be inherently compromised in all-out efficiency by advantage of its taller stature. To not point out, the Kona N doesn’t enable fanatics to spec a guide transmission.
Luxurious efficiency SUVs — that are seemingly in every single place lately — sometimes don’t share the identical compromises, as they’re virtually all the time the best performing and essentially the most luxurious variations of themselves. For those who’ve obtained the money, why shouldn’t you purchase the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 over the standard-stroke GLE 450? It’s quicker, has showy (however nonetheless stylish) AMG badges throughout it, and the one actual compromise is a barely greater month-to-month fee that your checking account may not even care about. In the meantime, the Kona N is hellbent at interesting to somebody who loves the hardcore Veloster N, has a strict funds and doesn’t care about issues like journey high quality, inside accoutrements or subtlety. It’s made for folks like me who completely adore driving it, however on the finish of the day, I’ll stroll two vehicles down and drive off in an Elantra N each single time.
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