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The Hyundai Kona is a best-selling compact crossover that’s built for life in the city. The lineup has been revamped for 2023, and these are the highlights you can expect.
Enhanced Exterior Design
The Kona has always had a compact charm to its design, but the 2023 model’s refresh adds several dramatic flourishes to make it an SUV that stands out from the crowd. Narrow, swept-back LED running lights give the front end a sleek, almost wasp-like look, while the body’s reassuring chunkiness is softened by sculpted panels and a gently sloping roofline that leads back to the slightly raised rear end.
Optional 18-inch alloy wheels and a two-tone exterior trim add to the confident air, ultimately creating a small, neat SUV with plenty of character and personality.
Powertrain and Performance
The Kona is built for confident and manoeuvrable city driving, and the standard powertrain provides a good balance of performance and efficiency when navigating busy streets. A 2.0L four-cylinder engine is paired with a variable automatic transmission to pass 147 horsepower and 132lb-ft of torque to either front-wheel or all-wheel drive.
The result is an agile performer with the punch to handle stop-start traffic with ease, combined with the smoothness to stretch out on the highway. Importantly, the impressive performance is delivered without costly surprises at the gas pump, with an attractive fuel economy of just 8.0L/100km in the city and 6.6L on the highway.
Choose the all-wheel-drive option, and you’ll be rewarded with even better handling, assisted by an active cornering system that adjusts each wheel’s traction and braking to keep the Kona under full control in tough conditions.
If you need a little more power, upgrading to the optional 1.6L turbo engine pushes the ponies up to 195 horsepower, matched by 195lb-ft of torque to give even more verve in the acceleration department. To handle the extra power, this engine is paired with an upgraded seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that shifts reliably and smoothly, especially at higher engine outputs.
Interior Comfort and Technology
The Kona packs plenty of interior features into its surprisingly roomy cabin, with heated front seats setting the tone for high-end comfort. A heated leather steering wheel is also available, along with ventilation in the front seats, and the available black leather upholstery with red stitching adds the final touch to the upscale interior.
An 8-inch infotainment touchscreen display is standard, upgradeable to a generous 10.25-inch unit complete with navigation, and extra instrumentation is provided by the available 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster operating in high-resolution colour.
Advanced Safety with Hyundai SmartSense
The 2023 Kona is available with a wealth of high-end safety features provided by Hyundai’s advanced SmartSense package. Depending on the trim level, key highlights can include:
- Forward collision warnings and avoidance with cyclist and pedestrian detection
- Blind-spot collision warnings and avoidance assist
- Adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability
- Lane-keeping and lane-following assist
- Driver-attention monitor
What’s more, the advanced technology is supported by a vehicle platform built from high-strength steel for exceptional passenger protection in an accident.
Explore the 2023 Hyundai Kona Range
The 2023 Hyundai Kona is available in three trims, ranging from the affordable Essential up to the high-end N Line AWD that includes all the optional features. To see which Kona is right for you, please book a test drive of any 2023 model by clicking on the button below.
Please Note: The details of this article were accurate at the time it was written. Manufacturers may change the details of any vehicle’s specifications at any time without notice.
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