Flash Drive: 2024 Hyundai Kona

All-New Small SUV

The all-new 2024 Hyundai Kona is currently offered in four trim levels with the choice of two gasoline-powered engines and, in early 2024, an all-electric version will arrive. Hyundai invited automotive journalists to Baltimore, Maryland, to drive the gasoline versions, which are in dealers now. While we did get some brief seat time in the Kona EV, we will wait a few more months to review it. This Flash Drive is a first look at the gasoline-powered 2024 Kona, with a more detailed review upcoming where we will dive-in deeper to the driving attributes and real-world fuel economy.

EV Purpose-Designed Exterior

Hyundai says the gasoline powered Kona has an “EV-centric exterior.” This design strategy is opposite of what most car companies have historically done, which is design first for a gasoline engine and then adapt it to an electric power plant. By starting with the Kona Electric in mind, the aerodynamics for the gasoline Kona have been lowered to a 0.302 drag coefficient (0.27 for the Kona EV) with active grille shutters, and an aerodynamic sleek nose, wheel arches, lift gate and integrated rear spoiler. The 2024 Kona will not be mistaken for an earlier generation as it is rounder, smoother and has a more contemporary look and feel.

Many Options: Two Engines/Two Transmissions/FWD and AWD

The Kona SE and SEL come with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine producing 147 horsepower (hp) and 132 pound-feet (lb.-ft.) of torque. Available with either front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) and featuring a continuously variable transmission (CVT), the new Kona has EPA fuel economy ratings of 29 mpg city/34 highway/31 combined for the FWD, and 27/29/31 for the AWD.

The Kona Limited and N-Line have a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine good for 190 hp and 195 lb.-ft. of torque, but gets the power to either the front or all the wheels through an 8-speed automatic with a torque converter. These two models also have nearly the same fuel economy ratings of 26/32/28 for the FWD and 24/29/26 for the AWD.

Unique Exterior Design Vision

The 2024 Kona utilized an EV universal-architecture, paving the way for Hyundai going all-electric in the coming years, so it makes perfect sense to have the gasoline engine play a secondary role in the Kona design vision.

Compared to the outgoing Kona, the 2024 is longer (5.7”) wider (1”) and taller, resulting in passenger space being equal to a size-up SUV. The exterior features designs of an aerodynamic nose with a seamless horizontal light strip that runs across the complete hood. The rear gets the same smooth treatment with a pixelated horizon lamp running the full width from the fenders and across the power tailgate. LED head, daytime running and tail lights finish the exterior lighting design. There are a choice of five alloy wheels ranging from 17-19 inches, and 10 all-new for 2024 exterior colors.

Interior

Hyundai says the Kona has a “driver-centric, living space” interior. The key feature is a floating horizontal C-Pad with dual 12.3-inch panoramic display screens. Making these screens available on the Kona is a nice touch by Hyundai, as up until recently this configuration and technology was only found on premium and luxury cars. The left screen houses the digital meter and gauge cluster display, while the right side screen is home to the infotainment system The base system has six speakers, but stepping-up there is a Bose premium audio set-up with an external amp, tweeters and eight speakers. All sound systems get AM/FM/SiriusXM/HD Radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which for some reason are wireless on the SE and SEL but wired on the N-Line and Limited. When opting for the Convenience Package for wireless charging it’s a $2,200 premium.

The floor is flat on the Kona EV as there is no transmission, but the Kona gasoline models have a minimal transmission hump for rear seat passengers, who have three inches of additional leg room, as the Kona uses both shift-by-cable and shift-by-wire transmissions.

The front seats have been reduced in size by 30% for added rear leg room, and the sofa-like rear seat reclines, which is new for Hyundai. Rear cargo space is 25.5 cubic feet with the rear seat upright, but grows to a very useable 63.7 cubic feet when the 60:40 rear seat is folded flat. The lift-over for the rear storage area is low even though the Kona is taller. Depending on the trim, seat surface materials include cloth, suede-like Alcantara (a synthetic textile made from a blend of polyester and polyurethane) and Hi-Tex leatherette.

Hitting the Road

Departing Fells Point, Maryland, Baltimore’s historic waterfront, we headed out of the city destined for Sagamore Farmthrough some beautiful rolling hills horse country. The naturally aspirated 2.0-liter 4-cylinder in the Kona SEL AWD cruised well on the flats, with the CVT responding smoothly. This is true for all CVTs as they are designed for efficiency and not performance. But when pulling a slight rise in the road, the CVT tended to lag so punching the throttle was necessary to find a lower “gear,” though, of course, there are none on a CVT. This was fine and expected, with all other aspects of this engine and transmission combination very livable for daily commute and around town driving.

After lunch, my driving partner and I got into a Kona N-Line AWD with the turbocharged 1.6-liter and the 8-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. Frequently I find paddle shifters to be unnecessary on the cars I review, but in the case of the Kona N-Line, I needed them at times.

Modern 8, 9 and 10-speed automatic transmissions are programed to get into the higher gears as quickly as possible, and stay there, all in the interest of fuel economy. The downside is they don’t like to downshift quickly or at the right time when more oomph is needed. I found myself moving along nicely, in the Normal drive mode at 50 mph, in the highest gear, which was fine for cruising flat. But when climbing even the smallest of rises in the road the N-Line began to slow appreciably. This was remedied by selecting the Sport drive mode and blipping the left-side paddle down a gear or two. The turbocharged 1.6-liter responded quickly and without hesitation, pulling the elevation rise with ease. This gave the N-Line some spirit and allowed it to show what it could do.

Technology and Safety

The Kona comes with an extensive list of standard safety features beginning with front, side impact and side air curtain airbags. Hyundai’s SmartSensesafety tech is robust with Advance Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that include a surround view camera, lane keeping assist, blind spot detection, forward collision avoidance, and rear cross-traffic avoidance assist. Click the above link to learn about their safety suite. Other features are Auto Hold, a surround and blind view monitor with parking sensors, anti-lock brakes, and a tire pressure monitoring system.

The Hyundai Blue Link telematics app provides access to vehicle systems including remote starting, and the Digital Key provides extra convenience and safety.

Pricing and Availability

These 2024 Kona prices include the mandatory $1,335 Freight charges. The Kona gasoline models are in dealers now in North America.

• SE            2.0L FWD     $25,435
• SEL          2.0L FWD     $26,785
• SE            2.0L AWD     $26,935
• SEL          2.0L AWD     $28,285
• N-Line      1.6L  FWD     $31,985
• N-Line      1.6L AWD      $33,485
• Limited     1.6L  FWD     $32,985
• Limited     1.6L  AWD     $34,485

Observations: 2024 Hyundai Kona

The television advertisement tagline for the 2024 Hyundai Kona is “Whether we’re ready to accept it or not, the commute is back.” Obviously playing off the post-pandemic remote working trend of more and more companies requiring their workers to be in the office at least few days a week. The television spot shows workers, comfortable working from home for the past couple years, now dealing with the reality of rush hour traffic.

The spots are clever and point to the strengths of the 2024 Kona. While is it larger in all dimensions than the outgoing model, it is still classified as a small or compact SUV. Hyundai says the all-new Kona is the “ultimate commute conquering machine” and after a few hours behind the wheel, we agree it would make for a comfortable commute.

Hyundai makes the point the Kona is “designed for active and diverse lifestyles” which, considering its size, would mean singles or couples without children will be attracted to this compact SUV, probably laying-down the second row seat permanently and filling the cargo space with outdoor adventure gear.

Clean Fleet Report will write a much more detailed Road Test review after getting in the Kona for more than a couple hours. We also will be among the first to review the all-new 2024 Kona Electric, which should be sometime in the next few months as it goes on-sale before the end of 2023.

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Story by John Faulkner. Photos by John Faulkner and Hyundai.

Disclosure:

Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.

Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and diesels. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.