Inside, design changes are limited to a redesigned centre console, an electronic parking brake and new trim elements. There’s also new technology. A 10.25-inch digital instrument panel is available on the Kona for the first time, lifted from the new i20 supermini. Also, the car’s standard touchscreen has been expanded from seven to eight inches and gets
Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto; driver-assistance features have been updated to the brand’s latest standard.
The new range-topping petrol variant uses a 1.6-litre turbocharged T-GDI four-cylinder engine with 195bhp and sends drive to the front wheels or all four via a seven-speed automatic gearbox. Meanwhile, 48-volt mild-hybrid technology features with the 1.6-litre 134bhp diesel engine, which gets a seven-speed automatic gearbox or six-speed manual transmission. A 118bhp 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine is also available, with or without mild-hybrid assistance.
The Kona Hybrid, introduced last year, also adopts the new styling and continues to use a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a 32kW electric motor and a 1.56kWh battery. The
Kona Electric is set to make a return, too.
The new N Line trim adds an aggressive front bumper with a front lip and wide fins, plus a new grille with N Line badging and three air slits ahead of the bonnet. The black plastic body cladding becomes body-coloured, there are unique, 18-inch alloy wheels and, at the rear, a spoiler, a bumper with a diffuser element and twin exhaust pipes. Inside, aluminium pedals and red accents complete the look.
The Kona N Line will be available with all engines except the base 1.0-litre petrol. The new Kona goes on sale towards the end of 2020, with the Hybrid due early in 2021. Prices start from around £19,000.
Hot Kona N to follow
The new N Line version isn’t as hot as the Kona gets. A fully fledged performance variant, the Kona N, is in the offing.
Due in 2021 and already spied testing, it’ll provide competition for the likes of the Audi SQ2 while borrowing power from the
Hyundai i30 N. That means a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol with 247bhp.
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