2022 Hyundai Kona

great little suv

Saturday, January 29, 2022

loved the vehicle but too small for an infant carseat. Had to upgrade to a larger vehicle. Highway gas mileage was better than advertised. For a very affordable new suv it is a nice awd vehicle.

Love this EV!

Saturday, January 29, 2022

I will never go back to a gas engine. Up front, EVs can cost more, but with the federal tax credit & no state sales tax, coupled with the facts that it costs half as much or less to drive (based on charging costs vs current gas prices) and it requires almost no maintenance, I'll save thousands over the life of the car. And I have solar panels on my house, so I save even more. I very rarely take it out of eco mode, but it has surprising power in sport mode. The transmission is smooth since it doesn't have traditional gears. It's quiet and doesn't vibrate like a car with a gas engine. Its almost 300 mile range on a full charge is among the highest currently available in an EV, and the few other EVs with similar range are more expensive. The warranty is among the best in the industry.

A GTI from the Dark Side.

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

The Kona N is only going to make sense to a certain subset of people. Those people will really, really love it. It seems like Hyundai's attempt to give us a hot hatchback in a shape that the market is really into right now- the compact SUV. As a former GTI owner, the Kona N still has some of the same characteristics of the GTI and other hot hatchbacks of days gone by- a practical shape for folding down the rear seats and shoving in a bike or a dresser on occasion, a reasonably small footprint, and performance numbers that will shock people who judge cars by their badge. The Kona is just a lot less subtle about all of it. The styling is good looking but definitely not understated, lots of red trim and vents and diffusers (some of which are for looks only). The exhaust pops and snarls and crackles in sport mode which will either make you giggle like a kid or roll your eyes, maybe both. The suspension is very firm, probably to make the car corner well while maintaining its compact-SUV ride height. The turbo 4 can pull very respectable mid-30s mileage while cruising on the highway if you're cautious, but will drop to low 20s in the city. And in maximum attack mode on back roads, it is an absolute delight, but one that requires a lot more involvement than a GTI. It torque steers, it can get skittish over broken pavement because of the firm ride, but god it is FUN. It is a car that has a very distinct personality when driven fast. You don't just point the steering wheel and watch the revs climb. You have to get in there and make sure it doesn't go off into the bushes. And that's the enjoyable part. It's not available as a stick, so manual purists won't like that. The cruise range is short. The interior, while full of features, is a little tight in back and doesn't have the near-luxury feel of a GTI. I keep referencing the GTI because that's about the closest thing to this car for now! It feels like an evil twin of that car, one that is a little more raw and powerful and unafraid to make compromises in the name of hold-on-tight driving fun. Maybe the Kona N is going to kick off a wave of tiny angry performance SUVs, since the American market is not always kind to tiny angry hot hatchbacks. I hope so. If you're looking for a way to go very fast for $35k and still maintain some practicality, and the GTI feels a little safe, this might be the ticket.