Hyundai has just launched their latest SUV. The compact Kona crossover sits under the 2017 Tucson in the lineup and will arrive in Canada early next year.
Hyundai has given the Kona aggressive styling for the class. It's low and wide, with sharply scalloped doors. The pinched upper headlights look vaguely like the Jeep Cherokee', and it wears Hyundai's new cascading grille, but the rest of the design looks like nothing else. Hyundai calls the plastic cladding "armour", saying it "shows its readiness for extreme activities."
Inside, Hyundai claims best-in-class interior space, despite compact dimensions. The interior is made larger by optimizing what goes underneath. The underpinnings, exhaust, and all-wheel drive system are all designed to reduce intrusion into the passenger compartment. This allows for a lower seating position in the rear. This gives the Kona a fold-flat second row and more headroom.
A full range of active safety features will be available, including lane-keep assist, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision braking, and driver attention warnings. Hyundai is planning an optional head-up display projecting speed, audio, and navigation information onto a clear glass panel mounted to the top of the dash.
The Kona will have an infotainment system using a 5.0, 7.0, or 8.0-inch screen, depending on options. the system will have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, along with 4G connectivity.
There are a number of gas and diesel engines available around the world, but the two we're likely to see at the 1.6L turbocharged four and the 2.0L Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder. The first is Hyundai's familiar Gamma engine making 177 hp. It's matched with Hyundai's seven-speed dual clutch transmission. The 2.0L has a conventional six-speed auto and 149 hp.
Expect pricing, interior photos, and more details to follow closer to the Kona's arrival at dealers.
