According to ancient mythology, Greece's greatest warrior was Achilles. The son of a goddess and a king raised and educated by centaurs, Achilles became invulnerable from being dipped in the River Styx. Not the ones in the NSW Northern Tablelands, by the way.
But there's a problem. Because his ankles were restrained when he was dipped into that underworld, he had a weakness that would ultimately be his undoing.
The 2024 Hyundai Kona may not be a hero of the past, but it does suffer from similar ailments.
While the new Hyundai Kona Hybrid impresses in many important ways – efficiency, comfort, practicality, and technology – there is one flaw that could bring it all down.
How much does a Hyundai Kona Hybrid cost in Australia?
Those looking at the Kona will have no shortage of options when it comes to making a decision. As well as the most expensive pure EV offering, there are two four-cylinder petrol engines to split: the base 2.0-litre naturally aspirated unit and the more powerful 1.6-litre turbocharged option.
However, we have perhaps the most appealing powertrain for most buyers. A so-called 'closed-loop' hybrid powertrain, which fuels like a regular old car but gets electric assistance to drastically reduce consumption.
It's a new addition to the Kona lineup, providing an alternative to hybrid SUVs in its class, such as the Toyota Corolla Cross and Kia Niro. The Kona hybrid combines a 1.6-liter non-turbo engine, with an electric motor and dual-clutch automatic.
Additionally, you can upgrade your Kona to the Premium trim level (which we have here) and opt for the sporty looks of the N-Line treatment (which we don't have).
Pragmatic and frugal, but with some fun. It sounds good.
Opting for the Premium model seems like a decent value at $7500, providing a variety of upgrades over the base offering. It gets low-speed reverse autonomous braking, a 360-degree camera system, extra front, and rear parking sensors, an upgraded Bose-branded eight-speaker sound system with the external amplifier, rain-sensing wipers, power-adjustable front seats with memory, front seat heating and ventilation, heated steering wheel, heated rear outboard seats and leather seat trim.
There's also customizable ambient interior lighting, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster for the driver, projector-style LED headlights, and full-width daytime running lights.
Important details of the 2024 Hyundai Kona Hybrid Premium
The price is $43,500 plus travel costs
The color of the Mirage Green test car
Options None
The price as tested was $43,500 plus on-road costs
Drive away price $47,554 (NSW)
Nissan Qashqai Rival | Mitsubishi ASX | Toyota Corolla Cross
Inside the Kona, there's an excellent level of storage and amenities, especially on the Premium spec tester we had here.
The transmission controls have been moved to the steering column as a large, meaty stalk – column shifts seem to be popular in Korea – thus providing more space for storage. The cup holder in the main central storage area is reversible, but can also be stowed away for more raw material storage space.
There's a wireless charging pad, with space for house keys for example, at the front and some more storage under the center armrest at the back.
Add a useful shelf in front of the passenger, as well as a decent-sized glove box and space for bottles in the doors, and you've got an interior that's both practical and adept at absorbing all the stuff you tend to carry around daily. -Today.
The premium spec adds some nice touches in terms of materials and comfort, but ergonomics and comfort are all rated well here. We drove the Kona hybrid for approximately 500 kilometers during our time with the vehicle, with some tasks taking several hours, and never felt tired or sore.
The second row of the new Kona is where you get an idea of the increased size of this new generation model and the small SUV segment as a whole. It's a good size, and probably closer to the mid-sized SUVs of ten years ago.
Legroom is good, meaning the Kona is a good candidate for small and growing families. The headroom is good, but supplies are not abundant. Visibility and comfort are all good, and the air vents and twin USB-C outlets in the rear center console round out the offering nicely.
In addition to the two ISOFIX points, the Kona's second row has three top tether points, and I was able to fit three child seats for several days. Granted, there isn't much space left, but it's possible.
Another note for family use is the boot, which measures 407 liters and is large enough to easily fit the two baby seats mentioned above, so the length and width of the boot space are good. There's a space-saving spare wheel under the floor, and the floor can be set higher to provide a flat load lip, but with less overall storage height.
2024 Hyundai Kona Hybrid Premium
Seat Five
Seat 407L boot volume up,
1421L seats fold down
Length 4350mm
Width 1825mm
Height 1585mm
Wheelbase 2660mm
With the premium options selected, we get twin 12.3-inch screens in the Kona, which handle infotainment and driver instruments between the two. It's slightly curved and is a new set of interior technologies for Hyundai as it launches many new and incoming vehicles.
The infotainment system has all the features we'd expect, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It only comes in the form of a wired connection, which is not a problem as it provides a superior and more stable connection over wireless.
There's also a digital radio, original navigation, and a completely overhauled operating system. While there is a lot of functionality to dig into, it is not an overly complex system to understand. And you may find yourself digging into the settings regularly, something I'll explain shortly.
Standard advanced safety technologies in the Kona Premium include autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian/cyclist/motorcycle detection and intersection support, lane keep assist, lane center assist, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, blind spot warning (with the ability to brake in the presence of obstacles), blind spot cameras, rear cross-traffic alert with braking, traffic sign recognition, and a driver monitoring system with a camera facing the driver.
There's also a rear-view camera, a 360-degree camera with a 3D view, front, side, and rear parking sensors, safe exit warning, tire pressure monitoring, Remote Smart Park Assist, automatic high beams, and seven airbags (including one between the front seats).
New for the latest Kona is a more advanced driver monitoring system designed to meet the requirements of the latest ANCAP safety tests, which places a small, driver-facing camera atop the steering column.
Under ideal conditions – in perfect lighting conditions, with the driver's eyes on the road – it works fine, but within 15 seconds of putting on the sunglasses, an error message appears.
The system sometimes felt too sharp to remind the driver to focus on the road, such as when looking at a navigation map or entering a new destination – with the driver's eyes and head at certain angles that tripped the system.
But the biggest problem is the beeping on the traffic sign recognition function – which is more annoying than helpful, especially considering it will also beep for speed signs off-ramps and outside of working hours – even in conditions that have two drawbacks. weekend in NSW when we had this car in the Drive garage.
In addition to reading speed signs and displaying a visual warning when you exceed the speed limit, Kona's traffic signal technology – which is also used in other new Hyundai and Kia models, including the Kia Seltos small SUV – will beep when you exceed a speed sign. the car has been detected.
This is a useful feature when the car reads the signs correctly. However, this is often not the case, due to detecting low speeds on the motorway, misreading (electronic) variable speed signs, or sticking to the 10km/h limit from the parking space when you return to the public road.
The system in the Kona is better tuned than any other recent Hyundai we tested. It seems to be able to detect school zone opening times – it reads the time on the sign and only shows the school zone speed limit of 40km/h if applicable – but it works intermittently.
Most other new cars with speed sign recognition only have visual warnings, and do not beep when you exceed the speed limit. Hyundai says this is its interpretation of the latest ANCAP safety requirements; we urged him to go back and read the rulebook again.
The system can be turned off, but it requires a few taps through a menu on the touchscreen to do so (though you can set a physical button shortcut that cuts the number of taps required from four to two). Turning off audio alerts also disables visual alerts, and the feature automatically turns back on the next time you start the car.
How much does it cost to maintain the Hyundai Kona Hybrid?
The most cost-effective way to service the Kona Hybrid is prepaid, which is $1197 for three years to $1995 for five years. This works out to $399 per year for the first five years or 75,000 kilometers, which is reasonable but not the cheapest in the segment.
Insurance for the Kona Hybrid premium is set at $1499. As usual, this is based on a comparison quote for a 35-year-old male driver, living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
2024 Hyundai Kona Hybrid Premium at a Glance
Five-year guarantee, unlimited km
8-year battery guarantee, 160,000 km
Service interval 12 months or 15,000km
Service fee (prepaid) $1197 (3 years)
$1995 (5 years)
Is the Hyundai Kona Hybrid fuel efficient?
This is a major part of the Kona's appeal and the reason why the car is likely to appeal to urban users. Compared to an impressive claim of 3.9 liters per hundred kilometers, which comes out to just 4.0L/100km on the motorway cycle, we're looking at an overall average of 4.3L/100km.
To be clear here, using a heavier vehicle on the motorway causes that figure to rise to 4.6L/100km, while efficiency-focused driving around Sydney's western suburbs and using regenerative braking as much as possible, only returns 4.0L/100km.
Another detail that helps lower running costs is the fact that the 1.6-litre engine – which uses the efficiency-focused Atkinson cycle – happily accepts cheaper 91-RON unleaded fuel.
A peak power of 104kW tells us that this Kona hybrid won't deliver mind-blowing acceleration, but it also feels powerful enough for the job. We noticed that Eco driving mode does provide an accelerator pedal that is too soft to maximize efficiency, but this can sometimes hinder take-off.
The more important 265Nm of torque is healthier and allows the Kona to use both petrol and electric power sources for effortless acceleration.
The Kona hybrid uses a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission combined with a gasoline engine and electric motor, which is very different (mechanically) from the continuously variable transmission used in most Toyota hybrids.
This provides a slightly different feel, as the up and down revs are similar to a conventional petrol car with a conventional automatic gearbox. In comparison, the Toyota hybrid sometimes feels like a generator. But most importantly, this powertrain functions well in combining the two power sources smoothly and without interruption.
Combined, there's enough power on offer for everyday use without feeling sluggish or sluggish. When driving and cruising around town, there is a lot of engine stopping and regenerative braking to reduce fuel consumption.
For the tech geeks out there, here are some additional details about the Kona Hybrid, compared to the Corolla Cross Hybrid. The Kona has a 1.32 kWh lithium-ion battery, which operates at 240V. The electric motor on the Kona Hybrid produces 32kW and 170Nm, and the petrol engine produces 77kW and 144Nm.
And of course, the efficiency benefits are clear.
Regenerative braking can be controlled via paddle shifters, and you can hold down the left paddle for maximum braking, or adjust pre-set levels to your liking.
In terms of ride quality, handling, and steering, the Kona feels nice and solid without being overly impressive at all. Some of the sharper bumps over potholes can find their way into the cabin more smoothly, but most things are absorbed well by the suspension.
Refinement is also good, in terms of wind and overall road noise.
There's not a lot of extra weight carried in the Kona Hybrid, and the vehicle generally feels quite light on its feet and responsive when cornering. Certainly nothing naughty, but good enough for the application.
2024 Hyundai Kona Hybrid important details
1.6-liter four-cylinder petrol Hybrid engine
Power 77kW @ 5700rpm petrol
32kW electricity
104kW combined
Torque 144Nm @ 4000rpm petrol
170Nm electric
combined 265Nm
Drive Type Front wheel drive
Transmission Dual-clutch 6-speed automatic
Power to weight ratio 68.2kW/t
Weight (curb) 1525kg
Spare tire type Space saver
Tow rating 1300kg braked
600kg unbraked
Spins a 10.6m circle
Just like our favorite Greek warrior, the new Kona hybrid is impressive in many ways. Spacious, comfortable, has good specifications, practical, and very efficient.
Plus, it looks a bit interesting, both inside and out. If you compare the interior and exterior aesthetics of the Corolla Cross, it is certainly the more attractive of the two.
But the annoying traffic sign recognition system is a major obstacle to livability. Driver assistance systems should do just that – assist, and not hinder the driver's efforts. The many unnecessary warnings and warnings triggered by Hyundai's unhelpful systems will diminish any benefit.
And while Hyundai Australia can't provide any concrete comment on what they're doing to fix what's a problem, we're seeing signs of improvement starting to happen in Australia. The new-generation Santa Fe we recently drove in Korea has gentler calibration, making it more user-friendly, as well as the ability to mute the system if needed.
