The Hyundai Motor Company’s B-segment SUV Kona is back with a facelift. The 2022 Hyundai Kona is a five-door subcompact sport utility vehicle that was first launched in June 2017 in Seoul, South Korea. After a year, the Kona was brought out to the 2018 Manila International Auto Show and has been available in the Philippine automotive market a month after.

Variants

The variants that have been globally launched this year are the 2.0-liter gasoline, Hybrid, and the N Line. In the Philippines, the 2.0 NU MPI Atkinson cycle engine variant is available in the market and is priced at Php1,188,000. Unlike its engine variants, the 2022 Hyundai Kona is available in ten color variants in the country, including Red, Tangerine Comet, Phantom Black, Acid Yellow, Lake Silver, Blue Lagoon, Dark Knight, Ceramic Blue, Chalk White, and Velvet Dune.

Exterior

On its exterior, you see some style changes from its previous version. The front fascia features some updates from the headlamp, honeycomb radiator grille, and bumper. Whereas style changes on its sides are made as well with the new alloy wheel designs, depending on the variant. There are also some style changes with the tail lamp, rear spoiler, turn indicator, and bumper at the back. The Hyundai Kona top-of-the-line variant N Line has the same body color painted cladding. There are also fake air vents on the bonnet that has been added for additional aesthetic appeal. The overall dimensions of the Kona are 4,165 mm length, 1,800 mm width, 1,550 mm height, 2,600 mm wheelbase, and 170 mm ground clearance.

Interior

The overall interior layout is quite the same as its previous version. Although there are some style changes to the aircon vents' shape, some of the buttons have been redesigned as well, including the drive mode button before that is now in a rotary switch. The center mono LCD infotainment system and digital dashboard are both on a 10.25 inches widescreen. The floating-style infotainment system supports USB, AUX, AM, FM, and Bluetooth Connectivity, supported by 6 Krell speakers that surround the whole cabin.

The cabin finish is made out of hard plastic with orange accents just like its previous version, but the steering wheel and gear knob got a fresh update in leather with red stitching for the N Line variant. You have different seats per variant as well. The 2.0-liter gasoline variant comes with fabric-covered sets. The Kona Hybrid variant comes with leather seats, while the N Line variant seats are covered in leather with red stitching and an embossed N logo. This model can sit up to 5 average-height adults. Interesting thing about the Kona Hybrid is its second-row center tunnel is lower than the other variants.

The cargo trunk has a capacity of 361 liters topped by a rear covering shelf, and under is a pull-up to open storage space and tire repair kit. You could have a larger trunk capacity if you fold flat the second row. Though unlike other models, the Hyundai Kona second-row seats don’t fold flat completely. Nevertheless, it still provides additional cargo trunk capacity.

Powertrain System

The 2022 Hyundai Kona runs in a 2.0-liter Atkinson cycle engine powered by gasoline. Although the exterior looks aggressive, and you might think of it as a sports car at first glance, the power is not sports-car-like. Nevertheless, the engine performance is impressive, and the 6-speed automatic transmission shifts fast and smooth. The Atkinson cycle engine produces 147 horsepower and 179 Nm of torque. For the suspension, the Kona uses a McPherson strut at the front, while a torsion beam axle for its rear. Ventilated front discs and rear discs are for the brakes.

Safety

The body is made from 51% advanced steel strength with adhesives for additional sternness. The 2022 Hyundai Kona features six airbags. These include driver airbag, passenger airbag, side airbags, and curtain airbags. Anti-lock Braking System, smart key with button start, child seat anchor, immobilizer, 3 point emergency locking retractor front seatbelts, 2 point emergency locking retractor seatbelts, blind-spot detection, lane-keeping assist, emergency braking system with pedestrian detection, and tire pressure monitoring system are also included in the Kona for utmost ride safety.

Kona Electric

Kona Electric is a battery-powered version of the Hyundai Kona that launched in 2018 in South Korea and Europe. It is available in 39.2 kWh and 64 kWh battery capacities. Hyundai Kona Electric was awarded as the 6th best-selling electric vehicle in the UK, with a total of 7,199 units sold in 2021. As of the moment, the Kona Electric is not available in the Philippines.

Special Edition

In 2019, Hyundai Motor Company released a special edition of the Kona, the Hyundai Kona Iron Man edition, in collaboration with Marvel Entertainment to promote Avengers: Endgame. The Kona Iron Man features a matte gray exterior with red accents, Stark Industries graphics, arc reactor imagery, blue daytime running lights, an Iron Man-themed instrument cluster, and Tony Stark’s signature on the dashboard.

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