The facelifted Kona has arrived in South Africa, replete with enhanced styling and additional features.Will thefacelift of this(often overlooked) model inHyundai’s local line-up be enough to help the Kona garnermore sales in the competitive crossover segment?We drove the newcomerin Cape Town to see how it stacks up.

What’s new?

In terms of classification, the Hyundai Kona slots into the crossover segment, which is also occupied by offerings such as the Mazda CX-30, VolkswagenT-Roc, Audi Q2 and the Mini Countryman. It’s been 3 years since the Kona was launched in Mzansi and the model hasperformed reasonably well, considering that Hyundai ranks fourth in the domestic new-vehicle market – in terms of passenger car sales. For this facelift, the Kona has been adorned with a redesigned front end that features a 2-tier front bumper, of which the slit just above the grille has been removed (here’s the old car for reference).

The bumper is split into 2 separate sections on the facelifted Kona.

The rear bumper has also been revised to tie inwith the front of the vehicle andupdate the Korean offering’s overall design. A new 1.6-litre 4-cylinder turbopetrol engine replaces the pre-facelift model’s 1.0-litre 3-cylinder turbopetrol motorand there’s an N-Line flagship derivative that gives the Kona a notably sportierappearance, as well as a suite of extra safety systems.

Those with a tape measure will notice the facelifted Kona is 40 mm longer than the previous model with the N-Line version being 50 mm longer than before. The model’s width and height remain the same, although the aforementioned N Line stands 8 mm higher off the ground than its siblings.

Much of the Kona’s update encompasses an improvement of the interior specification;Hyundai endeavoured to bring the Kona’s tech, safety systems and connectivityup to ever-movingstandards.

What’s it like inside?

Modern Hyundais (or, at the very least,the ones built in Korea or Europe) are renowned for their admirable build quality. Problems are rare (according to multiple surveys) and the models are perceived to offer good spec levels for your money. The updated Kona gains climate control, a wireless charging pad, 2 USB ports up front and multiple drive modes to suit whichever type of “driving mood” you’re in.

Those features are standard on both trim levels (Executive and N Line). The Executive’s 8-inch infotainment touchscreen is expanded to a10.25-inchversion in the N Line, but both are Android Auto and Apple Carplay compatible. The N Line also has a fully digital instrument cluster, whereas the Executive makes do with standard analogue dials and a trip computer neatly nestled between the 2 dials.

The Executive spec models get analogue dial where the N-Line gets digital dials.

Overall, the interior is a mix of soft- and hard-touch plastics with a few rubberised areas, but itlacks the pizzazzof the outlandish exterior design. Still, it’s well equipped and if you opt for the N Line you get access to an expandedsafety suite thatincludes adaptive cruise control, forward collision avoidance, lane-keep assist and blind-spot monitoring. It also sports racy red stitching on the seats and ‘wheel.

In terms of occupant space, the Kona’s cabin feels more like that of a large hatchback than a crossover, in that you sit a bit lower and the roofline is lower than in the majority of compact family cars. That doesn’t mean thatheadroom is tight, however– occupants of up to 1.85 metres in height can be comfortably seated atthe front or in the back. The facelifted model’s increased length has benefitted its load-carrying ability too;Hyundai claims the Kona’s load bay capacity has grown from 361- to 544 litres. Having eyed it up myself I would say it’s similar in size to that of an Audi Q2 or Mini Countryman.

Engine lineup

In a bid to move the Kona upmarket from itsCretasibling (and do its utmost to avoid model cannibalisation), Hyundai has upsized the powerplant in its crossover to a 1.6-litre turbopetrol motor, which produces peak outputs of 146 kW and 265 Nm torque and is mated with a7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. As a result, the Kona is notably peppier than its predecessor (Hyundaiclaimsa 0-to-100 kph time of 7.7 sec and a top speed of 210 kph), although, after we drivethe newcomer around the Cape for a day, the 1.6TTGDI’s performancenever really excited us, even under hard acceleration.

The Kona has a choice of 1.6 turbopetrol power or 2.0-litre natural aspiration. All models are automatic.

The other engine option is the entry-level 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol motor with 110 kW and 180 Nm of torque. It gets a new gearbox for the facelift in the form of the IVT (intelligent variable transmission), which is basically a continuously variable transmission (CVT) in the same mould as the one we first saw in the brand’s new Creta compact family car in 2020.

Fuel consumption figures are comparatively better for the 2.0-litre variant, with a claimed average return of 6.5 L/100 km (the stated figure for the 1.6-litre turbopetrol derivatives is 7.5 L/100 km). Those with a lighter foot will likely beat that7.5 L/100 km figure, however – after a day of driving the turbocharged Kona enthusiastically, we saw an indicated average consumption figure of 8.0 L/100 km.

What’s the Kona like to drive?

From behind the ‘wheel, the Kona’s on-road demeanour matches that of a hatchback; its driving experience is not typically crossover-like.The seating position is lower than in a typical crossover, which instilsasportier feel than a practically-minded perchedposition does. The ride quality is good across tar and gravel surfaces, something that Hyundai has really refined in its latest generation of vehicles.

Unfortunately, Hyundai’s newcomer’s steering feel is vague and overly assisted, at least considering that the revised model is supposed to leantowards the sportier end of the segment. It doesn’t really instil a sense of excitement when you get behind the ‘wheel or provide sufficient cornering confidence at higher speeds.

The Kona’s driving experience is perfectly fair, for the most part, but for a model that is meant to turn heads and exude sportiness, Hyundai may have missed a trick by not giving it a little more handling enthusiasm. There is a Kona N coming thoughand, by all accounts, that will be something special.

Pricing and after-sales support

For a full list of the specs and pricing of the facelifted Kona check out this article. Pricing starts from R449 900 and goes up to R579 900 for the N-Line flagship derivative. Hyundai’s long warranty is standard (it is valid for 7 years or200 000 km in the case of mechanical components), as is a 5-year/75 000 km service plan.

Summary

The Kona facelift proceeds the upcoming performance-oriented Kona N.

Hyundai has successfully repositioned the facelifted Kona to sit above the Creta in itslocal lineup. The revised crossover comes with more a generousspecification level and a bigger load bay than before, but while the new 1.6-litre turbopetrol powerplant gives the newcomer sporty pretensions,there is little in the way of driving thrill over and above the engine’s improved performance (compared with that of the outgoing model’s 1.0-litre turbopetrol motor). Eye-catchingstyling remains the Kona’s major drawcard and,to be fair, it sits in a segment in which that makes a big difference to prospective buyers.