Car Trivia of the Week: 3 Things You Didn’t Know About the Hyundai Kona

The Hyundai Kona is hard to miss on Philippine roads. It was among the first production vehicles to shatter expectations of what a car should resemble. Besides its quirky styling, the Kona offers plenty of features for the money. It remains a popular choice in the compact crossover segment and competes with other stalwarts like the Honda HR-V, Ford Ecosport, and Kia Stonic.

However, there are many interesting tidbits about the Hyundai Kona that most Pinoys may not know. For starters, the Kona is available with a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine in other markets, generating 195 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. Here are the top 3 things you didn’t know about the Hyundai Kona.

Top 3 Hyundai Kona Facts

1. The Kona is riding on a modified Elantra platform.

First debuting in concept form in 2017, the Hyundai Kona is the first production Hyundai vehicle to utilize Hyundai-Kia’s B-SUV platform, a high-strength steel architecture derived from the previous-gen Elantra’s J5 underpinnings.

But unlike the Elantra, the Kona’s B-SUV architecture can support electrified powertrains and all-wheel drivetrains. It also has a dual-arm multi-link rear independent suspension to deliver better handling and better ride comfort.

2. The Kona Electric offers 415 km of range.

We’re still waiting for the Philippine government to fast-track the widespread implementation of all-electric vehicles or EVs. In a recent article by Bloomberg, Thailand is planning to phase out gasoline cars by 2035, and the Thai government is working on tax incentives and new regulations to make it a reality.

We have no idea when the Philippines will start embracing the EV bandwagon, but there’s a strong reason why we should do it sooner than later. Most carmakers are now offering all-electric variants in their respective portfolios, and among the most popular is the Hyundai Kona Electric.

The all-electric version of the Kona initially came with two battery choices: 39.2 kWh and 64 kWh. However, the 2022 Kona Electric is only available with the larger battery option. Equipped with a single front-mounted electric motor and front-wheel drive, the Kona Electric is good for 415 km (258 miles) of range in a single full charge. It also has a standard Level 2 charger that replenishes the lithium-ion battery pack from ten to 100-percent in around nine hours.

But there’s a catch. In the United States, the Kona Electric starts at around $38,000 before tax incentives, which equals roughly ₱1.9-million based on current exchange rates.

3. Hyundai recently debuted the high-performance Kona N.

Other markets get a Kona N Line model with a standard turbo engine, 18-inch alloy wheels, and many go-fast exterior trimmings like a lip spoiler, dual exhaust tips, and body-color wheel arches. It all sounds nice, but Hyundai has a spicier and even faster version of the Kona called the Kona N.

Yes, the Kona N is the highest-performing variant of Hyundai’s small SUV. It has the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the hotrod Veloster N hatchback, pumping out 250 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Equipped with the Performance Pack, the Kona N can pump out up to 276 horsepower!

It also has an eight-speed wet dual-clutch automatic gearbox with two electric oil pumps and several track-oriented features like N Power Shift (NPS), N Grin Shift (NGS), and N Track Sense Shift. All told, the Hyundai Kona N can go from zero to 60 mph (zero to 97 kph) in under six seconds.

Hyundai Kona – Philippine Spec

Here in the Philippines, the Hyundai Kona has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. The engine has a six-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels. The Kona also comes with six airbags, anti-lock brakes, tire pressure monitoring, and ISOFIX child seat tethers.

Crossover SUVs will typically cost more than a small sedan like the Mitsubishi Mirage or Toyota Vios. But if you shop at Automart.Ph, you can find a used or repossessed Hyundai Kona with low mileage and a lower price.