Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

NEW CAR BUYER | 71

A

n i30 hatch given the
compact SUV treatment,
Hyundai’s base-model Kona Go,
tested here, is $23,500.
You get a 2.0-litre petrol four
with 110kW of power and 180Nm of
torque, matched with a six-speed
automatic and front-wheel drive.
The i30 Active hatchback has a
more powerful version of the same
drivetrain, with 120kW and 203Nm.
Kona Active is $25,500, Elite is
$29,500 and Highlander is $35,500.
A more sophisticated,
frugal 1.6-litre direct-injection
turbopetrol engine, with 130kW
and 265Nm, is matched with
a seven-speed dual-clutch
transmission and all-wheel drive,
priced from $27,000 for the Go,
$29,000 for the Active, $33,000 for
Elite and $39,000 for Highlander.
If you plan to go off-road,
Kona’s extra 30mm of ground
clearance over the i30 will
be useful. If you don’t, it’s
irrelevant. The i30 also has a
full-size alloy spare; Kona gets a
steel space saver. Shouldn’t that
be the other way around?
Hyundai’s servicing is relatively
cheap, its reliability record is

outstanding and you get a fi ve-

year warranty.

Kona Active’s standard

equipment list includes a seven-

inch infotainment touchscreen,

Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and

Android Auto compatibility. Voice

control works only with these apps.

Kona has 361 litres of boot

volume with all seats in use, and

1143 litres with the rear seat

backs folded forward.

The i30’s equivalent numbers

are 395 litres and 1301 litres. So

the hatch has more load space

than the SUV.

According to Hyundai’s

measurements, i30 also has

more rear-seat head room, more

front and rear-seat leg room,

and more front and rear-seat

shoulder room than Kona.

So apart from front-seat head

room, where Kona has more,

the hatchback also has greater

occupant space in every direction

than the SUV.

Tall drivers are slightly cramped

for leg room due to insuffi cient

steering wheel reach adjustment

and a shallow footwell.

There’s enough handy storage,

including a shelf for your phone,

a couple of 12-volt outlets, a USB

socket and a simple, effi cient

control layout, but you do have to

reach for the touchscreen, which

is angled slightly towards the

passenger’s side.

Back-seat leg room is tight

and the low roof, shallow glass

and high window sills create a

confi ned, cave-like space, so little

kids might complain. No air vents,

seat-back storage pockets or 12-

volt/USB outlets are provided.

An extra $1500 in Go and

Active buys blind spot monitoring,

forward collision warning,

automatic emergency braking and

rear cross traffi c alert. These are

standard on Elite and Highlander.

Kona Active’s detuned 2.0-litre

is sluggish below 3000rpm, and

around town you often have to

give the accelerator a serious

jab to get a downshift and decent

acceleration. It’s par for the

class, where naturally-aspirated

fours sacrifi ce tractability and

performance for economy. Sport

mode improves responsiveness,

but the transmission works

harder to keep the revs up, so

fuel economy suffers.

At speed, Kona feels tight and

solid. The suspension provides

secure roadholding, disciplined

body control and a comfortable,

quiet ride on rough bitumen. It

takes corners without wanting

to roll over and Nexus tyres are

reasonably sticky. Braking is

good and the steering, though

lacking feel, is precise and light

for easy manoeuvrability.

Kona Active is competitive

against its main rivals, but you

get a more spacious, practical,

well-equipped cabin, plus

stronger performance and

better handling, in an i30 Active

hatchback. You’ll also save more

than $2000. So where is the

argument for the Kona?

THINGS WE LIKE

 Hyundai quality and reliability

 Low running costs and a long

warranty

Tidy handling and a comfortable ride

 Well-organised dash with plenty

of storage

 Full smartphone compatibility

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

Poor value compared with an i30

Active hatchback

Small boot

Cramped driving position and tight

rear-seat leg room

Auto emergency braking not

standard

Space-saver spare

Engine lacks torque

SPEX (2.0 ACTIVE)

Made in South Korea

2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol/six-

speed automatic/front-wheel drive

110kW of power at 6200rpm/180Nm

of torque at 4500rpm

0-100km/h N/A

Warranty: Five years/unlimited

kilometres

5.8L/100km highway; 9.7L/100km

city; regular unleaded; CO²

emissions are 169gkm

Standard: Six airbags, stability

control, 16-inch alloy wheels,

camera with moving guidelines,

rear parking sensors, automatic

headlights, individual tyre pressure

monitoring, roof rails, leather-

wrapped steering wheel, cruise

control, Apple CarPlay, Android

Auto, Bluetooth

Redbook future values: 3yr: 52%;

5yr: 43%

Safety

Performance

Handling

Quality and reliability

Comfort and refi nement

Value for money



Overall



STARS

S HYUNDAI KONA FROM $23,500

compare with ...

Honda HRV, Mazda CX3, Subaru XV,

Suzuki Vitara, Toyota C-HR