2022 Hyundai Kona

Tiny crossovers typically straddle the line between big hatchback and small SUV, and the Hyundai Kona is no exception. Just 166 inches long, the Kona was the automaker’s smallest SUV when it was new in 2018, but it was joined in 2020 by the even-smaller Venue. Both jointly replaced the old Elantra GT hatchback and are very car-like to drive. Like many Hyundais they pack in lots of value, but the Kona offers more room and power in a more distinctive package. There’s also a fully electric Kona, which we review separately.

Diminutive crossovers are a fast-growing and fiercely competitive segment, and for 2022 the Kona gets both a major style makeover and a dedicated high-performance variant, the Kona N. The updated visuals make for a sportier look on the outside, but the designers also reworked the inside, with a bigger standard infotainment screen (8.0 inches, up from 7.0) and a new 10.0-inch digital, configurable driver information display with bright, crisp graphics. 

The Kona competes with a wide swath of tiny utes like the Mazda CX-30, Jeep Renegade, Kia Soul and Buick Encore GX. The hot new N sharply undercuts sporty premium machines like the BMW X2 M35i and Mini Countryman John Cooper Works (JCW) on price and offers more speed than Mazda’s CX-30 Turbo if not as fancy an interior. Speaking of interiors, the Kona’s size does mean compromises on back seat and cargo room. It compares decently to its small-fry peers, but loses out to slightly larger compact SUVs like the Volkswagen Taos.

At just $22,545 (including destination fees) for the SE model, the Kona is very affordable, but the 147-horsepower base is underpowered even in this small vehicle. The N-Line ($27,095) and Limited ($29,845) offer a much more satisfying 195-horsepower turbocharged engine, and while they cost more up front, they don’t use any more fuel. While not an athletic car per se, the Kona is a good handler around town with a pleasant ride despite its short wheelbase. AWD is a $1,500 option, but it doesn’t markedly change how the Kona drives.

The Kona N offers 276 horsepower and sub-5.0-second zero-to-sixty times. An overboost mode can open up another 10 horsepower for up to 20 seconds at a time. AWD is standard and the N also boasts a reinforced body structure and a heavily revised suspension. It’s definitely the most satisfying version for keen drivers and makes a good alternative to hot hatches like the Volkswagen GTI, but it’s also the most expensive Kona at $35,845.

Regardless of which Kona you choose, Hyundai offers lots of standard safety gear and lots of nice in-car tech, particularly on the higher-spec models. The safety basics like forward automatic emergency braking are standard, but so are rear cross-traffic alerts with braking and blind spot monitoring. Only adaptive cruise control is held back as an option. The Kona also comes with Hyundai’s lengthy warranty coverages, which adds peace-of-mind to its already user-friendly, characterful package.

Performance: 12/15

The Kona’s base engine, offered on the SE and SEL trims, is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) driving the front wheels. This engine earns the best MPG in the lineup by a hair, but it doesn’t have enough power to move the Kona with any sense of urgency and struggles on big hills. 

N-Line and Limited models get a much punchier 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making 195 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT). That makes for much more enjoyable and spritely progress. With either of these engines, the Kona is a nimble handler around town, maneuverable and controllable, but the steering doesn’t offer much feedback. 

For enthusiasts, the Kona N is the top choice. Power comes from a 2.0-liter turbocharged four packing 276 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of torque mated to an eight-speed DCT with paddle shifters. An altogether more energetic experience than the regular Konas, the N is a genuine hoot to drive, as we discovered in our recent on-track test. AWD is optional on all Konas and standard on the N, but it doesn’t change the driving experience, and with only 6.7 inches of ground clearance this crossover isn’t meant to be an off-roader.

Fuel Economy: 13/15

Front-wheel drive 2.0-liter CVT Konas deliver an EPA-rated 30 mpg city, 35 highway and 32 combined with front-wheel drive, while the turbo 1.6 loses only 1 mpg city by comparison. AWD Konas sacrifice 2 to 4 mpg in most measures, with the AWD turbo 1.6 coming in at 27 mpg city, 32 highway and 29 combined. In our real-world test of an AWD turbo, we saw only about 27 mpg in combined driving. The Kona N does much worse, returning 20 mpg city, 27 highway and 23 combined. 

Aside from the N, the Kona returns pretty decent gas mileage for a non-hybrid. In front-drive form, it tops the smaller Venue, the Encore GX and Chevrolet Trailblazer while doing much better than the CX-30 and Renegade, but can’t match the frugal Nissan Kicks. AWD versions slightly lag the equivalent Trailblazer, Kia Seltos and VW’s Taos, but not by much. The Countryman JCW and CX-30 Turbo are good rivals to the Kona N and both return better gas mileage, but they also require premium fuel.

Safety & Driver Assistance Tech: 13/15

The Kona earns a slate of “Good” ratings in all crash testing categories from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), though it does not get a Top Safety Pick rating. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives it five out of five stars in all of its tests. 

Hyundai also equips the Kona with lots of active-safety gear. The automaker uses its own labels for many features, but forward automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane following assist with lane keep assist, blind spot warnings, rear cross-traffic alerts with emergency braking, a driver attention monitor and safe exit warnings. Many of these systems cost extra on competitors, if they’re available at all.

Adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go is optional on the N-Line as part of a $2,500 tech package, but standard on the Limited. That model also gets Hyundai’s Highway Driving Assist system, a Level 2 semi-autonomous system that uses GPS data to inform the vehicle on limited-access highways.

Comfort & Room: 11/15

At 166 inches long, the Kona is not a big vehicle and that means some compromises. Up front, there’s plenty of room and seats that are comfy and supportive. Two people won’t mind a long road trip. Technically, this is a five-seater machine, but three of those five would have to be little tikes. For anybody over six feet tall, the back seat will feel cramped, particularly if the front passengers are also tall. 

Headroom is decent fore and aft, but the Kona’s 35.2 inches of rear legroom comes up short against most competitors other than Jeep’s Renegade, with which it is essentially tied. The Buick Encore GX offers 36 inches, the CX-30 36.3, the Countryman 37.6 and the Soul 38.8. This isn’t to say the Kona’s back seat is uncomfortable. It’s well-padded and just as nicely trimmed as the front seats, but if you’re frequently hauling tall passengers or growing teenagers, it might be confining.

Infotainment: 12/15

For 2022 an 8.0-inch infotainment screen has replaced the old 7.0-inch one from previous years. A 10.3-inch unit is available as part of the N-Line’s $2,500 tech package and standard on the Limited, but unlike some other Hyundai models that use this screen, the Kona thoughtfully retains many hard controls, including volume and tuning knobs. If you want Navigation, you’ll have to buy a model with this larger screen. Both screens run software that’s easy to learn and use. Inputs can be a bit laggy, but everything works well.

Curiously, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on the lower trims, but the higher ones get wired versions. The inverse is true of wireless charging, which isn’t available on the SE but comes with a package on the SEL and is standard on the higher trims. 

Cargo Space & Storage: 11/15

Given its tiny size, the Kona doesn’t fare too badly on cargo space. It offers 19.2 cubic-feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 45.8 with them folded. This isn’t as good a use of space as the upright Kia Soul, which packs stats of 24.2 and 62.1 cubic-feet despite being 1 inch shorter overall, but it’s not terrible for its size and notably more than Nissan’s Kicks, which is a bigger vehicle.

The Jeep Renegade offers 18.5 and 50.8 cubic-feet while the Mini Countryman offers 17.6 and 47.6.  Mazda’s CX-30 offers 20.2 cubic-feet behind the rear seats but the automaker does not quote a volume with them folded. The problem is, slightly larger crossovers like the Kia Seltos and Volkswagen Taos offer more than these small fries and aren’t much more expensive. In our testing the Kona was able to haul a bunch of large items, but getting the most out of it involved piling up boxes to the ceiling.

Style & Design: 8/10

Blurring the line between tiny SUV and giant hatchback, the Kona’s characterful design was very appealing in its original form and 2022’s leaner and meaner front end gives it a little fresh excitement. The monochrome colors of the N-Line and N models offer a very different visual from the bright-colors-over-black cladding of the regular Konas, but both look good. The facelift gives the formerly Citroën-like Kona a faintly Lamborghini Urus-like style.

Inside, the very contemporary cabin has been improved by the updated dashboard, but it’s pretty dark in most trims, with only a black interior with lots of black plastic available on many models, though an attractively bright gray version is optional on the Limited. The active-safety gear seems like money better spent than colorful seats, but it wouldn’t hurt to brighten things up.

Is the 2022 Hyundai Kona Worth it? Which Kona is the Best Value?

Easy to live with, attractive to look at and packed with features (particularly of the active-safety kind), even the base Kona is a decent value proposition, but the sluggish base engine detracts from the overall package on the lower trims.

If we were footing the bill, our choice would be one of the turbocharged models, either then $27,095 N-Line or the $29,845 Limited. (Prices include a $1,245 destination fee). Both provide more equipment than the lower trims and the more powerful engine will make the Kona much more fun to live with in the long term with no loss in fuel economy. It’s worth noting too that adding the desirable option packages to the N-Line will quickly match it to the price of the Limited, which comes with many of the extras standard.

The Kona N offers a great deal of driver entertainment while severely undercutting sporty premium crossovers like the X2 M35i or the Mini Countryman JCW on price. The Mazda CX-30 Turbo offers a nicer interior experience and better gas mileage for about the same price, but it isn’t quite as quick and requires premium fuel. Nor does it have Hyundai’s lengthy warranty coverage.

How Much Does it Cost to Insure the Hyundai Kona?

The Kona isn’t an expensive car to insure. According to our data, a typical 30-year-old female driver with a clean record can expect an average annual premium of $1,818, though this averages all 50 states. That compares to $1,892 for the Encore GX, $1,792 for the Soul, $1,707 for the CX-30 and $1,988 for the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. To get a more accurate picture of your potential insurance expenses, visit our car insurance calculator.