Hyundai unveils Kona, its all-new compact SUV

Hyundai Motor took the wraps off the Kona, its all-new compact SUV, today. The Kona is the South Korean car-maker's first global B-segment SUV and joins the likes of the Tucson, Santa Fe Sport and Santa Fe in the growing SUV lineup. 

What strikes immediately on looking at the Kona is its aggressive, impactful design. Trying hard not to be the regular 'hatchback-on-steroids' kind of crossover, the Kona is bold, daring and distinct. Whether it looks good or not is completely up to one's tastes though.

Up front, the now-familiar 'Cascading Grille' sits right at the center with a thin slat above and a prominent air dam right below. Surrounding the grille are three separate pairs of lights. The slim unit at the top houses the LED Daytime Running Lights and the turn signals while the bigger ones below has LED headlights. The third pair placed further towards the center, we presume, are the fog lights. The aggressive profile features prominent character lines, contrasting roof and thick plastic cladding for that rugged look and feel. The cladding extensions that encompass the lighting clusters at the front and the back look busy and rather unusual. The stacked lighting configuration continues at the rear, with the brake lights on top and the turn indicators and reverse lamp housed in separate units below.

Sporty and vibrant colour combinations are likely to be offered for those who would want their Konas customized.

The Kona's dimensions read 4,165 mm long, 1,800 mm wide and 1,550 mm tall with a wheelbase that measures 2,600 mm. The long wheelbase and minimal overhangs give the Kona a planted stance.

While the Kona's interiors have not been seen yet, Hyundai claims best-in-class passenger and luggage space in its newest compact SUV. Apparently, this has been made possible by optimizing the underfloor layout including the 4WD drive-train, exhaust system and suspension layout. Depending on the market, the Kona is equipped with a 5-, 7- or 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with advanced connectivity options that include Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. A new Head-Up Display (HUD) is on offer too, projecting vital information like speed, navigation instructions, audio information and Lane Departure Warning messages. There's more, the Kona even offers first-in-segment wireless smartphone charging.

Advanced safety suite on board include Forward Collision Avoidance Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, High Beam Assist, Driver Attention Warning, Blind Spot Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning.

Three petrol engines - a turbocharged 1.0-liter, 3-cylinder mill with 118 horsepower, a turbocharged 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder mill with 174 horsepower and a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder unit with 147 horsepower, are on offer while select markets will also have the option of a 1.6-liter diesel engine under the sculpted hood. Transmission options include 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic and 7-speed DCT (Dual-Clutch Transmission) gearboxes.

The Kona is available in 2WD and 4WD configurations. Front suspension features McPherson struts while the rear gets either a high-stiffness torsion beam or a dual-arm multi-link system for the 2WD and 4WD variants respectively.

The Kona will go on sale in Korea later this month, followed by North America and Europe. We believe India doesn't feature in the list of probable markets for the Kona in the near future. That makes sense as the Creta, developed specifically for emerging markets like ours, sits in the same segment and price band as the Kona.