2024 Hyundai Kona Shines As A Feature Packed Crossover

The all-new 2024 Hyundai Kona brings redesigned aesthetics, a tech-loaded cabin, and enhanced interior space.

Currently, Hyundai carries two polarizing reputations; one is a comeback story, and they went from making cars you might be embarrassed to drive, to making vehicles that push boundaries regarding features and design for the money! They've even produced cars that have left some enthusiasts needing a change of pants. 

The brand has indeed made some remarkable improvements but there are some flaws we shouldn't ignore, and that applies here. The Kona is a versatile, comfortable, sharp-looking crossover, but dig past the surface, and you'll see that a few corners were cut and the price jumped over $2,000! 

Despite that, the first reason why I'm going to recommend the Hyundai Kona is for its value for 2024. You have nearly 6 inches more of a car. It also has a smooth shape with angular lines to make for a pretty distinct look. One that has also garnered a lot of hate. Maybe my frontal lobe isn't fully developed because I think it looks sharp and more expensive than what that price suggests. 

2024 Hyundai Kona Price For All Trims

The 2024 Hyundai Kona Offers Futuristic Styling Under $30,000

Even if you go with the base model you'll have LED headlights and tail lights with a full wraparound light bar up front. You'll only find this one on the Limited but even that $25,000 SE comes with proximity entry, body-colored door handles, and mirror caps, and alloy wheels. You can also get the N-line which will paint that cladding and add an obnoxious spoiler. 

Though it is more form than function. If you want more actual performance, you might have to go back to last year and grab a Kona-N. Regardless, I'm happy that this still caters to a $25,000 audience without stripping anyone of their dignity. Another good thing is there are some interesting 2024 Hyundai Kona colors like Soultronic Orange Pearl and Neoteric Yellow, which make it stand out. 

The 2024 Hyundai Kona Interior Is Locked And Loaded

I'm also happy to say that if you do want extra features, you can get a 360-view camera and you can even get neat tricks like a creep feature. This continues on the inside you'll find available leatherette upholstery, ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a power tailgate. But that's not what I like the most.

Beyond this having a ton of features, this interior is fresh and functional. Hyundai has found a great blend between tech and physical controls; your radio and media controls are touch and the volume and tune controls are knobs. The HVAC are buttons and toggles and the shifter is rotational unless you get the base power plant which does forfeit some storage but I do prefer the big lever.

You also have wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto on every trim now. The infotainment is quick and high quality and pretty easy to use. My only complaint is it's kind of far away and I need to learn to use it. Still, the adjacent digital clusters are functional, and from what I've seen the setup remains similar for every trim.

Hyundai Kona Sees No Compromise To The Interior Comfort

The seats are also a pleasant surprise; they're supportive for long journeys, they have some mild bolstering to keep you in place, and lumbar adjustment comes on most trims. The Bose sound system bumps nicely with an itty-bitty subwoofer at the back, and it stays relatively crisp at high volume. The storage is fantastic and it's even a little configurable with these spring-loaded cup holders. 

Overall, the whole thing feels well constructed though. As much as they try to play around with textures and accents, it is virtually all a hard touch plastic and the elbow rest could surely use a little more soft-touch padding. But overall I think Hyundai put their money in the right places it has a wow factor yet it doesn't let these aesthetics step in the way of it being a sensible cabin. 

Its versatility deserves some more recognition so let's talk about that. I'm 6'3 and I feel like I have plenty of space up front it's not difficult to get in and out of and I can sit behind myself with great levels of comfort for this class; headroom, leg-room support they're all there and console vents will be standard. The cargo space is also impressive and each one will have a compact spare tire while I don't think they're extraordinary. 

The 2024 Kona Gets Receives The Same Engines As Its Predecessor

I do think the 2024 Hyundai Kona specs include the right powertrain choices on the more affordable grades. You'll find a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated port injected inline-4 with 147 ponies. There's not much that the smooth and responsive CVT can do to make it feel lively. I would expect 0 to 60 in around the 9-sec range, which is something I am not a fan of. 

Spending some more money, you can get the relatively proven 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-pot that won't make this feel quick or give it character but it does provide some healthy passing power and 0 to 60 comes up in about 7.6 seconds. For the new generation, Hyundai dropped the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and went with a traditional 8-speed auto. 

Hyundai's 7-speed wasn't known for refinement or slickness so I'm not too upset by that choice. I do have one complaint, even in the sport mode there's a pretty substantial lag to passing maneuver inputs. From a stop it's usually pretty smooth, the shifts are seamless and it helps make good use of the plentiful mid-range power. But from a roll it's like acceleration is a new language, it understands what you're saying but it needs a second to process and respond. 

Driving experience lacks athleticism compared to its predecessor

Gas mileage with either powertrain is middling according to the EPA but according to the car and my local fuel pump I was able to easily beat the gas mileage with mostly highway driving if you want the lowest running costs they also make an electric Kona while the peak charging rate is unimpressive the range is all right the power is solid and the price is reasonable. 

Available on every trim except for the EV, is all-wheel drive. This will be Hyundai's H track setup and it is not for off-roading. It does have a lock function which will tell the system to always divert some torque to the rear wheels. There's a snow mode that can reduce throttle and try to reallocate torque side to side using the brakes but there's not a whole lot of trickery here from what I've seen.

For most usage it'll work fine but if you're actually planning on taking this to some really remote camping spots I might advise going with a Subaru Crosstrek, especially in Wilderness kit, and through corners there are more athletic cars in the class. But I do appreciate the steering, it's quick enough there's enough of feedback pumped through to your hands I like how this builds up in weight it feels nice and predictable.

Should Be In Your Bucket List

Let's recap the downsides: there are quite a few hard-touch materials, the screen is far away, the 8-speed transmission has some lag, and I can't vouch for the reliability just yet. I think the ride could be more supple when considering what people want from a small SUV. 

The drawbacks to the Kona aren't awful, but there's definitely enough to keep this from achieving the objective of best-in-class status. But the effort that Hyundai put into the new Kona makes this more than worthy of a look and should be on your bucket list before making a buying decision.