Hyundai Kona: new £19,750 diesel variant added

Hyundai plans two new SUVs, electric Kona

Fresh design: Hyundai’s new exterior styling, rugged looks

The Kona features a fresh design for Hyundai, with the adoption of the marque’s new 'cascading grille’ front. Hyundai says it is designed to merge high-tech looks with sophistication to appeal to millennial buyers. The styling was developed at Hyundai's Califonia facility.

Sangyup Lee, Hyundai's head of styling, said when the car was revealed late last year: “We wanted to create a character that was strong. As a design, creating an icon is a tough challenge. The overall first impression is about dynamic character.”

There are slim daytime LED running lights positioned above the main headlights — a design similar to that of the Juke. The rear of the Kona features wrap-around cladding that houses the indicator and reversing lights, slim LED rear lights and a spoiler with an integrated LED brake light.

There are large plastic areas — which Hyundai says are styled on "protective armour" — that extend over the wheel arches to hint at the Kona’s off-roading capabilities. Roof racks are available as an exterior option.

There are 10 colour options, with a two-tone roof adding more customisation.

Dimensions: sizing up the Hyundai Kona

The Kona is 4165mm long and 1800mm wide, with a height 1550mm. That makes it slightly shorter and lower than the Juke, but 35mm wider. The Kona’s 2600mm wheelbase is 70mm longer than the Juke's.

The car has a ground clearance of 170mm to offer "a true SUV experience". It features an all-steel body.

There are McPherson struts at the front. The two-wheel-drive model comes with a coupled torsion beam, with a multi-link system on the four-wheel-drive model. That all-wheel-drive car also comes with traction control.

Inside the Hyundai Kona: clutter-free cabin, fresh infotainment and safety tech

Hyundai’s designers have tried to give the Kona’s interior a premium feel with a clutter-free cabin.

There is 1005mm of head room in the front, with 961mm in the rear. The Kona has a 361-litre boot, compared with the 354-litre boot in the Juke, athough the Kona’s maximum capacity is 1143 litres, 46 litres fewer than Nissan’s small SUV.

In a first for Hyundai, the Kona is available with a Display Audio system that features connected services, including smartphone syncing using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. A wireless smartphone charging pad is available as an option. An eight-speaker sound system by American audio firm Krell is also available as an option.

In another Hyundai first, the Kona is available with a head-up display that the firm says has class-leading luminance.

In addition, the Kona is available with a number of active driver assistance systems. These include automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, rear-cross traffic alert and blindspot detection.

European growth

“The all-new Kona is not just another car among Hyundai Motor’s established SUV range — it is an important milestone on our journey to become Asian automotive brand number one in Europe by 2021,” said Thomas Schmid, Hyundai Europe’s chief operating officer.