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Kona Reviews

21K views 64 replies 23 participants last post by  tobidog 
#1 ·
If you see a review of the Kona you like, please post it here. To start off the thread, Consumer Reports seemed to like the Kona in their first drive; it will be interesting to see what they think after their long term test:

http://youtu.be/2YcFRHiHP2E
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
Sat in one yesterday while getting oil changed and recall completed. Was impressed by the cargo room in the back. Did get a laugh at what they call the "hidden" compartment in the back, just lift the floor....lol


Seats were firm, this was an SEL I believe (cloth & sunroof). But not 100% on that. Blue color was nice. The screen stuck on the dash kinda bugs me, looks afterthought. But seems to be a trend today.
My understanding of the screen, and why it sits up, is so that you have more greenhouse for visability. If they were going to actually build the screen into the dash, it would require pushing the dash higher, which would limit visibility, and possibly require lowering the climate controls which would make them harder to reach. Having the screen sit up is a compromise which doesn't seriously limit the view of the driver while allowing the other controls to remain in easy reach.

And if the Kona had cloth and a sunroof it would be an SEL (in the US). The SE and SEL both have cloth seats, but only the SEL has a sunroof (if you get the Tech package). The Limited and Ultimate trims have leather seats but only the Ultimate has a sunroof. The SEL seems like a great deal and nicely equipped with the tech package. In fact, the tech package options are mostly not available on the Limited; instead you have to go up to the Ultimate to get them.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
Limited has a sunroof as well.
My mistake, I was typing from memory and didn't recall the Limited having a sunroof.

This is way off the subject but frankly I think that Hyundai and Kia should be sold in “Superstores.” I was at a large Toyota dealership in Little Rock the other day for a friend. The floor traffic was heavy and there were people coming out of the woodwork. They have a large number of models. Hyundai has limited itself to far fewer models.

And ominously rumor has it that Genesis will only be sold in large urban centers, although the Genesis line can and will be serviced at Hyundai dealerships. The head honchos at Hyundai need a thorough housecleaning in my opinion. If Kia can build Hyundai’s in Georgia why not go all the way and use some common sense. Having dealerships in every hamlet is silly. Having the Genesis only available in very large metropolitan areas is stupid IMO. Needless to say this “rumor” has some dealers squealing like pigs caught under a gate.
From what I've seen, both Hyundai and Kia are aggressively trying to add new cars to the lineup; though Kia is keeping their luxury cars under the Kia brand. I can see the arguments for having the same showroom for both; though then the issue is that they start "competing against themselves," for example the Sonata v. Optima, Tucson v. Sportage, Rio v. Accent, etc. -- basically the same cars with just slightly different sheet metal. It seems more beneficial to have separate dealerships, particularly as they are separate companies (just they work together and Hyundai owns a portion of Kia).

As for the Genesis, Hyundai isn't trying to remove it from small towns -- though that may be the consequence. Hyundai wants the Genesis to be it's own brand; much like how Toyota created Lexus for their luxury cars, or Honda with Acura. The feel, and from what I've seen they are correct, that Genesis sales are badly hurt by being so closely tied to Hyundai dealerships; customers aren't getting the "premium" experience that they expect from a luxury car maker.

So, Hyundai is requiring dealers to apply to become Genesis dealers, which requires building a separate Genesis showroom. While I doubt they are excluding small town dealerships, it does create the situation where smaller town dealers don't have the money, or the sales expectation, to be able to justify building a Genesis showroom -- so many towns will "lose" the Genesis. While it is frustrating, it does seem to be necessary. I doubt we'd see Lexus, Acura, or Infinity have become they brand they are if customers had to buy them at Toyota, Honda, and Nissan dealerships.
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
My understanding is that they will only be sold on the coasts. I have two well placed sources who informed me of this mismanagement.

Hard to believe but in Louisiana they can't even sell them. They have cars in inventory but are prevented by law from selling them.

Whoever runs Genesis ought to be recalled and recycled.
I'll admit, I don't have the sources but, at least last I heard, a few of the local Hyundai dealerships in Houston expected to have their Genesis dealer application approved.

It does seem like a huge mistake, and a recipe for the Genesis rebranding to fail, to not have dealerships nationwide.
 
Discussion starter · #25 ·
I wouldn't criticize your impressions but I must say that I am puzzled about lack of head room. I'm 6'5 and there is plenty of headroom.

In any event, the lower level would be much better with the tech package which I have. It includes the power tilt and slide sunroof, 8 way power driver seat plus power lumbar support, fog lights, Hyundai Smart Sense, forward collision-Avoidance assist w/Pedestrian Detection, Lane Keeping Assist, and Driver Attention Warning.

To that I added a Homelink Mirror and mud guards after the purchase.

The Apple provides a GPS display from the Iphone as it is also being charged from the USB port. And the voice communication works very well.

My only remaining complaint is the hard arm rest. The Limited has a cushioned arm rest while the SEL does not. I do fault Hyundai on that point.

I much prefer the hand parking brake over the foot unit. It is actually more convenient than the electric brake in my Genesis G80. And there are four cup holders and little nooks and crannies to store such things as toothpicks, etc.

I much prefer the "old fashioned" sunroof that comes with the tech package. I hate the pano roofs and wish I had it on my G80. Not so odd, perhaps is that the G90 has the older style.

I also prefer the cloth two tone seating over the all leather seating. It has heated seats but no cooling which is not so important as with leather in the hot days. With the leather steering wheel it could only be improved with a heated steering wheel. But my G80 doesn't either which is unforgivable.

I've owned a Santa Fe and three Tucsons. This may very well be my most liked of all of them.

Just my $0.02 for today. No criticism intended.
I have to agree, I found the claim of lack of headroom odd as I also had no issue with it during my test drive. I suspect the seat was not fully lowered, despite thinking it was; I'm not a big fan of Hyundai's manual height adjustment, as it can be tricky to figure out if the seat is fully lowered. A 5'3" driver should have several inches of extra headroom.
 
Discussion starter · #27 ·
I haven’t driven a manual adjusted seat. So perhaps that’s the difference. I don’t like those manual adjustments either. The tech package is definitely worth the money.

Drove a new Santa Fe Limited the other day. Odd but I found the leg room a little lacking. Seems like the Kona might have more with the seat fully extended. I’m probably wrong. Will have to look at the side by side comparison on Edmunds.

The fuel tank should be slightly larger. About a 375 mile range I’d think.
Per Hyundai, the Santa Fe has 41.5 cu. ft. of front leg room, while the Santa Fe has 41.3; so the Kona does have more but likely not enough to be noticeable. The Kona steals the leg room from the back seat where it only has 34.6, while the Santa Fe has 40.4 (though the third row of the Santa Fe has less than the second in the Kona, only 30.9). The Santa Fe and Kona are reversed when it comes to head room, the Santa Fe has more but only three tenths of a cubic inch more (39.9 to 39.6) -- and again the Kona has less head room than the second row of the Santa Fe (by about an inch and a half) but a lot more (7 cu. in.) than the third row of the Santa Fe.

Where the Santa Fe has a real advantage is in hip and shoulder room, both over 3 cu. in. more space, but that makes sense with how much narrower the Kona is. Hyundai designed the Kona well given how close it the front seat space is to the Santa Fe, given how much smaller the Kona is in external measurements. And if you are interested, the Kona specs and the Santa Fe specs.
 
Discussion starter · #31 · (Edited)
I drive the Kona ultimate again today and I love it. I was thinking of waiting for the 2019 because I was hoping for adaptive cruise control and I thought I should avoid a first-year model. The sales manager I have been working with for over a month called me and told me that the 2019 Kona info came up on the Hyundai Dealer website and that it will not have adaptive cruise control.
Is that a final decision (when it comes out on the dealer website) or is there still a good chance that could change? How worried is everyone else about first-year issues? Finally, maybe I will wait to compare with the 2019 Tucson as that will have adaptive cruise control and is being updated with a lot of other safety features according to the sales manager.
I'm guessing it is a lie -- unless they are releasing the 2019 in a few weeks (which would be odd for a vehicle that has only been out a couple of months) I can't see Hyundai even being sure at this time. My guess is the salesman is just trying to make a sale. From what I've seen, Hyundai salesmen don't get any advance notice, beyond a few weeks to get "trained" on the new model, when it is going to show up on the lot.

If you really would like the car now, perhaps call his bluff. Tell him if he is so sure the 2019 will not have adaptive cruise, that you will buy the car now on the condition that if, when the 2019 is released, it does have adaptive cruise you can trade up to an identical Kona with adaptive cruise at no extra charge. ;) If he really knows for sure the 2019 won't have adaptive cruise, what would be the problem? (yes, I know they will never make that deal).
 
Discussion starter · #50 ·
The September 2018 issue of Consumer Reports published a half-ass revue of the Kona. They complain that it is very slow, well, indeed, somehow they managed an 11 seconds time of 0-60. I think it was the editor's grandma driving an SEL AWD. There is no mention of the Limited or Ultimate with the turbo engine until the end when they write about the automatic breaking. They obtained a 26 overall mpg, much less than my own 30 overall.
To give them credit, they praise the Kona for "its responsive handling and sharp reflexes make it much more enjoyable to drive than the Chevrolet Trax or Honda HR-C, two of the Kona's main competitors."
I'm not sure I have an issue with Consumer Reports review. First, they typically buy (particularly with a new model) one of the more inexpensive trim levels -- the lower trims tend to be the better selling. As for the 0-60, most everywhere I can find 0-60 tests, they show the Kona takes over 10 seconds to get to 60 -- so the CR tests are in the right range, even if a tad slower than some. And, they do tend to be on the low end of fuel economy -- they tend to drive the cars pretty hard.

The also tend to not sugarcoat things they don't like or to justify it. This can make their reviews seem a bit harsh, and seem more negative than they actually are.

In the case of the Kona, as you point out, they did praise various things about the Kona and they do give it a "Recommended" rating. The score seems a bit low to me, though I suspect that will improve next year, when they add the reliability rating.

I find with any reviewer, you need to try and understand their biases and what they value in the products they review. In terms of consumer reports, one of the things they value highly is safety -- so the will mark down the Kona (and give a much better rating to the Subaru) because the Kona does not come with the safety tech standard (blind spot and cross traffic alert, auto emergency braking, lake keep, etc.
 
Discussion starter · #53 ·
Thanks for the comments. Only on the lesser trim levels. Our Ultimate has all these.:smile:
Yes, I understand that. As was mentioned, that is something CR mentioned in their review. I'm hoping they will eventually test the Ultimate -- they often buy a higher end car to test a few months later, particularly if the model is selling well.

I'm thinking about making a Kona my next car. I like the Ultimate edition but not sure I want to pay that much; and I'm interested in AWD and it just isn't as good if I ever want to take it off road (though not sure I ever would). So, I'm also considering the SEL in AWD and with the Tech package.

Of course, my issue with the SEL is the slow acceleration. When I test drove the SEL, my observation was that it is slow starting off, but that once the car was moving (faster than 20 or 30 mph) it becomes much more "peppy." At the same time, I liked the Sonata with the 1.6L Turbo and DCT (just wish they had it in a better trim level); so I suspect that I'd love the Ultimate -- I'll have to go test drive it at some point.
 
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