2020 Hyundai Kona Ultimate AWD Review and OffRoad Test 

The off-road performance of Kona is much better than I expect.

Very nice look for the Kona. I'm really digging this little thing!

It clearly shows how much efforts your putting in making a video from all the angels..👍 thank you

Reason it tells you to up your foot on the brake is because it thinks you are trying to hold the car stationary on a steep grade with transmission.

Well Kona is not built for serious offroads I guess. We need to praise this vehicle for winning car of the year in both Spain and US, which are two very different markets. Europeans love hatchbacks and Americans love SUVs. Kona has goods from both types. It is as nimble and quick as a hatchback and still muscular and mean looking with AWD.

Excellent review! Great filming and camera angles as with the audi q3 review.

Nice comprehensive vid! Looking forward to your crv hybrid review on road and off road💪

Hyundai has the best hill descent control. I had it on two different SUVs and it works flowlessly!

Just drove a 2020 Kona AWD(2.0), Impreza Sport and Corrolla hatch back to back on the same road. The Kona had the best steering and most fun suspension by far. Also had the best seats. Firm ride, but the car was very engaging. The Corolla was very soft and appliance like (QUite good...I could live with it) It had the best engine and the CVT was quite good. Seats and suspension were soft overall. Pretty good car. The Impreza had the worst electric steering, interior felt less nice in design and feel. Seats so so. Liked the car under heavy breaking and I know is has fantastic crash test numbers. I am a Subaru fan and was not expecting that I would enjoy the Kona quite a bit more. I did not like the Kona transmission very much.(it was the 6 speed)

I own a 2017 1.6 tgdi 177 hp style (full optional here in Italy). A little sporty beast while it gets rid of light offroads too. Perfect for winter conditions. Comfortable, not so much room for long journeys but I solved with a roof box. I like very much its allround qualities.

Nice review! I really really like the Kona. When we got our 2 new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL’s with S-AWC and the Touring Package back in October I cross shopped and drove several other models. We looked at the Hyundai Kona Ultimate, Nissan Rogue Sport SL, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport GT (we owned a 2016 one before the Eclipse Cross’s), Toyota CH-R Limited, Buick Encore, and Subaru Cross Trek. In the end it was down to the Kona and Eclipse Cross which to be honest I loved both. On the Kona I liked the interior styling and quality, loved the exterior styling, loved the green color, it was fast with its Turbo lol, plus it had a ton of features. But in the end we went with the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross over it because more rear seat room with adjustable seating positions, front and rear sunroofs, dual zone climate control, heated rear seats, unique rear styling, and past reliability of all our Mitsubishis. We also got about $7,000.00 of MSRP on the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL’s too! I liked that the Eclipse Cross felt higher and more SUV than hatch back in the way it drove. My only negatives about the Eclipse Cross are fuel economy and ride. It rides so smooth most of the time in town and cruises super smooth on highway but when you hit a pot hole or hard bump it is a lil rough and I wish it had more suspension isolation from it. I to think highway fuel economy should be rated better too. Also to be clear we have owned several new Hyundais (4) and Kias (2) and they were great quality vehicles! In the end the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross was just the best fit for us. None of the vehicles we perfect and I had likes and dislikes for all of them but for what we wanted and needed the Mitsubishi fit us best. The $7,000.00 discount just made the decision easier, but even without the large discounts it still would have been our choice. Thanks!

it wants you to 'RIDE' the brake. lightly keeping your foot on the brake while pushing the gas. its very usefull on opeb diff awd like dodge journey, and haldex style torque bias diffs quattro etc. I was trained to do this on humvee awd systems in the army as well to get moving from mud sand and snow. another noted: @XueTech 3 years ago Lightly hold the brake while pressing the gas. It helps reduce the load on the AWD slip differential and helps with limited traction scenarios.

No one tests a vehicle’s systems like you do which is why i can actually watch your videos on cars I don’t even care about.. I’m set on getting a passport mostly cause your video and yet i watch these videos lmao ik what im getting I don’t need to watch these but it’s so interesting seeing how they compare to the vehicle i want and other vehicles i care about.!

I love your reviews best on RU-vid!!!!

I've seen this grey seats and interior for the first time

Just got my 2020 kona 1.6T AWD two tone, acid yellow. My fav vehicle after trying most of compact SUVs out there and these are my fav sizes and stance.

With hill decent you have to push the button once you want it at a set speed and then it keeps it at that speed going down

It should have an electronic parking brake as well and heat/air vent in the back

Great review. I picked up a 2020 AWD Kona Ultimate over the weekend and have taken it on some similar road tests. It''s a nicely appointed vehicle for 30K and very fun to drive on the highway and faster local roads (when the turbo kicks in, you really do feel it). I did notice a tiny bit of transmission lag in parking lots, but that's about it. A little annoying, to be sure, but I'm happy to have the passing power. I agree that some of the hard plastics are a little clunky to the touch, but the overall aesthetic is solid. I think it helps that I got it in the orange with orange accents inside. All in all, I think it's a solid vehicle. I wouldn't go below the Limited trim unless you're only driving in the city. Anything without the turbo wouldn't be nearly as fun.

I think from an off road driving point, technique is very relevant: I would: keep traction control ON and AWD lock drive as slow as possible with manual first selected but be aware of clutch slippage NEVER allow car to be stationary on a hill with just accelerator holding car Use brake dabs to assist when forward motion slows from wheel spin The speedo display shows which wheel is slipping, so work with that and dont keep spinning any wheel fast Another idea might be SPORT mode as this quickly engages DCT without delay

my kona doesn't say out foot on the brake when I go downhill. And my SE model the downhill assist works fine. it locks it as a nice 5mph. must be a faulty system

Would a basic AWD system, where it splits the power 50/50, be better off road if the car had proper winter tyres instead of the all season ones ??

I drive a 2019 Essential with the beam rear end on a crappy dirt road everyday to get to work lolol!!! You literally cant go over 20km/h....It does just fine with the 2.0L FWD setup as long as your light on the breaks :)

The kona is built on the Elantra platform, it's an awd for the road only.

Can’t wait for the Kia Seltos off road review. Hope you get the sx turbo trim to review it! Love all your content!

Whats the grade on the snowy track? Looks fairly steep, agree hill descent is garbage.

It tells you to brake because it has a up hill assist that if you put the pedal down all the way to the ground. It holds the brakes for you. Probably so you don’t roll back

I initially thought that, when I enable hill descent control, it will automatically brake for me and I will just steer the slowly descending Kona, but as far as I understand it helps and augments "your braking" in case it's not sufficient and/or timing is not correct.. So you should keep your foot on the brake even hill descent control is on. I don't know how it's implemented in other cars (never had the chance to try) but that was my experience with the Kona. It might be the same issue that Ryan experienced. I would like to know what was the case for him..

Just watched this video and I don't know if anyone already said this or you have since discovered how to engage the "hill decent " on the Kona. Let me first say my wife has a 2019 ultimate and I don't even know if it has hill decent, I must check! She previously had a Jeep Cherokee Trail hawk that in order to engage "hill decent" you had to first put the vehicle into "standard mode" and select the gear you will allow the car to shift up to once you engage" hill decent ". I'm thinking Kona's are the same! ✌

I live in Michigan but in a neighborhood & don't do any off roading. FWD has served me well so why should I spend more money & less mpg for an AWD Kona? Thank you!

Dct is more likely to overheat offroad cvt would be better but much better a traditional torque converter auto.

Since the Kona was released, it has been on the list as a possible replacement for my wife's Mini Countryman when the time comes. I feel like the Kona is a good value. Lots of features in the Ultimate for a pretty reasonable price. It looks like the AWD can handle everything the car should be attempting to do. With a dual clutch transmission and limited ground clearance, it's only well suited for on road driving.

Thanks for the review

Is there a 2023 Kona N Line review and test drive coming soon? I would like to get it for my girlfriend.

I have a 2019 Ultimate. Sad I didn’t wait the year and get adaptive cruise control

This and kia seltos, which one is better for awd. Thx

I own 2019 two wheel drive 1.6 diesel engine Kona, I tested it's off road capability in a farm it did very well , but it's not an off road viachle.

Great review. I'm looking for an SUV/CUV to take off roading but truthfully, 95% of the population won't use it for this purpose and for those 95%, this is a great car. Personally, I would just get a hatchback sedan for city driving because not only it still has the practicality of a larger cargo space, it would still handle much better than any "large" vehicle.

I actually love the front end. As for the rest of the car? eh.. Especially the price(Although this is the top of the line model). But yeah, Great Review as always, Ryan.

Great review on the Kona, my question for you is my daughter is looking to buy her first new car and since my wife and I are huge Honda/Acura fans she’s leaning towards the HRV AWD, but I have hesitations with the CVT, so I mentioned to her to look at the Kona and from what I could tell by your review you were really pleased with. So of the two which do you prefer ? I don’t know much about Hyundai’s longtime quality, do you have any knowledge of that

Interesting review, I think it was telling you to press on the break when you were going slowly (walking pace) uphill , cos the transmission didn't like it. You mentioned few things about the DCT you didn't like , such as when being in a stop and start traffic situation the DCT wasn't smooth. My question if I may is, would you have these kind of problems if you drive it in manual mode instead of automatic mode? would it feel jerky in manual mode? to resume my question. I wish this car had a torque converter...hope anyone could answer my question..and thank you for the review

The AWD lock button, when turned on, enables a 50/50 power bias up to 20 mph/30km/h.

2.0L is a better choice for off roading and fuel economy

I got a 19 sel with 2.0 and sunroof Awd does good Like he said the inside has plastic but it’s ok

That warning to press brake pedal is basically a warning telling people who uses the gas pedal to hold the car on a hill not to do that in a dual clutch car.

I just got a 2021 Kona ultimate. It’s really nice! I used to drive a Subaru WRX and do miss it, but this car is fun as well. I do miss the manual 6-speed transmission though. I’m just not used to driving an auto.

Okay...this car is starting to grow on me. @drivingsports I noticed at the 9.26 min mark, this clip is duplicated back to back. Just a heads up. Keep up the good content, always look forward to new vids.

I live in Tacoma, so this review is more up my alley. Thank you

Great review . Look forward to watching after work on Tuesdays. Not sure I see the point of this mini suv awd. It’s not got enough powers that it needs awd to keep it on the road in hard driving and anyone looking for regular off road/dirt tracks would get something more capable. Wish car makers would stop putting the front USB port in such a awkward position like at the bottom of the centre console.

Is the regular 2.0 better??

I noticed the fog lights kept turning on and off in your hill climb scene...bad electrical connection?

I feel like you really want us to know about the AWD lock button.

Can you guys do a video on the 2020 Kia Sportage AWD model?

I have the 2021 Kona Limited in that Thunder Gray. It has been a sweet surprise coming from a Elantra GT and Kia Soul prior to that.

Did you ever figure out what that “put you foot on the brake” was? It’s a good trend that vehicles in the class are getting more and more capable. Thanks for the review!

You have really nice car video reviews how come you're not going to make any off 2019-20 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk.

Low speed vehicle operations can lead to an overheated transmission because this transmission lacks a torque converter. Question: Do other dual clutch systems on the market have torque converters or is this an issue peculiar to all the dual clutch transmissions?

Kona’s hill descent control slow down the car to 7kph

I admit I don't understand the workings of the Sat Nav, Do you have to have updates to make it work or does it just work off the Sats eternally, if fitted is it like getting something for nothing?

Wait....no moonroof? What’s up with that?

Have you tried the Santa Fe up there?

The only feature that's missing on this or the Kia Seltos is ventilated seats, going to have to go up to the Tuscon or the Sportage

Great review finally someone doing a 2020 Kona review. Every other reviews on the Kona are the 2018 or 2019 doing off roading with AWD and 1.6T have the same problem with dual Clutch. I would like to see the off roading with 2.0. I have a 2020 AWD 2.0 I would really like to see someone do the same off roading with the 2.0.

Will you be reviewing the Seltos anytime soon? It has higher ground clearance (7.3") and better approach angles. Stuck with DCT or CVT though, depending on trim.

Does the car need to be stopped before pushing the awd lock button? I have a 2022 Kona SEL with AWD. I live on a short steep private road that turns into a muddy mess (think mud bog) when it rains. Wondering if I should leave it in automatic mode or use the lock button?

I noticed when doing down hill , hill decent only worked on steep angles, I can't the give degree angle but it's more than the hill you're testing that Kona. Same happen to me, would not engage on low angle roads.

Please do Audi A6 Allroad 2020

You repeat the same copy, but starting with the inset view, the first time at 9:27 and then again at 9:55. I thought you might like to know so you could edit out one.

I can't believe that down under is one of the few places that get a spare wheel [admittadly a crap one compared to the full size alloy supplied for Tucson and Highlander] but if Americans want to go offroad, A can of "FOOF" is not going to save you if you tear a sidewall.

I have an ‘18 Limited and I’ve taken it through fairly deep snow and on some pretty rough off-road bits up in Boulder that made me clench my buttcheeks, she never gave up or got stuck. But yes... I really wish I had a conventional automatic. The DCT gets really herky-jerky through city driving.

Nice kona but that cheap interior doesn't cut it for that price 30k don't think so

You put the segment about the AWD lock button in the video twice in a row

No spare tire that's important if your out of town and your tire blows out

19 cubes of trunk? knees touching in rear seat? those are like golf dimensions!

When you opened the bonnet it was like the old days, an engine.

Dual Clutch transmissions suck off road no torque converter like CVT and traditional Auto.

With a tiny bit of momentum going it can take you pretty far out in the wild! Its like a rally car :)

Kadjar please 🎉

Torque converter is better

Yes, Hyundai's Hill Decent is practically Useless. I always pull the shift lever down or towards the rear of the car, then over towards to the driver's seat. Bump it a couple of times towards the driver's seat until you hit the gear you want. For me that is usually 2nd or 3rd.

Just because it's awd doesn't mean it's designed to go off road.

Your off road method is half fast. As with all off road work you should use momentum ie. More speed.

Honestly, if you are in the market for a compact cuv, just get this one. Seltos is overpriced with literally the same engine under the hood. Don't fall for the hype.

9:26 9:54 Deja-vu

I’m really, really liking what I hear and what I see, but.....is it for a man in his mid 50’s? Lol! I’m going to go with, WHY NOT! It’s very rare that I drive that much, I.E; I currently have a 2005 Toyota Corolla with less then 50,000, yes, LESS THAN 50,000 miles currently. But, with all of these “ upgrades” , meaning, the infotainment centers, etc.., is enough for me to consider this vehicle.

Hill descent works fine you just didn't know what you were doing 😁

Glitch in the matrix 10:10

Do they make a manual?

is this a good car for driving in the snow?

Sat in a lower-spec trim at the dealer, oh no.

Did he repeat himself around 9:30 and 10:30

TFL showed that hill descent was useless 2 years ago and nothing done. Hyundai is too focused on tweaking color combo vs real driving ability.

I’d be curious if you asked your Hyundai representative why it told you to put your foot down. Secondly, the hill descent control is absolutely terrible and honestly kind of dangerous. It does have a nice features and looks good but can’t believe it’d be 30K.

“Preferated”?

No cooled front seats, is a deal breaker! My 2014 soul! Has cooled seats!

You do realize this car is city (yes city) crossover with only seldom use of offroad in rare cases not a real offroad car. Its aim is to be swift car in city traffic and on highway. Thats why it gas DCT, to give it fast acceleration. You test slow uphill climb with DCT and you wondering its smelly, really?

I'll lift it and put on bigger knobbier tires for daily driving

Tiny adults?

$30K ....? What is going on lol.

USD 30k will get you way better options on the market like a Forester, CRV or Rav 4.