2022 Hyundai Kona N vs Mazda3 Turbo GT vs Honda Accord 2.0, close enough. Drag and Roll Race. Join this channel to get access to perks: / @samcarlegion
On the contrary. The kona N has good aerodynamics.At first glance, the Hyundai Kona and Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe share little in common. One is a somewhat funky little crossover priced in the $20,000s, while the other is a precision-crafted German machine that starts at nearly $50,000. And yet, they're equally aerodynamic. Both have a coefficient of drag, or Cd, of 0.32. That simply means these vehicles do an admirable job of managing wind resistance when traveling on the highway. As a result, the engine doesn't need to work as hard to maintain speed and, therefore, uses less fuel.
I own the Kona N. It’s not a beast for 0-60. It wasn’t built for that. Around corners, it’s crazy fast with the limited slip differential. This car shines on the back mountain roads. Don’t sleep on the Kona. It’s definitely a sleeper.
I test drove one recently as well. I currently drive a 2019 GTI. Kona's LSD really pulls you around corners, very fun. However it still feels very much like a small crossover compared to a true hot hatch, only due to the seat and seat position. Even with the seats all the way down, I felt like I was sitting high, and the seats are very flat compared to the seats of a GTI or Veloster N (I test drove one of those too) and you tend to slide around when cornering hard where the GTI and VN seats hold you very well and you feel like you're sitting low in a sports car. I'm 6'3" so I really like feeling low in a car. But then again it's not trying to be a hatchback, that's what the VN is for, before they discontinued it. The Kona N is a great small crossover, but not quite a hatchback.
Hyundai’s been really killing it these days. I daily a 2018 Elantra Sport DCT and it’s treated me so well! The Kona N is pretty cool but I cant wait to see the Ioniq 5N.
@@jamessephar945840k miles Kona N no issues at all so far hard driving everyday even doing Lyft with it I’ll let u know when I get to 100k when the warranty is over
@@GIME5528I have a manual 6spd Veloster N over 120k miles no issues at all except for the hpfp that died at 50k and I definitely don’t baby it I do a full throttle pull everytime I drive it lol.
I’m a Mazda3 Turbo owner. The torque is stupid but falls on its face by 4k rpm. Tunes are coming out now to flatten the torque curve. Excited to see what she will do. That Hyundai is impressive.
Great matchup Sam! I was surprised by that Mazda, even though it lost it kept right up with the Accord. As a former Accord 2.0T owner and current Elantra N owner I figured the Kona N would be side by side with the other two until about mid track and then it would pull away. The N pulls hard all the way to redline. The Accord always felt so strong down low, but up top in the RPM range it felt like it fell short on power. Really interesting comparison between these three cars.
@@ruthlessrampag319 I’m actually not looking to mod much with the Elantra N. It’s already a blast stock. Maybe a tune and intake, that’s about all it needs. The Accord I would’ve gone down that rabbit hole of modding.
These new N motors have a new design to the turbo making the power curve way better at high RPM. Also they are very under rated. The ECU has octane learning it limits boost to 15ps on 87 but hits 19 and 20psi on 93 octane. They are actually closer to 310hp or so at crank on 93 octane. Multiple Dyno runs have seen the Kona N and Elantra N put down like 280hp at wheels bone stock. I'm referring to DCT ones. The tuning on the 6 speed EN is a little different.
That old 6 speed auto is what's hurting the Mazda MASSIVELY. On a side note Hyundai is killing the game, im happy with my lil elantra sport 1.6 turbo manual.
That would make very little difference. Mazda has tons of torque so the gearing doesn't matter too much, just not a ton of HP. Additionally, the car was designed as a daily driver, so it doesn't have all the lurchiness/gear-hunting that a DCT does in traffic
@@Jcastro9444 a difference on many cars yes but I don't think it would make a huge difference on the Mazda 3. It makes diesel torque down low and then the power just drops and drops, even a Porsche DCT might only take like .2-.3 off the quarter mile
I have an i30 N Line Premium (Australia); think you guys call it the Elantra GT N Line in the US; the mazda 2.5 turbo only makes about 20 HP more than our little 1.6 turbo engines.
I was suprise to see the mazda 3 keep up with the accord so well. I seen the accord perform and i thought it would have kill the mazda. The mazda 3 all wheel drive makes it heavy and it needs more gears to keep up with mordern high performance cars that use 8 speed or dct
Lol! Just Remember it took years for the other manufacturers to bring up competition with current gen Accord which was released in 2018 and now its 2022 which slowly it started showing the age...2018, 19, 20, 21 non could even get closer to the Accord
I bought a m3ht in may and loved it. Unfortunately it was totaled last week via t bone (not my fault), but I’ve fallen for the Kona n and will probably be picking one up soon.
Top speed and maintaining speed is where it would excel. They were also comparing the sporty version of the Mazda to the performance versions of the other two. Seems only fair tbh because a MazdaSpeed would’ve obviously destroyed them both
@@GoogleAccount-pt4zu Elantra N would win. The turbos on the Kona N and Elantra N is bigger than the Veloster’s. And the Elantra N has better aerodynamics than the Kona. Though the Veloster is probably the most fun FWD car you can buy currently.
We are suspicious that this one already had a tune. No way a stock version beats the mighty Accord 2.0t by that much without a massive tune. The way it just launched and took off like it did makes us suspicious it would have held its own against the new Corvette. If we are talking stock, the Accord 2.0t is not only the fastest car in the world today, it is the fastest and best car that has ever been built and ever will be built. Nothing stock even comes close. If a choice came between getting an Accord 2.0t and a Bentley, we are taking the Accord 2.0t every time. We like a noisy cabin with rattles and feeling every bump, it makes us feel like we are really driving. Who needs whisper quiet and ride compliance over bumps. Way overrated.
@@XWXW-lk4jf copium, they show the engine bay. For a stage 1 tune for the kona (310 whp) one of the requirements is a cold air intake, and hks spark plugs. Stock air system in it. its probably the dct giving it the gap, since the hondas 0-60 is 2 seconds slower
I had the Mazda3 turbo and changed it to the Kona n just because the mazda3 just had one good push and that’s it. And it felt heavy which makes sense since it’s awd. I’m definitely happier with my Kona n now.
i have the mazda, have to say in its stock incarnation this is 100% accurate. The 3 turbo just hits a wall in the top of the rev-range. No the reason for this is surprising. its the Mazda intake, its inexcusably bad, i don't know why they did that, seriously its BAD, its like mazda deliberately did it to make the car behave in a specific way. After putting on the BMS stage 2 intake for $500 it completely changes the throttle response and power in the top of the rev range. Then put the JB4 on and its night night Kona N. not to mention the quality of the interior in those Hyundai's isn't even in the same league as the mazda.
You can add a JB4 or a tune to the Kona N as well... That being said, you'd need to spend a substantial amount of money to make the CX-30 track as well as the Kona N does.
This car has loads of torque and no top end, more gears/ shorter gearing/ wouldn’t make it that much faster. Certainly wouldn’t change the outcome we see here.
Hes right. Shorter gears wont help. What a new tranny would do though is simply help it shift quicker which will only help it so much. What I would prefer is a fwd with a manual. It would beat the honda from a roll and not get gapped as bad by the kona
@@edwardnguyen1980 I know, I'm very worried. Going to have a Ford Exterior and a new gen Civic/HRV/CRV interior. I really hope Honda changes up the interior a little more for the Accord.
@@brenttitus2134 Doubtful, we have yet to see any N vehicle's engines catch fire. Even in such a scenario Hyundai/Kia has the best warranty in the business so im sure it'll be just fine :) I think you're just upset because Honda and other brands has been lacking lately...
I owned a Mazda CX-30 turbo and traded it in for a Kona N--the mazda is no slouch--here is 100 to 120 MPH runs in normal.I think Hyundai fudged the numbers because the kona N is much faster then my Mazda--obvious by this video,I think the kona N on premium fuel is rt at 300 HP--I just completed the break in period and took the kona N up to 157 MPH on a toll road--in normal mode and it did it in 7th with plenty left--and it had another gear.What surprised me was the power the Kona had after 140 MPH--most 4 cylinders--even performance ones tend to run out of steam after 140 and simply crawl to whatever top end they can do--the Kona N pulled rt through the 140 MPH range smotthly and quickly and only at 155 did the acceleration slow down to a trickle--but it was still accelearting at 157 when the toll road was coming to an end.
@@vroomgc yea after buying 93 there is a process u have to do to unlock an extra 4 psi which u have to do every time after buying gas which sucks takes 10mins to do…. if u don’t u are stuck at 15psi and the difference is huge
YESSSS I've been waiting for some Mazda 3 Turbo content!! I just the M3T but the Sedan version and absolutely love it. Keep up the great content. Sad it didn't win but glad to see it here
@Aces Yeah it really shocks me that I don't see more on the road! The price point is great, and it's so luxurious (interior wise) in comparison to any other car that cost the same.
Man, I just traded in my 2020 Civic Si for a Mazda 3 AWD Turbo and I'm regretting not test driving Hyundai. Not to say I'm unhappy with the car, I think it's awesome in terms of ride quality and interior fit and finish. But it's more like entry level luxury instead of a hot hatch.
Mazda 3 is a nice driving car tho, and very nice interior, I almost bought one 2 years ago but ended up with a Kona N instead. The thing with the Kona is that its a very rough ride, so thats a negative.
you can buy a ktuner and an OTS tune from pherable all for about 600 bucks, which will bring the accord up to 300whp and somewhere in 300tq on a completely stock 2.0 but of course you void your warranty lol
@@latens9479 I already have the phearable stage 3 along with the prl intercooler and charge pipes. I’m pretty sure the accord can be 300hp stock and still be reliable if Honda didn’t detuned it. Maybe then it can match up with the new Hyundai/kias stock for stock. But will see what the next gen will be.
A great video. You make the best drag race videos. It's always a pleasure to see your videos 👍 The Kona N against a WRX STi would be interesting. I drive a WRX STi and a Kona N myself, so it would be very interesting to see that.
@@apexcobra.official I love driving both. They are two very different vehicles and you cannot compare the two. The Kona N cannot replace the STi and the STi cannot replace the Kona N.
I've raced 3 now in my Kona N and I've beaten each. Two from a roll and one from a dig ONLY because of the DCT in the Kona I suspect. It's shifts are so smooth with the quickness
Lol @ the driver bouncing around in the Kona. I want the N so bad but idk if I can deal with that ride quality. Love this video!! Hyundai is killing the game!
"Destroying for less" is kind of vague and inaccurate. The only car that's in the Accords class is the K5 GT/Sonata N-Line, both of which are more expensive than the Accord. The Accord is not a performance line or model similar to Hyundai's new N line of cars. The only thing Honda has like that right now is the Civic Type R.
@@SasquatchS550 it's not vague. Sam even put them together because of how similarly they are price and all a 4 cylinder performance oriented cars. The civic type r is most definitely not a competitor as the price is 15k or more. Even the accord sport would have lost badly there's no denying that. I'd say for being the cheapest it outperformed both of those cars and handles way better as well.
@@boostlife6370 accord isn't performance oriented. It just happens to be fairly quick. No one cross shops a Kona N with an accord. More likely they'll cross shop Honda's hot hatch , the CTR or maybe the si
@@kenyaswallow5782 also remember, Many car buyers do not buy vehicles for racing but rather for their reliability especially for people with families as well and also people go with overall perception of the brand. Kia and Hyundai as beautiful as they are, they haven't really fixed the engine fire issue in their engines. As we speak the hot sellers 2020-2022 Kia Telluride and Hyundai Pallisade are under a serious recall as we speak that the tow hitch mechanism the way it was built can easily catch on fire and with the current parts shortages this is not a good sign. Despite all that, they still haven't fixed other recalls from those same brands so with all that thats why most car buyers those who know won't buy their cars. For KIA and Hyundai to use 10 year 100k warranty as a selling point should tell you all you need to know because by design that engine is going to have to be fixed or replaced, but even with the warranty it's a pain dealing with their customer service when problems arise. For honda and others they don't need to advertise 10 year warranty as a selling point because they don't need to. From my experience, Hyundai and KIA are best in the world when it comes to offering beautiful interior and awesome tech that can be found on most luxury cars at a lower price point for a reason and for the mechanical aspect of their vehicles is where they took shortcuts and use very cheap materials that won't last long and this is where they easily lose to competitors.
@@alvinsimba734 I'd only say Toyota is the tried and true reliable brand among the 3 u mentioned. Honda is a hit or miss and I've had a lot of issues with the Honda cars our family owned.
Its kind of crazy how much faster that kona is considering how close the numbers are, I expected the accord and the mazda to be close but the kona was a surprise!
@@maskerua6779 Yup the little additional HP and quick shifting DCT are definitely advantageous over the other the other two cars. The wheels definitely help the launch but these N cars suffer from wheel hop so it’s almost needed.
If only the Mazda had a DCT or at least 2-4 more gears. I really hope Honda doesn't screw up the next gen Accord. The current gen looks and performs so good. Need to make a Kona N vs Elantra N vs Veloster N happen. All DCT, since the KN isn't available with the manual. Thanks Sam.
true i feel like the only reason this hasn't happed yet is how hard it is to get a hold of N cars in general they aren't the easiest cars to find even more so the veloster N since you cant get them anymore
Kind of disappointing, the Mazda gets off to such a great start with the high torque and awd but the gearbox holds it back from reaching it's true potential, can't wait for the next gen Mazdas to see when they finally join the program at put an 8 or 9 speed in their cars
the 6 speed isn't what's holding the Mazda back, the intake design for the turbo it horrendous, it seriously robs like 30hp at specific points in the rev range (non scientific testing with my phones acetometers and a known section of road), with the BMS intake the car pulls much better in the top 3 of the rev range. a slightly faster shift would be nice however... but all that being said i would still take the reliability of the slush box over a Hyundai DCT, who knows what the long term reliability is gonna be like on that thing...
As a Kona N owner, I would have driven it into the ocean had it not won these races. But the Accord is a really nice car, especially if you want people to fit in the back seat.
Everyone talking about Hyundai not at the level of Toyota, Honda and bla bla bla, y'all should relax every car breaks donw it just hurt your souls that a car y'all didn't respect some years ago is now killing your favs when it comes to design and tech plus the bonus of speed 😌😌😌, I see people driving around in old Hyundai models with 300k miles on the dash so relax and just blame yourselves for not knowing how to mantain a car
As an owner of a Speed3 the performance of the Mazda3 turbo is really dissapointing , especially given the power figures. It just doesn't run like it should.
The Kona N is damm impressive the Accord needs a update and more hp and Honda should do something about it same case with the Mazda 3 turbo that thing revs so low like Diesel engine and upshifts and only has low to mid range power the top end is weak they need to make it rev higher and make sure the turbo doesn't runs out of puff up top and atleast update the transmission to a 8 or 9 speed that I'll make it a fun little hatchback
Honda never really marketed this to be a fast car. It's an economical and reliable everyday driver, that's decently quick for what it is. Definitely impressed with the Kona N, I think Honda should take a page out of Hyundai's playbook and make an Accord Type R to compete with the Elantra N
🤣 they still have a recall for cars catching on fire, plus if u get a hyundai with your key and no key flob, you're screwed lol, I'll steal that thing in less than a min lol same goes for kia
@@drepar3359 so I'm guessing u haven't heard about that recall too ? Lmao, kia and hyundai are the most stolen cars right now, cause if it still comes with a ignition for the key, all I have to do is break the sterling wheel column and shove a flat head into the ignition and bam your done, if you look up kia boys, they show u how to steal the car in under a min lmao hyundai is releasing a security system for it at additional charging while kia said they're not doing anything about it
@@cormaro13 actually the easiest cars to steal now are all Chrysler products with hellcat motors. Yea I heard of the issues with Kia vehicles being stolen. Like I said Hyundai has arrived. When Hyundai first came to America you could leave those cars open with the engine running and nothing would happen. Nobody wanted them lol. Now these fools wanna risk going to jail to steal them. They should be honored. Like I said though if anyone wants to steal my Hyundai they going to jail !
@@drepar3359 agreed on the Chrysler lmao, but you have to get caught to go to jail 😉🤣, a min to steal the car and a 15 min ride to the chop shop lol and here in houston those cops arent getting to a stolen car indicent til hr or two has passed lol, but yes hyundai and kia have come a long way, but keep in mind kia and hyundai are the same brand essentially, the parent company for kia is hyundai lol
That AWD is giving the Mazda an edge off the line but after that it falls short. Now just imagine if they put AWD in the Kona N…. It would launch so much harder from a stop
you know whats crazy next year the first awd N car is coming its going to have 575hp its electric though but its a N so its going to be fun im actually excited
I guarantee that Kona N was Octane Learned 18-20 PSI on 93 Octane (US)...thank God!!! So many videos on the Kona N and Elantra N that are not Octane Learned (15 PSI)
I love the styling of the Kona N so much more than the EN. Would be a amazingly fun, eco friendly when wanted, daily. Nmw what Hyundai or KIA come out with they'll sadly always have the most hate it seems🥴.
@@RevsALot yeah in the real world they do, but don't deserve it That's rapidly changing though. Just look at Kia and Hyundai sales and consumer loyalty growth, same with Genesis
@@CTF33 As a Veloster N owner, I might be biased, but imo I feel there has been a shift in things. Hyundai is creating bold, fun, and entertaining vehicles, while a lot of the others have stagnated a bit.
@@TheRealJohnWack Yeah I got a 22 VN DCT after only driving Toyotas for 20 years, love the VN. Toyota is starting to come around with their new GR cars but I'm looking forward to the N Vision 74, it's a jaw dropper.
I’m sure the Kona would still win but I wonder how much of a difference stock wheels and tires are compared to aftermarket wheels and tires since the Kona didn’t have stock wheel and tire.
The Mazda Hatch doesn't need AWD it's holding it back more weight and more power loss, if they get just FWD and a new trans, it will beat the accord, they are pretty close.
Seems only fair to compare the “sporty” trim of a Mazda to the performance version of these more eco friendly brands. MazdaSpeed would’ve obliterated both of them obviously