Just bought the thunder gray awd limited model with the lime green accents inside and I could not love my car more. The styling, the comfort and the tech is insane. Love the turn illumination when making a turn.
About 7 month ago I test drove a Kona Ultimate. And I fell in love with it. Love how it likes to corner. It's peppy. I tried to but it. And went to three diffrent dealers. Not a chance. Bat credit. Last week I drove one again, work related. And was reminded why I fell in love with it. It just makes me so happy to drive it. So I went to the second dealer and tried it again. This coming week I'll find out if I have more luck.
I enjoyed hearing your story of how your channel began in the 50,000 subscribers celebration vlog yesterday. As a teacher myself,finishing my 44th year, I applaud your teaching career ! Here’s to 100,000 by summer!
@@RaitisRides I concur. I haven't bought a new vehicle since 2010 and every car I look at I come check your channel. The best car reviewer on the youtubes!
I am using one for a dealership rental, the driver's seat is really comfortable, like it was molded for me and I am 6'1". I am using the bottom level trim, but now I am looking at this as my next car and I have Santa Fe Sport 2.0T so I want something with some zip.
Hi Joe! Another fantastic review. I think you were having too much fun with the loud pedal. LOL I have to say, the acceleration of the Kona is surprising. Keep up the great work and thanks again for helping me to learn how to improve my own videos. 👍 And hope to see the video of Tom lifting the Kona off the ground! 💪
This is actually a sub compact suv. Not compact. So, it competes with the HR-V, CX-3, CH-R etc. And yes, they are quite small. But some people love that easy to drive, easy to park nature of these cars.
I love this car. To bad I can't find one in the configuration I want. NY only has black,grey and white. Why have all these cool colors and not have any on the lot?.
Great job Joe! Too bad they didn't give you the AWD fully loaded model. That one has a fully independent rear suspension and drives MUCH better than this one. I'm actually considering this for my wife. She likes it too!
that model is so nice, friend of mine got the awd ultimate model that you are talking about. Same color as in the review too. It has the speedometer glass that pops out and few more options. Its a damn nice CUV
@@nhlboy2 no doesn't have memory seat to set up on settings. But, does have 8 way power setting that you can use. This option is only available for driver seat only though.
There is a guy at my work who parks his in the corner over to lines in the back. (If you want to protect your car and take up 2 parking spots do in the back) but I look at it and think. "How many lights" "Yes"
() A hatchback on stilts? Have to admit that as a GTI owner I find sub-compact SUV's (where the Kona belongs) to be a bit puzzling. With rare exceptions they make no pretense of being designed for off-road duty either in terms of ground clearance or suspension bits. In the case of the Kona even with AWD it's designed at best for very mild off-road chores. It's about 4 inches shorter than a VW Golf and offers less overall cargo space and space behind the rear seats. Less versatile, inferior handling and performance than my GTI. I don't get it. But since SUV's of all sizes are "the new black," I suppose that accounts for it. () Overall styling. I agree the styling is appealing. In general I find Hyundai styling to be somewhat "fussy," especially compared to similar models from KIA, but the Kona is attractive (imo). And surprisingly, I think the "lime twist" is attractive and kinda appropriate for the Kona's Pacific Island vibe. Have to wonder, though, whether it might get old after a year or two. ()Headlight placement. Living in the Puget Sound region I don't have to deal regularly with snow unless I'm going skiing in the Cascades. On the other hand, spring rains combined with gravel runoff from the mountains and large trucks means that even windshields are an endangered species with gravel hitting the front of a vehicle at the velocity of a bullet. And putting the headlights near the front bumper makes them even more vulnerable. Wipers on the headlights would be a welcome option for dealing with snow but for gravel at least flexible covers over the headlights would seem to be a worthwhile add-on. () Bottom Line. I'm a fan of the Korean brands. (I own a KIA Sorento in addition to my GTI). The Kona is packed with features, has a great warranty and a reputation for somewhat better than average reliability. The Hyundai/KIA conglomerate do an excellent job of designing vehicles with components and parts shared among vehicles styled and trimmed in ways that make similar models appeal to somewhat different market segments. Add to all that their commitment to extended range EV's and they're clearly not resting on their laurels. Personally, I'll stick with my beloved GTI but I can understand the Kona's appeal.
Stephen Hendricks for me the Kona is about packing a ton of luxury features on top of the ability to toss a kayak on top while having not only the sport appeal but also the turbo makes for good fun when you want it or power when you really need it. Add the fact that it has AWD and it’s a done deal for me.
@@marlinprofit7503 DIfferent strokes for different folks, Marlin. And I'll admit that if I didn't also have a Kia Sorento in the garage for the sort of trips you suggest with a kayak I might well have a different point of view. Like the Hyundai, my Kia has a wealth of premium features and materials. And because it's substantially larger than the Kona, its naturally aspirated V6 is preferable. The Kona is a bit small for our family trips (2 adults, a teenager, and a big dog) but I might have a different view if I were single or it was just my wife and myself. Maybe with a dog, too. :) I do have a somewhat different perspective as far as AWD is concerned. In a two ton vehicle like my Sorento it's has significant benefits in messy winter weather here in the Puget Sound region. But nearly 50 years ago (OMG!) I had my first experience with a small FWD car (Saab 96) in truly challenging winters in upstate New York. That was a time when the Saab was (as I recall) the only passenger car available with FWD and my little sedan made it up and down the steep hills of Ithaca, New York in snowstorms that left almost every other vehicle in a garage or a ditch beside the road. The key to its success was the weight of the engine over the drive wheels and good winter tires. Winter tires these days are far, far better than 50 years ago and I'd maintain that a small car FWD and appropriate tires will perform on a par with AWD at least 90% of the time. Add to that capability the fact that the 200-250 lbs or so for AWD is like driving around with a NFL linebacker in the back seat. Not exactly a plus for performance. Not to say that AWD is useless in a small, light vehicle but its prevalence in vehicles of all kinds these days strikes me as more an example of "marketing engineering" than a major benefit in some. Happy to hear you like your Kona. I admit I'm intrigued by the extended EV models including the Kona coming from Hyundai and Kia in the coming months.
I have the Kona ultimate and I absolutely love it but my god it sucks on bumps even speed bumps you almost want to creep over speed bumps it’s a bit rough.
@@RaitisRides It's because of the 18" wheels on them. The 17" spare and "maybe" the cargo hold for it is not made for a 26.3" diameter. So the smaller dia. of a spare for the 17" wheels could damage the AWD system. So simple fix just don't provide it on the AWD/18" wheels so customers won't try to use it, LOL.You know how some people are they will drive 100 miles on one before they fix their tire, LOL.
How come your gas figures are always lower than stated by the manufacturer. Hyundai claim 32 on the highway. Prices are always higher than quoted by Hyundai
Stephen Gent I think Joe just had the wrong numbers on gas. Probably thinking of another car. With the price, they fluctuate based upon area and demand in the area, so sometimes the dealers change the msrp for the market they’re in
yeah I know, motor trend has the turbo at 7.5 and the electric at 6.6.... .www.motortrend.com/cars/hyundai/kona/2018/hyundai-kona-2019-suv-of-the-year-finalist/
You have to put it in sport, shut off the tc system, and use premium gas for best performance. I have an ultimate and it has to be in the mid to high 6s as it pulls like a beast from 1500 rpms.
@@RaitisRides Thanks for you response I like that Kona but in New Jersey I would go with the AWD good job on the review I liked it keep up the good work
This car is made not 200 miles from the shore of Japan. Hyundai has quality now on the same level as the Japanese. They have come such a long way in such a short period of time
