I dumped my 2023 Acura Integra at a $2K loss to pick up the 2023 Kona N. Couldn't stand the CVT in the Integra, and there were many other annoyances in that vehicle. LOVE my Kona N. It will do precisely what you want it to do. You can redline in any gear, infotainment is great, and it looks great with tinted windows. Not sure why he said they only have three colors. I got the fourth color, Sonic Blue, which I think really sets it apart. It's not white...not silver...not grey...not blue, it's right in the middle. Nothing bad to say so far. I'm back to smiling every time I drive. Thank you, Hyundai!
I think you made the right choice. Really starting to look into a Kona N for the wife. Bunch of them in Illinois for around $26k/16k miles. Great deal for what you get.
@@kuyre2239 my 2013 Hyundai is selling for 4-6k more money than what I bought it at (and they come with wayyy higher mileage ) Even taking into consideration the crazy market for cars rn, that’s still pretty damn insane
I just bought the Kona N three days ago, took it on a 500 mile trip to break it in and I love it! This will be my fun car, I have a plug-in Mitsubishi outlander for a luxury SUV. If you want to have fun driving buy this car! By the way good review, I agree with everything you said.
How's the car going almost a year later? Still fun? Any issues? How's fuel economy? I know it's a sports car and fuel economy shouldn't be a concern but gas is ridiculous where I live lol
I have a DCT Elantra N. I love the car. it doesn't get old. You're probably the first reviewer that I've heard praise the interior. it's almost as if you understand the price point of the car vs what you're getting 🤔. Love it. Thank you for this.
I just bought the N today! went I test drove it, made me laugh hysterically because its a riot! i had the N-line which was a solid car but I needed a little extra pep. now I'm faster than 95% of the cars on the road! WOOT WOOT!
my only concern is reliability after the shitshow that was the theta ii engines. But only time will tell. I'm personally very excited to be getting a K5 GT soon-ish.
But their resell value has tanked. And they also have a fire issue. Hyundai and Kia products not even 10 years old are catching fire out of the clear blue sky.
@@newchannel1220 you know, the sports car that carried Hyundai since they killed off the Tiburon in O7. But since everything is leaning towards crossovers- sports cars are paying the price.
Great review and touched on a lot of pros. In a world of mundane vanilla commuters the Kona N embraces the art of fun. It doesn't want to be mature, professional, or refined. It does want to put a smile on your face. I've been smiling since I made my purchase in June. Oh the sound of the exhaust, pops and bangs right out of the box. Don't chase stats, chase fun!
Just Purchased mine this week... Traded in my 2017 Focus St and this has all the same power with a little more practically for daily driving. I LOVE IT!
I ❤my KN , I sold my VN and got almost what I paid for it ( early 22) and I still haven’t stopped smiling. It’s been a blast to drive around the city and really enjoy it when I get to go to the upstate area and carve out some mountain roads.
How’s it been treating you ? I’m a Toyota guy , but Toyota has been lacking in the fun sporty cars department . How’s the reliability ? Any issues ? Got some decent Miles on it ?
@@jordancleal6380 so far so good. I just hit 7500 miles/6 months. No issues so far. I really like the car a lot. It's a great do all kind of car. I've done a cross country trip in it and averaged about 34 mpg. Around town I get about 28 when I stay out of boost. Recommend you go test drive one, you won't be disappointed.
@@delinois2011 yeah right now it’s a toss up between the rav4 and this , leaning to a rav4 as I assume it’ll be better for the camping trips I love to do . But the kona looks like a blast , and I am sure it could handle a roof top tent if I wanted . It just lacks the AWD and doesn’t have as much cargo space as the rav4 .
Love this video bro. Been eyeing this car for a while and you might have me convinced. This coming from a 124 Abarth owner who's looking to keep a similar sporty feel but as a crossover.
How’s it been treating you ? I’m a Toyota guy , but Toyota has been lacking in the fun sporty cars department . How’s the reliability ? Any issues ? Got some decent Miles on it ?
@@jordancleal6380 It's been great so far! It's been my second daily (not my main one but the more fun one of course ha) so I can only give a 3k mile review and so far it's been a blast. Def was concerned about the reliability but the 10 year powertrain warranty is nice. No issues yet but the one issue i've seen common among other KN owners are the tires. Hope that helps!
@@dnegel9546 I had one. A 2008. Dodge offered an upgraded ecu from the factory pushed hp to 310. which i opted for lol. Bad ass!! It was a tin can lol and the clutch started slipping before 10000 miles. Now have a 2023 Kona N.
Another great review! The wheel hop seemed to be much more pronounced in the FWD Elantra N. I'm guessing the E-LSD is actually working in this application?
Kona N or Elantra N? I have an Elantra N DCT on order but the Kona is compelling. The longer wheelbase and bigger backseat of the Elantra are major selling points, but having a hatchback and electric seat are definitely nice perks of the Kona.
Yeah I have one too--I was going to get an AMG 45 but figured I would just save the money--not dissapointed--comfortable--fast--safe and the dct shifts very quick.I can tell you after owning kia/hyundai products that this car will probably put 300 HP down once it gets cool to cold out.They also geared it right--almost got a Type R last year and you had to rev the crap out of it to get it to move--the Kona N like a stinger I had develops torque down low so it gets off the line without hving to punch it everywhere to get it up to speed.
@@drumflip1253 Thanks.I like to goto public drag sometimes and I know the GLA 45 is better at that--but yeah the Kona N is more raw and fun.Honestly with the money i saved--I can rent an AWD exotic for the few times I might goto public drag night in a year.Plus they warranted all of my kona n for the 10 years so its a bargain and I can sleep at night knowing I have a reliable vehicle for years to come with little as far as repairs would go.
@@janoycresnova9156 owned several GTI’s and this is so much funner and more adjustable. The golf R is over 46k so it’s a different class. Also after the reviews I watched the Golf R seems to not have the fun factor I look for. Got my Kona N for $36k and super happy.
I have this in Sonic Blue which I believe is no longer available in the US. I wonder if 2023 will offer the more saturated Performance Blue or Cyber Gray?
I must say, pictures and videos don't give the Kona N justice. It looks better in person! Saw this a few days ago and test drove it while cross shopping with the Elantra N. While I ended up going with the EN, I was surprised with this vehicle. Sits higher than the EN and VN but it is a bit shorter than the EN so in comparison, size, and storage space, it is a larger sized VN. VN does still look better than the two IMO but you do get 4 doors, better infotainment (if thats your thing), the upgraded stock turbo, and the already blacked out front logo. This thing is fast! if you don't pay attention and press down on the gas you won't even notice you're already going 50-60MPH. You'll get a little bit more wheel spin and body roll when pushed than the EN and VN considering the size but you are sitting at a higher base. Price point, I think it could be better. You get more with the EN for slightly less (sun roof, dual climate control etc..) but you can see where it had to cut costs. Almost ended up with getting this if I couldn't find an EN available but I'm more of a sedan guy and I like sitting lower and back rather than higher up. Overall great review! It pretty much covered what I experienced!
Hyudais N platform works in everything an enthusiast can get a sports car in SUV , sub compact SUV, Sedan or Hatchback form. without compromising to much.
I think the Kona N should have an AWD option. But with AWD, it’s gonna use more gas, get worse gas mileage, it’ll cost more to build it so it’ll cost more, and it’ll cost more to repair cos there’ll be more things to break down. However, Hyundai is making an AWD N model the IONIQ 5 N. It’ll be all electric but the IONIQ 5 N will be the first Hyundai N model ever to have AWD (if Hyundai decides to launch the IONIQ 6 N before the IONIQ 5 N).
will you be doing a 2023 N Line Elantra?? I hear the interior gets updated with full leather, ACC and full digital dash. Exterior updates are rumored to be LED headlamps to match the tailamps and updated wheels. I hope the Elantra N gets some updates too... at least for new buyers (I have a CW DCT). Maybe Amazon Gray and Fiery Red Pearl?? I doubt they'll make the Kona N power seats optional, but that would be cool. The DCT "N" need ACC. I could see the moonroofless MT being the hardcore one not having it but... and Lava Orange is gone from the N-Line as is the 6 MT. 😢
The back seat and front seat upholstery match, but the back seat does not have the blue stitching. I suppose more people might be driven nuts for less, but I've yet to meet any.
I think the gas mileage can be a lot better than what you got if you drive it like a normal person in Eco mode with the cruise control on +5 mph. I did a 120 mile round trip in my EN in ECO mode doing 65-75 mph and got 38.3 (calculator method, the only truth)
Agreed. In Normal mode, on a trip last week from Tucson to Payson, AZ, and back, with 3-4,000 ft. change in elevation, we averaged 29 combined and 35 highway only (according to the trip computer, though).
Great review. I really love my Kona N! It makes me smile every time I drive it. To be honest, I am glad it didn’t come with ACC, becase I hate it! The only thing I would add to a new version would be a sunroof, parking sensors and of course AWD.
How’s it been treating you ? I’m a Toyota guy , but Toyota has been lacking in the fun sporty cars department . How’s the reliability ? Any issues ? Got some decent Miles on it ?
@@jordancleal6380 so far I have 26k miles, I’ve only had one issue that came up recently. The fuel injector went out randomly , the dealer took care of it under warranty, other than that the car has been pretty solid
imagine if they kept the better looking model they had before with that kona N..... best suv orverall. relaible to hell, beautifull like no other, POWERFULL... what can you ask more...
It's weird. The Hyundai corporate website still only shows the KONA N as being available in Red, Black and White only. Only when you check dealer inventories individually will you discover which ones have cars in KONA N-only Sonic Blue, either in stock or on in transit. That's how we found ours, which we bought on Memorial Day Weekend. Not sure why Hyundai hides the Sonic Blue versions under the proverbial bushel.
Cruise control, yes, but not adaptive. If you aren't prepared to apply the brakes when the vehicle ahead of you slows down, you aren't actually driving your car; your car is driving you.
I like hatches. This is the first crossover SUV I've seen they really made me think "I could get into that." If I'm honest, though, I like it because it's more like a hatch than an SUV. Two things would make me want it more: 1) a manual transmission and 2) to never ever again have anyone tell me what "NGS" means.
This is a hatchback. We call it SUV in North America because people here think SUVs are cool and hatchbacks are not. Just like some people call SUVs trucks to make themselves feel better.
The Kona N is to an SUV, what an SUV is to a station wagon. Same thing but not really. In my humble opinion it's more of a large(r), if not lifted, performance hatchback. "CUV" maybe?
This one passes the Sofyan Chuckle Test (SCT), i.e., when he gives 'er the beans, does he chuckle? I can estimate 0-60 times now just by grin alone. I guessed 4.9, he got 5.2. LOL.
I heard about the Veloster N. If it does, it is what it is. It sold what it did to the quirky 3-door hot hatch fans. It will be missed for sure whether you're a fan or owner. That said, if it does go away Hyundai/Hyundai's N Division didn't officially say it would go away forever. If you remember the RM20 (a mocked up Veloster with the engine in the middle of the car), they were testing that for years but have been far too quiet about it. If a 3rd generation Veloster comes, it may not come back as the way it is. It might be the first time ever mid-engine Veloster N to come. We have to wait and see.
Yes. The Elantra is way too low and can’t even get in a driveway without ripping up the front bumper. Performance is the same between both cars. It’s also personal preference. The Elantra looks like it’s 90ft long
I still say once the market returns to normal the Kona N will way outsell the other N models and probably kill the Veloster. Not that the other ones aren't great at all (many reviewers say the Elantra is the best one overall), just that American tastes don't bode well for anything but the Kona. That's sad, especially since the Kona can't be had in a manual. And I really do with Hyundai would bring the i20N to the US but it never will. Be a great replacement for the Venue (N and regular).
