New Hyundai Kona: literally big news

The new Hyundai Kona is about to make its world debut. That will happen in March, but the Koreans are already sharing some key information about the possible new top seller.

What the all-new Hyundai Kona will look like is no longer a surprise. The manufacturer published pictures of the compact crossover at the end of last year. It has now shared bigger news about the model. Literally, because now we know the dimensions of the Kona.

wheelbase

The successor to the popular first generation Kona is a lot bigger. Its wheelbase has increased by 6 centimeters, its width by 2.5 centimeters and it is now 15 centimeters longer than before.

Do you already know these numbers? That may well be true, because Hyundai had already reported on these grown dimensions last winter. More interesting is the effect that the now increased space has on the occupants. There is 7.7 centimeters more legroom in the back. The headroom increases by 1.1 meters. The interior width, i.e. the shoulder room in the second row of seats, measures 1.4 meters but is identical to the previous model.

digital key

Hyundai also reports that the new Kona will also receive a digital key. This allows the owner to lock and unlock the car using a smartphone or smartwatch.

Then the really important news, because now it is also clear which drive trains the Hyundai Kona will come onto the market with. The manufacturer is still talking about variants that will appear in the showroom in the home country of Korea.

HEV

There you can also order the Kona without an electric drive and thus only with a combustion engine. That’s two engines: a 1.6-liter T-GDi that makes 198 hp and 265 Nm, and a 2.0-liter that works on the Atkinson cycles and makes 149 hp and 179 Nm.

Don’t count on those Konas coming to our country, too. In Europe, Hyundai relies heavily on an electrified range, which is why the offer in this country will probably start with the HEV variant. This is a hybrid that combines a 1.6-liter GDi with an electric motor. The system performance reaches up to 141 hp and 265 Nm.

Electric Hyundai Kona

Surprising Numbers? Not really, as they are identical to those on the all-new Kia Niro HEV. It shares tech with this Kona, so we were actually able to put those numbers in before Hyundai’s press release was published.

We do that for the electric version of the Kona, which of course also appears. Hyundai itself has not yet announced anything about the powertrain. But with the Kia Niro EV already here, we know what to expect. Think of an output of 204 hp, a 64.8 kWh battery and a range of around 450 kilometers.

We will hear the final figures in March. Then Hyundai pulls the complete canvas of the new Kona.