Drive and Review: 2019 Hyundai Kona on Everyman Driver

At the first press conference of the 2019 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) at Detroit’s Cobo Center on January 14, the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year Awards (NACTOY) were announced to great fanfare. The 2019 winners were the Genesis G70 sedan, Hyundai Kona and Kona EV crossover SUVs, and Ram 1500 pickup truck.

PRODUCTS, REVIEWS & LINKS:
DJI Mavic Pro 4k Quadcopter Aerial Drone:

MY VIDEO EQUIPMENT

[gthomas]

Why does everyone review the top of the line model which is almost double the cost of the base model? I am sure that 80% of sales are the SE and SEL.

[tedtedness]

As an AWD Kona owner and an X mechanic, change your rear diff oil at 5, 000 miles yes 5, 000 ( very dirty and DON'T listen to the service guy that you don't need to do it, he is clueless) to get all the break-in clutch material out and change it every 20, 000-25, 000 miles after that. This pertains to Rav4's and another AWD system where the AWD clutch packs are in the rear diff. These diffs only have .5 to 1 qt of oil so changing out is very important for the bearings running in the abrasive oil.

[johnc]

I have a 2018 Kona limited 1.6T AWD with dual clutch transmission, about 8000 miles on it. Bought it last Labor Day. No rattles, no mechanical issues, very happy with the car. Have taken it on dirt roads in the Sierra of Northern California, no issues there either.

[pamelacrabtree]

I bought my Kona two months ago and I absolutely love it. Had A Sonata for 15 years and NO major issues. Which is why I stayed with
Hyundai! Got the 1.6 turbo with the sport mode and haven’t used the sport mode yet and I drive on hwy to work every day! Again, love it 🥰
I get great gas mileage only fill up every other week. So fun to drive.

[hamerplayer]

Two USB ports is because one charges and is for the Car Play/Android Auto and the other is for charging only

[freedomdance]

This guy was amazing in altered carbon... now he’s doing car reviews. It’s incredible

[biancafunk]

Personally I like looks of this car especially in a darker color like that gray or black

[megancovington]

With me having a 2012 Chrysler for 7 years with no usb port at all no touch screen this is a blessing for me

[FootlooseMusic]

Just bought one in Pulse Red. Took us ages to decide as so many to choose from but loved the Kona as soon as we got into it.

[mejw]

I have the Kona, in the ultimate, Tangerine Orange. I have gotten sooo many awesome comments on the Kona and people saying they want one lol. Especially in the first 6 months I’ve had it. Live in a Town of 10, 000 and was one of the first to get one, now I see at least 10 so far, and it’s just going to be more and more with the 19, 20, 21 and 22 year coming. I predict over 300 by the time the last year of the Kona comes. This Car runs awesome. And gets more mileage then my Elantra Limited

[dzgtnbz]

Picked up a Ironman addition Kona about two months ago we absolutely love it.

[matthewg]

I'm a big fan of Hyundai's products and have purchased 2 Elantras (2013 GLS and 2015 Limited). I would like to point out that "average" mileage that shows on the dashboard versus "actual" mileage can vary; sometimes by several mpgs. Be sure reset your "Trip-A" odometer to zero after a fill-up and then take the actual mileage driven and divide by the number of gallons it took to determine the actual mileage received on that particular tank of gas. I did a road trip from Sonoma, California to Portland Oregon and only stopped once to simply "top-off" from a between three-quarter and half tank mark to full in Medford, Oregon (339 miles, driving 70-75 mph and getting 38 actual mpgs) before taking on Grants Pass portion of the roadtrip which is a lot of up-hill grade driving again doing 55-70 mph and was surprised to see that I obtained 41 actual mpgs at my fill-up in Portland, Oregon. So exceeding the window sticker highway mileage is achievable if you're driving the vehicle like you stole it. However, strictly city-driving in stop-and-go traffic is definitely a challenge to achieve the 28 mpg; it's more likely 22-24 actual mpgs. For my next car purchase I'm definitely eyeing the Kona. Now whether it will be the EV or the 1.6Turbo (if that is still an engine option at the time of purchase) we'll have to wait and see.

[haymakerhank]

Driving mine in 2021. I’m in Canada and have the essential model.
Only complaints I have is poor sound system and a noisy cab.
Everything else I’ve been happy with.

[jomon]

I don't understand why a power lift-back is so important for lazy we have become

[dash_cam]

Had a Kona as a rental for work and it was okay. I feel like it rode a little taught for what I would expect. Handled okay, Fuel economy wasn't terrible for a 450 mile round trip. Comfort overall, I wasn't thrilled with hard touch plastic on the window sill where we all put our elbows, a little buzzy, and I still hate the dash top infotainment display from any brand.

[Rail___Venture]

Forgot to mention that Kona has automatic rain sensing wipers

[hamerplayer]

I test drove the Kona and I loved the way it drove and it was very quick. The things I didn't like was that the interior was too cheap feeling. The DCT transmission smelled like clutch at the end of my test drive. The dealer also was not giving hardly any discounts. Almost 30k for an Ultimate AWD. No thanks. Went with a Santa Fe Ultimate 2.0 Twice the vehicle.

[lowlanz]

I think the selling point all of this vehicle is that muscular body line and the excellent steering and acceleration for its class

[tmfeldman]

I really enjoyed that thorough off road segment.😏

[samchatham]

Trying to understand why you'd add an aftermarket TPMS to a vehicle that already has a TPMS system.