2020 Hyundai Kona Ultimate AWD Review and OffRoad Test

The 2020 Hyundai Kona has some nice upgrades for the new model year. In this video, Ryan checks out all the features, kicks the tires and then challenges the all-wheel drive system to an off-road test.

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[alexanderham]

The off-road performance of Kona is much better than I expect.

[lowlanz]

Well Kona is not built for serious offroads I guess.
We need to praise this vehicle for winning car of the year in both Spain and US, which are two very different markets. Europeans love hatchbacks and Americans love SUVs. Kona has goods from both types. It is as nimble and quick as a hatchback and still muscular and mean looking with AWD.

[davidst]

Reason it tells you to up your foot on the brake is because it thinks you are trying to hold the car stationary on a steep grade with transmission.

[atracin]

Very nice look for the Kona. I'm really digging this little thing!

[kavehoskoui]

Hyundai has the best hill descent control. I had it on two different SUVs and it works flowlessly!

[XelaOso]

No one tests a vehicle’s systems like you do which is why i can actually watch your videos on cars I don’t even care about.. I’m set on getting a passport mostly cause your video and yet i watch these videos lmao ik what im getting I don’t need to watch these but it’s so interesting seeing how they compare to the vehicle i want and other vehicles i care about.!

[RyanRKJ]

Since the Kona was released, it has been on the list as a possible replacement for my wife's Mini Countryman when the time comes. I feel like the Kona is a good value. Lots of features in the Ultimate for a pretty reasonable price. It looks like the AWD can handle everything the car should be attempting to do. With a dual clutch transmission and limited ground clearance, it's only well suited for on road driving.

[kuladeeluxe]

Just drove a 2020 Kona AWD(2.0), Impreza Sport and Corrolla hatch back to back on the same road. The Kona had the best steering and most fun suspension by far. Also had the best seats. Firm ride, but the car was very engaging. The Corolla was very soft and appliance like (QUite good...I could live with it) It had the best engine and the CVT was quite good. Seats and suspension were soft overall. Pretty good car. The Impreza had the worst electric steering, interior felt less nice in design and feel. Seats so so. Liked the car under heavy breaking and I know is has fantastic crash test numbers. I am a Subaru fan and was not expecting that I would enjoy the Kona quite a bit more. I did not like the Kona transmission very much.(it was the 6 speed)

[kmckenzie]

Nice review! I really really like the Kona. When we got our 2 new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL’s with S-AWC and the Touring Package back in October I cross shopped and drove several other models. We looked at the Hyundai Kona Ultimate, Nissan Rogue Sport SL, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport GT (we owned a 2016 one before the Eclipse Cross’s), Toyota CH-R Limited, Buick Encore, and Subaru Cross Trek.

In the end it was down to the Kona and Eclipse Cross which to be honest I loved both. On the Kona I liked the interior styling and quality, loved the exterior styling, loved the green color, it was fast with its Turbo lol, plus it had a ton of features. But in the end we went with the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross over it because more rear seat room with adjustable seating positions, front and rear sunroofs, dual zone climate control, heated rear seats, unique rear styling, and past reliability of all our Mitsubishis. We also got about $7, 000.00 of MSRP on the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL’s too! I liked that the Eclipse Cross felt higher and more SUV than hatch back in the way it drove.

My only negatives about the Eclipse Cross are fuel economy and ride. It rides so smooth most of the time in town and cruises super smooth on highway but when you hit a pot hole or hard bump it is a lil rough and I wish it had more suspension isolation from it. I to think highway fuel economy should be rated better too. Also to be clear we have owned several new Hyundais (4) and Kias (2) and they were great quality vehicles!

In the end the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross was just the best fit for us. None of the vehicles we perfect and I had likes and dislikes for all of them but for what we wanted and needed the Mitsubishi fit us best. The $7, 000.00 discount just made the decision easier, but even without the large discounts it still would have been our choice. Thanks!

[hunalejandro]

Okay...this car is starting to grow on me. @drivingsports I noticed at the 9.26 min mark, this clip is duplicated back to back. Just a heads up. Keep up the good content, always look forward to new vids.

[StarFox]

I've seen this grey seats and interior for the first time

[omnidhigoatfarm]

It clearly shows how much efforts your putting in making a video from all the angels..👍 thank you

[oztrax]

I think from an off road driving point, technique is very relevant:
I would:
keep traction control ON and AWD lock
drive as slow as possible with manual first selected but be aware of clutch slippage
NEVER allow car to be stationary on a hill with just accelerator holding car
Use brake dabs to assist when forward motion slows from wheel spin
The speedo display shows which wheel is slipping, so work with that and dont keep spinning any wheel fast

Another idea might be SPORT mode as this quickly engages DCT without delay

[eganfo]

I feel like you really want us to know about the AWD lock button.

[eternity]

I just got a 2021 Kona ultimate. It’s really nice! I used to drive a Subaru WRX and do miss it, but this car is fun as well. I do miss the manual 6-speed transmission though. I’m just not used to driving an auto.

[daro]

I own a 2017 1.6 tgdi 177 hp style (full optional here in Italy). A little sporty beast while it gets rid of light offroads too. Perfect for winter conditions. Comfortable, not so much room for long journeys but I solved with a roof box. I like very much its allround qualities.

[ernestgonzalez]

it wants you to 'RIDE' the brake. lightly keeping your foot on the brake while pushing the gas. its very usefull on opeb diff awd like dodge journey, and haldex style torque bias diffs quattro etc. I was trained to do this on humvee awd systems in the army as well to get moving from mud sand and snow.
another noted:
@XueTech
3 years ago
Lightly hold the brake while pressing the gas. It helps reduce the load on the AWD slip differential and helps with limited traction scenarios.

[joeb]

The kona is built on the Elantra platform, it's an awd for the road only.

[jasonsong]

That warning to press brake pedal is basically a warning telling people who uses the gas pedal to hold the car on a hill not to do that in a dual clutch car.

[mrpicpalac]

Just got my 2020 kona 1.6T AWD two tone, acid yellow. My fav vehicle after trying most of compact SUVs out there and these are my fav sizes and stance.