The Hyundai Kona is quickly becoming more a lineup of cars than a single model. It can be a practical compact SUV for just over $20,000. It can be surprisingly luxurious, for a price tag over $28,000. It can be a fun-to-drive electric car with respectable range for nearly $40,000.
And now it can be a performance car with a suspension tuned on the famed Nürburgring racing circuit. The sporty 2022 Kona N bows today after more than a year of rumors. No one seems to be calling it the Conan yet, but we have faith in you.
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Pricing to Come
Price and sale date haven’t yet been announced, but it appears to share much of its equipment with the Veloster N, which starts at an MSRP of $32,250. Since the least-expensive Veloster starts at $18,900, it seems reasonable to assume that the Kona N will be priced slightly higher than the Veloster N.
Under the hood, the Kona N gets power from a turbocharged, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine making 276 horsepower. An overboost function can briefly push that number to 286 hp. Hyundai says the Kona N is good for a 0-to-62 mph time of 5.5 seconds. An 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission sends power to the front wheels. Curiously, you can order the standard Kona with all-wheel drive, but the Kona N cannot. That transmission comes with a series of performance settings, with the fastest cheekily named N Grin Shift.
Larger brakes than the standard Kona, a reinforced chassis, and that Nürburgring-tuned suspension should add to the sporty feel.
Sporty Exterior Accents
Outside, it’s distinguished from non-sport-tuned models by body-color fender flares, a unique front bumper, side skirts, and a rear diffuser – all of which can also be found on the N Line model that includes a few minor performance tweaks of its own. You can tell an actual Kona N from a Kona N Line thanks to larger 19-inch wheels, a two-level wing, larger exhaust tips, and red accent lines on the body.
Inside, the Kona N replaces the Kona’s 8-inch touchscreen with a larger, 10-inch model. The seats, steering wheel, shift knob, and pedals are all unique to the N.
Automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams are standard equipment.
The Kona N may not be the last high-performance Kona we see. Company representatives have hinted that the Kona Electric may get its own high-performance N treatment soon.
