“Adventure.” That’s what I decided I’d spend a year seeking with the 2019 Hyundai Kona. Two months in, how much adventure have I found? About 629 miles worth. So not much. My daily commute isn’t all that exciting.
That is, however, enough that we’re past the break-in period, which means we’ve finally taken the Kona to the test track. So in lieu of real excursions into the unknown, we at least have objective data to act as a prelude for excitement to come. Zero to 60 mph takes all of 6.6 seconds, which is flying compared to my previous long-termer, a 2017 Jeep Renegade (9.0 seconds).
More important to me, it gets from 45 to 65 mph in 3.6 seconds to the Renegade’s 5.0; I had a close call in the Renegade when a semi started to merge as I was halfway through passing it, and the Jeep couldn’t find the juice to get around it quickly. The quarter mile takes a leisurely 15.2 seconds at 90.5 mph, and stops from 60 take 119 feet. It completes our figure eight in 26.6 seconds at 0.66 g and pulls 0.88 g on the skidpad.
As interesting as the numbers are, the subjective assessment from the guys behind the wheel tells more about what we can expect for the rest of the loan: “Really fun.” That’s testing director Kim Reynolds’ summation of the Kona’s performance in the figure eight. It’s a tossable, easily controllable crossover with good brake feel, so when you finally get past the initial 600 break-in miles and start venturing to far-flung corners of your world, you’ll be able to enjoy any curvy roads you happen to find along the way.
One other test, albeit one that falls outside our normal regimen: fitting it into my driveway, a true assessment of Hyundai’s “Smart on Space” claim. My home officially has a spot for one vehicle in the driveway, but with careful planning, I can squeeze a second in with our Honda CR-V.
At 164.0 inches long, the Kona’s among the easiest vehicles I’ve maneuvered through the tight angles required. Our long-term Nissan Kicks, just 5.1 inches longer, is a bit more of a challenge. The long-term Subaru Crosstrek we said goodbye to a few months back (175.8 inches long) was probably the upper limit of what I can comfortably fit.
Read more about our long-term 2019 Hyundai Kona 1.6T AWD:
- Arrival
- 6 Satisfying Touches on the 2019 Hyundai Kona
| 2019 Hyundai Kona 1.6T AWD (Ultimate) | |
| BASE PRICE | $29,880 |
| PRICE AS TESTED | $30,005 |
| VEHICLE LAYOUT | Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV |
| ENGINE | 1.6L/175-hp/195-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4 |
| TRANSMISSION | 7-speed twin-clutch auto |
| WHEELBASE | 102.4 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 164.0 x 70.9 x 61.0 in |
| EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON | 26/29/27 mpg |
| ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY | 169 kW-hr/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB | 0.96 lb/mile |
The post 2019 Hyundai Kona Ultimate AWD: Tales From the Track – Long-Term Update 1 appeared first on MotorTrend.