Here is a new crossover that debuted earlier, which you are reading about on this website solely because it is a new car and at least a few of you will angrily email our tips line to tell us that we missed important news if we don’t write about it. This blog is a preventative measure.
This car is the Hyundai Kona. It is very average and will be very slow, available to serve all of your vanilla-crossover—oh, sorry, “compact SUV”—purchase needs in Korea, North America and Europe. The Kona will become the fourth vehicle in Hyundai’s crossover/SUV lineup, as the company “continues to widen customer choice in the segment.” More crossover choice is what we all need, yes.
The car will have several engine options, with gas and diesel versions depending on the market. A six-speed manual will only be available in Europe, and will come with a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine that Hyundai lists as having a power output of 120PS. “PS” is a fancy metric version of horsepower that makes an engine look more powerful than it is, if a buyer even knows what the “PS” is referring to. That version will have 118 HP with a conversion from PS.
The other options are a 2.0-liter engine with around 147 HP and a 1.6-liter engine with 174 HP. Both zero-to-60 times will hover around a blazingly not fast 10 seconds.
The Kona’s diesel option will be a 1.6-liter engine and will, at the very least, be available in Europe. Hyundai did not specify which markets the other engines will be for, but rumors are that an electric version will pop up at some point.
The Kona will go on sale in Korea later in June before Hyundai lugs it to America and Europe, ready to take the overinflated crossover market by storm—just like they all do.