I’m back at Hyundai of Albany of another review! This time, with the brand new 2024 Hyundai Kona N-Line. With a turbo engine and AWD, this is a worth competitor to the Subaru Crosstrek, Honda HR-V and other small SUVs in the segment.

In this video:
💺 From the driver's seat, we explore the Kona's interior features, focusing on the user-friendly infotainment system and those much-loved physical buttons for HVAC and radio.
🛣️ Then, test the Kona's acceleration our 'quarter-mile' driveway at my church. We also go on a drive to test out its lane-keeping abilities (spoiler: it's impressive!) and discuss how it stacks up against the Crosstrek in terms of power, technology, and overall driving experience.

PRO:
-Very configurable in terms of trim levels, available engines, etc.
-Nice interior materials and touch points. Feels up-scale and the infotainment system feels high-tech.
-HVAC and radio uses REAL BUTTONS (pet peeve of mine).
-Lane Keep Assist works great on various types of roads and conditions.
-Peppy turbo engine and solid transmission with REAL gears (no CVT here!)
-AWD with locking center differential.

CON:
-Fuel economy could be better with this engine/AWD combo.
-Styling is polarizing for some.
-Handling is undramatic and very controllable, but also not as fun as I would have hoped.
-Throttle felt numb until sport mode was activated, then it felt like a totally different car. The "normal" mode is very economy oriented which cut into power off the line and passing power.

Overall:
For the price, the N-Line is a great value. You get some sporty feeling touches like red stitching, and N-Line accents. You get a turbo that can liven up the drive if you keep the revs up. And, you get an AWD system that will tackle the vast majority of conditions a passenger vehicle would see. Granted, it's not like the full-time AWD system that Subaru has (and has a legendary reputation), but potential advantages of that I don't think would be utilized by the vast majority of owners of these vehicles.

Verdict:
With the Hyundai, you get a very usable AWD system, a far better warranty, longer free maintenance window, and a real automatic transmission. Subaru uses a CVT (continuously variable transmission) that has drastically improved in the last couple of years, but I would be deeply concerned about the long-term reliability still. And, CVT transmissions absolutely kill the joy of driving. I would be hard pressed to choose the Subaru unless you could still get one with a manual transmission which is becoming very difficult. And, don't even start with those head gaskets.

🎥 Watch as we dissect every aspect of these two contenders and find out if the Hyundai Kona has what it takes to dethrone the Subaru Crosstrek. #HyundaiKonaReview #CarComparison #SUVShowdown"

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