We’ll have to wait until Nissan releases pricing for its weirdly named Kicks before we can declare the 2018 Hyundai Kona the least-expensive subcompact crossover in America, but that’s the way it is for now.
The Korean automaker released its pricing list for the Kona on Wednesday, revealing a vehicle that undercuts every one its American and Japanese rivals in entry cost. Starting price for a Kona? $20,450 after delivery for a front-wheel-drive SE model.
That’s $195 cheaper than a base Honda HR-V, currently the best-selling subcompact crossover on the American market. The three-cylinder Ford EcoSport, which started sales in January, starts at $20,990 after delivery — a $540 difference. Compared to other competitors, the base Kona falls below the entry-level Mazda CX-3 by $635, the Chevrolet Trax by $1,545, and the Toyota C-HR by $3,045.
All of the crossovers listed are front-wheel-drive models powered by engines ranging from Ford’s 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder to the 2.0-liter units found in the Kona, C-HR, and CX-3.
The Kona’s Atkinson-cycle base engine, found on SE and SEL trims, makes 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed automatic is the engine’s only dance partner. Uplevel Limited and Ultimate trims gain a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, good for 175 hp and 195 lb-ft.
Adding all-wheel drive to a base SE brings the Kona’s after-delivery price to $21,750, just below that of a FWD Trax. (There’s incentives to be had on that model, though.) A better-equipped Kona SEL stickers for $22,100, or $23,400 is AWD is a must. If you can’t live with a vehicle unless its roof color contrasts with its body, throwing $150 at Hyundai nets you this feature on both SEL models.
Moving up the ladder, Limited models start at $25,650, with AWD variants rolling out the door for $26,950. Achieving the Ultimate means parting with $28,350, though going AWD adds another $1,300. This places the top-most Kona at just under the 30k mark— an important bar to stay below, considering the Kona’s place in the Hyundai food chain.
Shorter than a CX-3 and boasting 6.7 inches of ground clearance, the Kona arrives at U.S. dealers this spring. While the B-segment crossover market isn’t huge, Hyundai needs all the sales it can get. It also needs a presence in as many segments as possible.
After seeing a 14.3 percent drop in U.S. volume last year, Hyundai’s planning a crossover offensive over the next two years, with the Kona being the first out the gate.
[Image: Hyundai]
Not bad looking, and it’s a lot better looking than the Ecosport, which has failed to hack my life in any way.
I like the looks. But no manual, and if it is shorter than CX3, I can imagine it is cramped
Good luck finding a manual in this class of car, slavuta…at least it’s not a CVT.
HRV, Juke Nismo, Renegade… hell this car touches Mini Clubman price range and that can be manual too
True, but Renegade and HR-V are manual only if you skip AWD, which makes the whole exercise of buying a CUV completely moot. Juke is too ugly to even mention.
Renegade has 4WD with manual. I drove it so I know :-) It actually pretty good off road too
I’m with salvuta on this one… looks good but no manual. If only we could have just a single fun version: 2.0L turbo (250 HP), 6 speed manual, and RWD or AWD. That’s a configuration probably 3 or 4 people in the whole country would buy!
Probably not the 2.0T, but likely will get the 1.6T in an N-variant.
The 2.0T would be reserved for the N variant of the Tucson which has already been confirmed.
Not bad looking. I sort of like how the cladding wraps the tail lights on the rear, but sort of don’t like it on the front. Not sure why one works for me but not the other.
bo-o-o-o-o-o-o-ring.
How about I get an Elantra Sport instead, for $19K out the door with discounts, and enjoy better…everything?
I get that SUVs tend to cost a significant premium over similarly-sized sedans, but the whole subcompact SUV movement just eludes me. Unless you’re older and need the easy ingress-egress or you need AWD, it seems like you compromise a whole lot for that ground clearance and cladding, versus a compact sedan costing the same.
Such sacrilege – expecting that people will select a NON-CUV?
Sadly I predict that the existence of the Kona will only cause Elantra and Forte sales to slide.
Principal…agree. It’s a CUV, so it MUST be more practical and useful, right??
But, it’s not CUV, Kyree…
(the sads)
For some reason, people want a car like this, and that includes my girlfriend, who is otherwise highly intelligent and sensible (certainly intelligent and sensible enough to have picked me as a man…but I digress). But she’s short, likes to sit up high, has come to believe AWD is a magic bullet in bad weather, and she doesn’t like Subarus, so when the time comes for something new, she’s probably going to end up with something like this.
Makes no sense to me, but then again, she has no idea why I want a GTI.
(And better this than an Encore.)
I hate the Encore so much. I dated a guy who drove one. It was miserable (it and the relationship).
closest thing we’ll get to a Citroen Cactus, though less interesting. But hey not a bad value if a cramped boring driving quasi-SUV is what you’re shopping for
I fail to see the value in this car when a base Forester is only 2k more and 18″ longer. They get the same mpg.
And the base Subie has AWD, add that to your Kona and it’s a $1K delta. I predict much cash on hoods once the new model excitement wears off.
New purchase? Given similar price of acquisition, Subbie > KIA all week long and twice on Sunday.
The Subaru will certainly hold its resale value better.
The Kona will be the star of $149 lease tv commercials.
Not everyone cares for the form-factor of the Forester (which is basically a wagon).
The Crosstrek would be the better Subie comparison.
And one can say the same thing about every CUV in the subcompact class; the worst being the CH-R which is on the more expensive side despite being FWD-only.
Eagerly anticipating Sanjeev’s Vellum Venom on this mess. (Mess being everything below the door-handle level)