Hyundai Kona N track test - motorsport SUV

#kona #kona-n #hyundai #n-performance #tracktest
Hyundai's popular Kona SUV now comes as a high-performance version, the Kona N, so I've tested it on a racetrack to see if it can put the S back into SUV and help you decide if a vehicle like this is one you need in your life.
Written test here:
l2sfbc.com/hyundai-kona-n-tra...
Track comparison i20N, i30N, i30 Sedan N, Kona N:
• Hyundai N Track Test R...
UPDATE: the wheels on the Kona may be forged or cast; should have made that clearer. The wheels I show in the video are from an i30 N where the standard is forged.
Post questions as comments!
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[@hagarthestoic3282]

Having enjoyed owning the WRX, Golf GTI and Golf R over the years this would be an excellent all-rounder with real grunt now that I have slowed down a little. Excellent BTW review highlighting what actually matters.

[@L2SFBC]

Thanks Hagar, I agree...low sportscars get old around town and it'd be so much fun to surprise people on a track! Please share :-)

[@cmediaproduction3964]

Best review of the KON N so far, great approach to creating this video.

[@L2SFBC]

Wow, thanks! Please share, and watch for my N review soon...

[@mwboost]

Just got one after many years of turbo subies. Love it! Only thing I don't like are the plastic trims around the windows seems to fade easily. Also the plastic flare parts on the guards also bumper don't seem to be smooth I guess you could say, like warped or low spots here and there.

[@kathyl67]

Great review!

[@matthewtmcdonough]

I love my N.A. Kona N. Just wish I had all the options all the other markets get.

[@jubbaronny]

Here in the UK there are no options other than colour. We don't get a sunroof but we get just about everything else including front electric ventilated seats, rear heated seats, forged alloys etc

[@prismatic9804]

One of the best in depths I found! I got lucky and had a guy take me for a spin to get the jist but didn't go any corners or anything. Seems like a blast! And the front seat was comfy

[@L2SFBC]

Thanks! Please share 🙏

[@BenMitro]

Gees I love being in-car as you are driving it around the track - I can anticipate the turns, the line and even picked up a couple of corners that I would've done differently :) :Thanks Robert. It is a car I'd get if I was in the market for a "family" car:! Maybe the N?

[@L2SFBC]

N only!!! What would you do differently?

[@grantt5211]

Nicely summed up test report. Contending with poor quality Australian roads plus the kerbs and gutters of suburbia, the Kona N is a great performance car to live with day to day and also a blast on twisty back roads. Yes, I have one!🤗

[@L2SFBC]

Glad you enjoyed it and happy you're enjoying the Kona N. Please share :-)

[@RE-wf2hz]

Good and informative video!

[@L2SFBC]

Glad you liked it! Would much appreciate a share :-)

[@geedubone]

An excellent option to replace the wifes Cerato GT. The Cerato is a nice enough car but the steering is lifeless after the Golf mk5.

[@davidbarfield3489]

Great review! Well done!

[@L2SFBC]

Thank you kindly! Please share :-)

[@bvward]

Robert, KonaN not the Barbarian ;) Nice review. I'm at an age where I prefer AWD for the security it instills (perhaps falsely)... If I was younger with kids it would be perfect.

[@L2SFBC]

I see your point Barney, but with modern ESC and that trick diff the KonaNNN is pretty good. However it still wouldn't handle snow in Canada as well as an AWD, tyres being equal!

[@bvward]

@@L2SFBC Robert, I used to pop up to Montréal for their non-Export beers. In snow ;)

[@Liisjak]

Yep got it because of my driveway...there's no way I wouldn't run any other performance car aground like a ship lol Anyhow amazing car.

[@L2SFBC]

Did you see my solution to the driveway problem?

[@pamlove421]

That is a nice vehicle! I'm not real fond of Asian vehicles, but this one seems versatile.

[@L2SFBC]

Sure is!

[@khronin]

Funny how you blow by the other N vehicles in this Kona N--I just got one and it is very capable.

[@L2SFBC]

It's not the car, it's the driver skill gap...I've done a lot of laps at that track racing, competing, just hotlapping and most of the others were very inexperienced, for the majority it was their first time on track. In other footage you can see a couple of cars at the same sort of speed I'm lapping at - one is Brendan Reeves, Hyundau's pro rally driver in AU, and the other is Scott Newman, a journo with a lot of track experience.

[@khronin]

@@L2SFBC I can tell you are pretty experienced and it makes a world of diffrence..I also have 100 hours of track time--dozens of trips also at the local drag in all sorts of cars I have owned>Here is my last car a CX-30 Turbo--where I take a 30 MPH tun at 70 to show the handling--like you I made it look easy but I also have a lot of experience--also my driving record is also totally clean.I also took this same turn in my 2020 AWD Stinger at 80 mph and will shoot a video of me doing what i can in the Kona--I believe i can probably take it at 75--will post and link soon when car is out of its break in period.

[@lotsofcurveslover]

Great video, does it handle and brake better than a stock GTI?

[@L2SFBC]

I can't say without a back to back test but based on many other drives..it'd be hard to top in any meaningful way.

[@lotsofcurveslover]

@@L2SFBC thanks, that’s high praise.

[@khronin]

brakes are way better then a GTI--it is also faster in every way including corners.

[@brentonappleby9836]

Aren't the Kona N wheels cast and the i30N wheels forged? I think in the UK the Kona gets the forged wheels. Pretty sure they aren't even an option here, which is a pity.

[@L2SFBC]

Yes, I said they were forged when on Australian spec cars they are cast. Looked at the wrong spec sheet, there is a comment in the description to clear it up.

[@brianreardon7700]

So I have had many gtis over my life.. still I feel one of the best in its class. But want to try something different for a while.. so traded in the 2022 gti and got a Kona N .. what are the differences .. few things.. i think the dsg in the Hyundai is alittle better.. the shifts seem faster.. the steering in the gti seems a-bit better than the n.. alittle more road feel.. power.. the in feels a little faster..

[@L2SFBC]

Isn't it amazing a Hyundai SUV is in the same class as one of the all-time great hot hatches!