Hyundau Kona N

First Glimpses Of Hyundai Kona N In New Teaser Snaps

The Hyundai N range – the company’s flagship performance models – has a new face in the lineup.

The “N” range honours these vehicles’ development locations – the R&D centre in Namyang and the infamous German racetrack, the Nürburgring.

Today, teaser photos of the Kona N have been released, representing the car’s aesthetics without camouflage for the first time.

As a “sub-compact SUV”, this is the first of its kind in the N range, joining the i30 N and i30 Fastback N. It’s the first time that the Hyundai Design Centre and the Hyundai N division have collaborated on a car with an SUV body.

The i20 N is also expected to be released in Europe soon.

As the photos illustrate, the Kona N is designed to stand firm. It’s wide and low for an SUV – as you might expect. The teaser images portray it as having a powerful yet road-worthy dynamic.

It still has the basic shape and design of the only-recently-released Kona yet shows a considerable amount of added flair, typical of Hyundai’s N range.

Aesthetics

Hyundai Kona N

Starting at the front, we can see new air intakes dominating the design, giving it an aggressive appearance.

The lower grille, compared to the standard Kona, reaches further around to the car’s sides. You might also notice the low-down corner fins if you look closely.

The Hyundai badge has been moved down onto the grille, next to the subtle-yet-eye-catching N Line badge.

Combined, all of this gives the car a low, grippy feel to how it looks.

Moving down the vehicle’s sides, we see hints of red on the side sills and unique alloy wheels – both of these defining it as a member of the N family.

Hyundai Kona N

A double-wing spoiler on the roof has been fitted to the rear. As Hyundai tends to do with models in its N range, this includes an extra, triangle-shaped brake light.

The dual exhaust has a large diameter muffler, hinting at its performance capabilities. In the same vein, an impressive diffuser dominates the space towards the base of the rear bumper. This works to increase aerodynamic efficiency.

Like the front, the rear has been designed to appear as low-to-ground as possible.

Inside, we find striking red accent stitching around the seats, gear stick, and hints of it on the perforated leather steering wheel.

Rivals

Currently, the car market is all about SUVs, meaning that the Kona N will be a competitor to many models. These include:

  • Audi SQ2
  • BMW X2 M35i
  • Volkswagen T-Roc R
  • Ford Puma ST

Tech Specs

Hyundai Kona N

Hyundai has confirmed that the Kona N will borrow the engine from the i30 N – a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-4 running on petrol. This engine (as standard, when it’s in the i30 N) kicks out 247 bhp. With performance upgrades, it can reach 271 bhp.

Exciting numbers indeed.

Transmitting the power will be an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox exclusively – the 6-speed manual from the i30 N won’t be making an appearance this time.

How Much Will It Cost?

Official figures haven’t been released yet, but the Kona N is currently expected to ask around £27,000, challenging the Ford Puma ST.

What Do You Think?

What do you think of this new SUV-with-a-grunt?

Let us know down below.

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