First Look: Hyundai's 2024 Kona Gains a Complete Redesign & Improved Specs

It’s fair to say that the first-generation Kona was a commercial hit for Hyundai, especially in Canada where the carmaker managed to ship more than 120,000 units during its lifecycle. 

What’s even more impressive is how many electric versions were sold, just over 20,000 to be exact. As a matter of fact, the Kona is currently Hyundai’s best-selling vehicle and the best-selling subcompact crossover in Canada. And while it is a small crossover, it does have some 5-door hatchback car attributes, making our list of the best hatchback cars in Canada.

Such success has allowed Hyundai to better focus its bread-and-butter SUV for its second-generation, a model that comes out bolder, larger and with much more focus on the electric model than ever before. Canada Drives had a first look at the new Kona in Berlin during its world launch.

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Bold, futuristic styling on a beefier vehicle

2024 Hyundai Kona Electric | Photo: William Clavey 

On location during the reveal, we had a chance to speak with Hyundai’s vice president of design, SangYup Lee. He took us on a quick tour of the new Kona’s design while showing us the elements he’s the proudest of.

For instance, the Kona’s front fascia is now dominated by one, solid LED bar that spans across the edge of the hood. Mr. Lee told us that he’s particularly proud of the fact that it’s one solid bar in the sense that it’s not separated by panel gaps or creases. 

On the side profile, this subcompact crossover looks like it’s been fitted with a wide body kit as its wheel arches appear to be protruding from the body. It’s all rather an illusion as they don’t really pop out when you look at the car straight on. Out the rear, the LED bar is repeated on the tailgate’s upper section. Overall, the new Kona looks bold, futuristic, and considerably more mature than before. 

2024 Hyundai Kona Electric | Photo: William Clavey 

That new design apparently helps the Kona Electric be more efficient. For instance, there are active air vents on the car’s lower front fascia that help better cool the battery’s thermoregulation system, but also improve aerodynamics. The entire car was also massaged to easier carve its way through the air, reducing the vehicle’s overall drag coefficient from 0.29 to 0.27.

This Kona is also noticeably bigger than the last car, a necessity if it wants to better compete against larger rivals such as the Toyota Corolla Cross, Volkswagen Taos or Kia Seltos. Its wheelbase was stretched 60 mm, for 2,660 mm in total. The vehicle itself is therefore 145-mm longer (4,350 mm total) and 25-mm wider. It’s also taller by about 20 millimeters depending on wheel size.

Roomier, more tech-filled Kona interior

The increased size allows the Kona to be substantially more spacious inside, especially out the rear where leg and head clearance are vastly improved over the old model. Hyundai doesn’t have cargo space numbers to share just yet, but the trunk did appear larger than before.

2024 Hyundai Kona Electric | Photo: William Clavey 

Just like the IONIQ 5 electric crossover, the 2024 Kona gets a full digital dashboard now, one that encapsulates both the instrument cluster and the infotainment system. Redundant physical buttons are a nice touch in this age of touchscreens, and the entire centre console was cleaned up for optimal storage. Gone are the transmission selection buttons, they’re now all installed on the steering column like on the IONIQ 5. 

Very little technical information, nothing yet about the gasoline models

Hyundai only had bits and pieces of technical information to share, and they were mostly all about the Kona Electric. There was a Kona N Line on location, but the carmaker shared nothing about it, nor about the standard Kona. We can however assume that its drivetrains will be carried over from the previous model. 

Nothing was mentioned about the 276-hp Kona N we reviewed in California, a hint that it could not be carried over for a second generation. Here’s our Volkswagen Golf GTI vs Hyundai Kona N comparison review.

Expect a bigger Kona Electric battery and improved horsepower

2024 Hyundai Kona Electric | Photo: William Clavey 

As for the Kona Electric, we do know that its battery capacity grows from 64 to 65.4 kWh and that it still powers only one electric motor installed on the front axle. That motor is rated at 160 kilowatts, or the equivalent of 214 horsepower, a 13 horsepower increase over the old car. 

Torque figures were however not mentioned. Neither was the official EPA range, but Hyundai did mention 490 km as per WLTP standards. We could therefore expect a slight range increase from 415 to 430 kilometers, but we’ll need to wait for the release of official EPA and Natural Resources Canada numbers.

Charging power on a level 3 fast charger doesn’t change for the 2024 Kona Electric. It’s still rated at 100 kW, a number that’s now on the low side when compared with newer electric vehicles on sale. 

However, Hyundai did say that this new Kona is compatible with over the air updates which could help increase charging power soon. The Kona also gets the IONIQ 5’s V2L (Vehicle to Load) technology, which allows it to transfer up to 3.5 kW of electricity outbound to power accessories, a house, another electric vehicle or even give energy back to the grid. 

2024 Hyundai Kona Electric | Photo: William Clavey 

Hyundai told us that it plans on using the upcoming New York Auto Show, scheduled in April, as the official North American launch event for the 2024 Kona. That’s when the carmaker says it’ll share more technical details about the entire lineup, as well as pricing for both American and Canadian markets. So stay tuned.

Meantime, the outgoing Kona did make our list of the cheapest electric cars in Canada, along with eight other EVs.