HYUNDAI'S goal of becoming a global automotive powerhouse has seen the company take some big steps forward over the last 20 years.
It has developed a portfolio of vehicles covering practical, sporting and luxurious models, and they have pioneered some clever tech along the way.
Unfortunately, despite all of these big leaps forward, there have been some mis-steps and blind alleys, and the updated Kona is one of these.
That is not to say it is a total mistake, far from it, but the 'RoboCop' look just hasn't worked on the latest version.
Competing in the congested small-medium SUV market, where pretty much every large-scale manufacturer has a model chasing the car-buying dollar.
While this is good for the market, it puts pressure on manufacturers to get it right, and this is where the Kona struggles.
It is still a good car, but it is not the great car it was in previous versions.
Starting as a sleek, angular, small SUV targeting singles, couples and young families, the Kona was a good introduction to the Hyundai family.
Jump ahead to the current model, and the Kona is now bigger and bolder, with that unmistakable front end.
A colleague once bemoaned the 'sameness' of many cars, with less indivdualism between brands, saying he sometimes had to push the key fob just to identify his car in a shopping centre car park.
Well, you don't have that problem with the Kona, thanks to that bold 'mono brow' front end.
Full marks to the designer for being brave to offer up such a radical look, based on the Staria people mover, and recognition also to the management team who signed off on the design, in an attempt to bring a new look to the segment.
Love it or hate it, there is no escaping it.
The trend away from visible air intakes was initially a way to differentiate electric vehicles from 'regular' internal combustion engine (ICE) variants.
In this case, Hyundai made it a key design feature, to keep a 'family' look across the Kona range.
The unfortunate side effect is make the front appear bulbous, with an almost bull-nosed look, the air inlets are discreetly tucked away above and below the vestigial thin-line bumper, with rectangular slots directing flow into the engine bay.
Headlights are recessed into the outer edges, incorporating Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) and indicators in a tidy pod installation.
I do like the minimal front and rear overhangs, making full use of the wheelbase to maximise passenger and luggage space.
The body hip line angles upwards towards the rear, as the roofline curves down into the tailgate, while this takes som bulk out of the Kona's appearance, it also shrinks the rear headroom, much to my 15-year-old son's dismay.
While there is good all-round space in the front, he found he was in touching distance of the roof sitting in the back, with a related loss of volume in the luggage area as the tailgate continues to curve down to the bumper line.
The front-end treatment aside, I like the overall look of the Kona, I am a big fan of hard angles, curves are nice in the right places, but I love the boxed guards, and the triangular concave pressings in the doors not only draw the eye in, but help to direct airflow and reduce wind noise.
Our cars were Ultimate Red, for the base Kona, and an electric lime green officially known as Neoteric Yellow, but dubbed 'Grello' by all who saw it.
INSIDE, the Kona is pleasant, there is a degree of 'me too' in the use of a big (12.3") screen cresting the central stack, but that is not to say it is a bad thing, just that it is a popular motif among interior designers at the moment.
The advantage of the big screen is clarity, you can see the icons, they are not crowded on each other, which helps when you are trying to press them, without accidentally sidetracking into a whole other screen.
Hyundai's big add for this generation of vehicles is 'Bluelink', a handy app owners install on their phone, allowing them to operate a range of functions remotely, including remote engine start and the airconditioning - welcome in a southeast Queensland summer, trust me!
There is also Automatic Collision Notification, if the car detect it has been in a serious crash, thanks to the onboard sensor suite, it will send an SOS message with location to emergency services.
In a little bit of a 'back to the future' moment - perhaps there is an undercurrent of sci-fi to the new Kona? - the gear selector is on the steering column...while not quite the Taxi Pack column auto of the 70s and 80s - younger readers will have to look that one up - it does free up space between the seats, especially with the electronic park brake.
The column auto - yep, gonna stick with that! - is simple to use, twist down for Reverse, and then up for Drive, and works well, so much so it is now appearing in other models, particularly the Palisade, perhaps in a bid to win friends in the North American market, who seem to prefer the simple things in life.
There are four trim levels to the new model, the Kona, N-Line Option Pack, Premium and Premium N-Line Option Pack, ranging from manually adjusted cloth seats in the base model to 10-way power adjustable (8 way power-adjustable for the passenger), leather and alcantara trimmed driver's seat in the top version.
While the power-adjustable versions are definitely nicer, and allow precise adjustment for the perfect position, the base model was comfortable and easy to live with, the fabric was hard-wearing, with the seats offering plenty of support in the right places.
The leather-trimmed steering wheel, common to all versions, was a touch thin for me, but I have that problem with many cars, while the thumb controls on the face were well laid out, and you adjust to them pretty quickly.
Side bar - this is one area of differentiation between brands, where the minor switchgear is placed, while not a problem for a longterm owner, as a 'visitor' who is in the car for a week, and then gone again, I have sometimes been madly pounding on the wheel trying to turn the audio up, when in fact I was hitting the cruise control...but you learn after a couple of days.
Like most modern manufacturers, Hyundai's internal fit and finish is hard to criticise, yes, the hard plastics can sometimes feel a bit underdone, but overall, there is not a lot to complain about, and honestly, it is mostly personal preference.
Objectively, the Kona is well put together, there were no squeaks or rattles, we had them with close to 10,000 kilometres on them, which equates to about 25,000 kilometres of 'real world' driving, and they showed no signs of excessive wear and tear.
DRIVING the Kona, it proved to be something of a dual natured vehicle, while its general composure, ride and handling were good, it felt a little underdone overall, as though it was nearly there, but not quite.
The base version had the 2-litre fuel injected four cylinder, producing 110 kilowatts and 180 Newton-metres, running through a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), and this was probably the issue.
I like CVTs, when I am off on a long, steady speed drive, heading up the highway to Noosa or beyond, or a country drive west of Toowoomba, this is their sweet spot, constant speed, adaptive cruise control in place, relax and enjoy the drive.
Unfortunately, I only get to do this one or twice a month at most, and that is because we are on a vehicle test, for the rest of the time, I am like everyone else, short drives, around town, stop-start traffic, real world driving.
So, when we are on the open road, the CVT is the best choice, no argument, it holds the revs steady, making minor adjustments to the variable diameter bands to keep speed and revs in the ideal position for maximum economy.
But, when it is traffic, there are not many worse, sadly.
The bands can't 'see' what is happening, they can only react to the driver inputs, faster, slower, stop, start, and this is where they suffer, the engine becomes 'revvy', you accelerate, the transmission isn't ready, the engine buzzes, and then the transmission begins to catch up.
Unfortunately, by that time, you are stopping at a red light, or the car in front is slowing, then speeding up, and the car is making all sorts of noises as it works to guess what is happening next.
The end result is a harsh driving experience, one second the engine is idling then it is at 3000rpm, and all your good work in bringing the fuel consumption down is undone in 20 kilometres of urban driving.
As I said, I like CVTs, on a long drive they are super efficient, comfortable, with no gear changes, and you enjoy a stress free cruise from Brisbane to Sydney and back.
But when they are out of their comfort zone and forced to deal with constant speed adjustments, they are on struggle street.
In fairness to Hyundai and the other manufacturers, CVT is a technology they are forced into as they try and meet arbitrary fuel efficiency goals set by regulators who haven't asked what the best solutions could be, they just impose a target, with penalties if they are not met.
The end result is a vehicle that struggles in every day driving, because on an extra-urban fuel economy test, they deliver the required number.
Grello, the Premium N-Line with hybrid drive, was a whole other kettle of fish.
With slightly less power, 104 kilowatts combined, but more torque, 265 Newton-metres, and a six-speed dual clutch transmission, with the added punch of the electric motor providing 'instant' power, the N-Line is faster and more adaptable.
The DCT, for those who have yet to to experience it, is an unbridled joy for those who enjoy enthusiastic driving.
That doesn't mean racing everyone at the traffic lights, or other foolish behaviour, but having instant and total control over the power delivery for spirited driving through twisting roads and accelerating out of slow corners.
Imagine two transmissions in one casing, with one handling the 'odd' numbers, 1,3 and 5, and the other doing 2,4 and 6th gears, when one is engaged, ie 1st gear, the other selects 2nd, and waits for the signal to engage.
Because the gear is already selected, the clutch only cuts in for a fraction of a second, while the output switches from 'A' to 'B', then you are back to acceleration, it bit like the old drag racing 'power shift' where gear changes were rammed through, for maximum speed.
There are downsides, for example, if you take off hard, but then need to lift off, perhaps a car changes lane in front of you, because the computer is expecting continued acceleration, it may have selected 4th, when you really need 5th or 6th for the situation.
This can lead to a bit of 'hunting' for the right ratio, until the car is happy the right gear for the rpm and road speed has been selected.
But in terms of shift times, and 'power off' duration, there is very little that can match the DCT.
The hybrid N-Line also benefits from an 'active hydraulic booster', a fancy term for the regenerative braking system that harvests electrical energy when you lift off the accelerator, either while coasting or braking, putting power into the battery packs, ready for the next bout of acceleration.
That is in addition to the standard four-wheel-disc brakes of the base model, with all versions fitted with Emergency Brakeforce Distribution, an advanced form of anti-lock brakes that moves the available braking power between wheels for maximum stopping power.
There were no complaints about the handling of either car, it is more that after creating a fun 'little' SUV, Hyundai have not continued the car's development, instead it has, for want of a better description, stalled.
Now, in fairness to the design and engineering teams, this could be a response to customer demand, maybe they just don't want the sharp-edged car the Kona was capable of being, especially in its Kona N form previously.
The overall feel was it has become a softer version of its former self, along with the physical expansion.
One area the Kona does struggle with is the Premium N-Line pack, fitted with 19" rims and 235/45 tyres, compared to the 215/55 tyres on the standard 18" rims.
Quick mathematics tell us the bigger, 19", rims have a sidewall of approximately 106mm, compared to 118mm for the 18" rim. As a result, the 19" rim N-Line has a stiffer tyre - same weight on less sidewall requires greater strength - than the smaller wheel, which means there is less 'squish' in the tyre to deal with the innumerable potholes and corrugations of Queensland roads.
Bottom line? The N-Line definitely handles better, but has a harsher ride, which means more shock and jolting for the suspension to deal with.
If wanting to push hard through a corner is your thing, and you accept the trade-off of a harsher ride, then absolutely, go for the N-Line option, but if you are more into ride comfort, at the cost of cornering, then I would suggest the standard car, either in Kona or Premium, is the way to go.
As always, the big question, would I have one? No, but not because I don't like it, although the front end is a bit of a question mark, but I am not looking for a small/medium SUV.
Would I suggest it to someone who was? Yes, again with the caveat of take a long look at that nose cone, and also be aware of the tapering roofline and its impact on luggage space.
But is it a good car? Yes, I think despite my reservations, it is still a good car.
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