What’s in the water over at Hyundai’s design studios?
While it saw a minor facelift for the 2022 model year, the Korean automaker clearly had grander ambitions for its small Kona SUV. Now, we’re seeing the fruits of the design team’s labor with the redesigned 2024 Hyundai Kona, and my first impression is that it’s certainly a bold statement. That’s something we’ve been saying about Hyundai and Kia’s new and revamped models, and that theme continues here unabated.
Two elements immediately struck my eye. The front light bar (Hyundai calls it the “Seamless Horizon Lamp”) immediately hones my eye in on the front end, while the second is the distinctive lack of grille. You’d expect that with the Kona Electric — the model around which Hyundai says it derived this generation’s design. I don’t quite expect that for the three models still packing internal combustion (including the hybrid and gas-powered N Line), but there you go. While the headlights are still a separate feature on the 2024 Hyundai Kona, they aren’t quite as profoundly present as, say, the new Sportage.
Monday’s 2024 Hyundai Kona design reveal did not come with a raft of technical information, but there are a few bits worth mulling over.
The new car is 171.5 inches long (about 6 inches longer than before), while it’s also about 0.8 inches wider on a 2.4-inch longer wheelbase. You can see that change most evidently in the side profile, which Hyundai punched up a bit from the previous generation with more aggressive lines, akin to its larger Tucson sibling.
The Kona Electric, for its part, gets pixelated details like the Ioniq models, as well as special 19-inch wheels. Like the outgoing car, the Kona N Line gets its own sporty touches to set it apart from the standard model and the EV.
Inside, the 2024 Hyundai Kona gets a more futuristic interior, by way of its dual 12.3-inch displays and a shift-by-wire transmission lever positioned behind the steering wheel. In the back, the second row gets a new style of bench seat to offer “a unique experience with maximum usability”. The automaker said it’s also maximized cargo space behind the second row, but did not specify exactly how much more interior space the new Kona variants have over the old ones.
More information on the updated 2024 Hyundai Kona will be available in the coming months, so stay tuned as we prepare for the full reveal. The company did show off the sportier N Line, but there’s no word yet on whether this generation will see a hot, full-on Kona N version.
