We may still think of Hyundai (and kissing cousin Kia) as newcomers to America, but the first one I reviewed was 34 years ago. My daughter and I drove it to camp in the summer of 1991. She was 9 years old, but even she could tell that it was an oddball. I no longer recall where that column was published—on paper, back then—and I certainly can’t find a copy, but I recall pointing out the car’s quirks and writing that it seemed to have come from a different dimension.

But Hyundai had already been in the U.S. market for five years and, in its first year here, 1986, sold 100,000-plus of its first car, the Excel. Quirky maybe, but it was cheap, I mean affordable, and came with a long warranty. Consumers noticed.

Almost 40 years later, two of these three factors haven’t changed: Hyundais are still affordable, relatively speaking, and they still come with long warranties. They are quirky no more, however. The Kona is as mainstream as it gets, which—along with value and a low rate of repair—seems to be what’s required for automotive sales success.  

We might even say that Hyundai now helps set the standard for what is considered mainstream. Worldwide, Hyundai says it has sold more than two million Konas since the model appeared in 2017, and 82,172 of them just last year in the U.S. alone. In my hometown, they’re ubiquitous. 

Hyundai offers three trim levels of an all-electric Kona here and six trim levels of gas-driven Kona. The Kona Hybrid is not available in the U.S., or anyway not yet. (Given our appetite for hybrids, this may change.) Hyundai is discontinuing the rambunctious N-Line Kona, which swaggered about with 276 horsepower, 289 torques, an 8-speed dual-clutch direct-shift gearbox and, apparently, just too much attitude for this market niche. 

(If it’s attitude you want from a Hyundai, we recommend the company’s battery-powered bottle rocket, the 648-horsepower Ioniq 5 N hot hatch.)

For 2025, then, American Kona buyers who wish to burn petrol have a choice of two 4-cylinder engines: a base-level 2.0-litre, 147-horsepower Four and a turbocharged 1.6-litre Four rated at 190 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. This is what we’re driving here, in top-of-the-line Limited trim and with all-wheel drive, an option across the board. (Otherwise, the Kona has front-wheel drive.)

At $35,470, which is at least 10 grand less than the average price of today’s new car, our Kona is well equipped, from a powered sunroof to leading-edge connectivity and safety and driver-assistance systems. 

The safety gadgets I rely on most are lane monitors, a backup camera and rear crossing alerts. The Kona Limited not only has warning lights in the wing mirrors, it also provides—when a turn signal is activated—a live video view of the left or right side of the vehicle. Basic backup cameras have been federally mandated for years now, but the Kona’s provides a crisp 360-degree view around the car. And when backing out of a driveway or parking slot, like most new cars, the Kona alerts the driver to traffic approaching from left or right.

These features and more are part of Hyundai’s SmartSense safety package. We might nitpick about DAW, the driver attention warning, which scolds me when I look away from the road for even a few seconds at something interesting—a herd of Oreo-cookie cows or a lemonade stand or a handsome boat. 

While value and low maintenance are required for survival in a hot market niche, other qualities such as good looks, practicality, comfort and at least a modicum of performance can move the sales needle from survival to success, and here the Kona delivers too. 

We’re nearing the end of Model Year 2025, but the ’26 Kona will be a carry-over with minimal changes, mostly to the mix of trim levels and options. 

Next week: BMW M235