BETTER PARTSHyundai Kona as a development Mule
Hair, 7 April 2017
Hyundai Santa Fe has currently three SUVs on the market, the Tucson, 4.48 meters long, the 4.70 metre-long Santa Fe and its extended version of Grand with 4.91 meters. Under 4.48 meters, the Koreans have nothing to offer, so no competitor for the Opel Mocha X or Renault Captur. That will change soon, and the new small SUV is to say Kona how Hyundai is already officially communicated. Our Erlkönig photographer has now caught the car.
On basis of the i20, but "progressive"
The model name Kona is derived from a district in Hawaii. It should be a lifestyle SUV with progressive design and modern facilities, with which the brand wants to win new customers. Otherwise, Hyundai shows a picture of a slit-like headlights of Kona, that hope can be a rather sporty vehicle. The B-segment SUV would 4.30 meters long be in short supply, based on the Hyundai i20 and get its more powerful engines. On the sucking gasoline we would waive instead of Hyundai and offer only the 1.0 T-GDI with 100 or 120 HP, to some diesel. Stretched may be one, whether there will be an optional all-wheel drive on the some competitors (such as the 2008 Peugeot or Renault Captur) abandon.
Slit headlights and Hexagon Grill
The Erlkönig images show the same slit-like headlamps that Hyundai has already scanned. There are more lights, giving the car a certain similarity with the Citroën C3. The large grill has the brand-typical hexagonal form and is significantly higher than with the i20. Notice the very high positioned rear lights (still disguised) rear.
Thrust into the Mocha gap?
Probably Hyundai will tell us more piecemeal and more details about the car in the next few weeks, until he has his exhibition premiere and shortly after launch in the fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show. If the 100-HP Turbo is the base engine, we would expect a price of less than 20,000 euros to the Kona would be 1.0 T GDI 1.2 DIG-T (from 19.520 euro) position slightly above the Renault Captur TCe 120 (from 18.890 euros) and Nissan Juke. And he was on par of the expiring Skoda Yeti 1.2 TSI and the Jeep renegade 1.6 E-torQ 2WD (both from 19.900 euro). The Opel Mocha gapes in the range of 170 Nm a gap in the portfolio: the 1.6 litre vacuum cleaner (155 nm) is weaker, the 1.4 Turbo (200 nm) more. In this gap, the Hyundai could develop well. (sl)