You may have heard the crushing news that the Kona N is set to be killed off after the current generation. This made us quite sad here at PerformanceDrive, because we are big fans of the Kona N.
With its fantastic 2.0-litre turbo engine generating 206kW and 392Nm, its ‘N-Grin shift’ and extra suspension travel over the i30 N, it makes for a very entertaining driving experience.
It didn’t stop Parallel Universe Cars from conjuring up a potential design direction for a Kona N successor, based on the upcoming, 2024 Hyundai Kona.
The sharper, cleaner design of the new Kona makes for a more striking and modern-looking car, with an emphasis on EV-like appearance. It is longer, wider and taller, with an extra 60mm added to the wheelbase.
We hear the 2.0-litre 110kW/179Nm engine may carry over, but paired with a CVT. A 1.6-litre turbo-petrol is also expected, producing around 146kW, and for the first time local buyers are set to be offered a hybrid. These are all well and good for the average motorists, but what about performance fans?
What we really want to see is an uprated version of the 2.0-litre turbo motor – something that can give not only the Tiguan R (235kW) a bloody nose, but also the 300kW Mercedes-AMG GLA 45.
Maybe it could be an electric-only N car such as the IONIQ 5 N or IONIQ 6 N we had a go of recently? Either way, we think the new shape certainly blends well with the typical N treatment we’ve come to expect from the performance sub-division.
