Exhilarating” is the phrase I’d use to sum up the Hyundai Kona N. There aren’t that many vehicles that cross my path that I don’t need to get out of, not to mention hand again on the finish of some days. So the agony and misery I felt at saying goodbye to the Kona N was unsettling certainly. It’s only a South Korean scorching compact SUV, I inform myself. It’s £35,395, for heaven’s sake. Nobody in the true world has a lot concept what a Hyundai is, or a Kona – nonetheless much less what the “N” stands for. Principally, it’s Korean for “GTI”, as in Volkswagen Golf GTI, or, extra just lately, the much less acquainted “R” within the Volkswagen Golf R.
Now I can think about that, for a lot of, the “N” stands for “not ”, however I really feel obliged to say that, in accordance with Hyundai, it derives from the Namyang district in South Korea – “the birthplace of the N model” and the placement of Hyundai’s world R&D centre – together with the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany, which is residence to Hyundai’s technical centre; and the “N” form can also be a illustration of a basic chicane, or a decent serpentine flip within the highway. So far as I can see, from a brisk run round some nation lanes, “N” is for “nuts”.
None of that issues, after all – a rose by every other title and all that. What issues is that this can be a automotive that, on the contact of just a little purple button on the steering wheel, can remodel from a sporty little SUV into one thing nearer to a WRC contender.
As soon as once more, there’s a mysterious nomenclature – “NSG”. This, revealing a way of humour hardly ever encountered within the automotive business (which tends to take itself fairly severely), stands for “N grin shift”, which is completely applicable. The NSG thingie doesn’t simply remodel the automotive, however turns you, the common driver, right into a Flying Finn rally contestant. The automated gearbox holds the revs as you speed up, whereas the adaptive suspension makes the automotive extra bouncy however with a more durable, tauter really feel.
It pumps an additional 10 brake horsepower to the 4 wheels, through an computerized limited-slip differential (so much less wheel spin), with the grip gifted by WRC-grade Pirelli P Zero tyres. Even driving down the excessive road in NSG mode, the automotive pops and grumbles like some type of badly customised boy racer, with the soiled secret that it’s truly obtained state-of-the-automotive-art engineering permeating its total being.
So it goes on, and on, and on in the direction of the horizon, however with the automotive doing many of the arduous work. It would even inform you when a tough bend is arising, and tries to interact in its sportiest mode if it senses you’re in heavy visitors or that there are obstacles close by. It’s as in the event you had been within the palms of petrolhead angels. Extremely pleasant, then, and reasonably sensible. Its closest rival is the Ford Puma ST, which can also be quick and has a greater design to it (together with a intelligent deep “mega field” within the boot).
That’s about it actually. It’s obtained a pleasant tasteful inside, just a little understated in contrast with the extrovert physique package on the surface, and the mix of touch-screen, button and dial controls works higher than most. The one flaw, which it shares with different efficiency fashions (eg from VW) with dual-shift clutches, is a generally disappointing hesitation from relaxation because the automotive’s software program catches up along with your directions. Aside from that niggle, the Hyundai Kona N is exhilaration in automotive kind: it’s what it stands for.
Kaynak: briturkish.com