Hyundai Kona N Line AWD

 

 What are the uninitiated to make of the updated 2022 Hyundai Kona in new N Line trim? The subcompact SUV's distinctive exterior is kind of cute, kind of funky and chunky, but not necessarily everyone's cup of tea. As an N Line offering, it's supposed to be sportier, and its size and fifth door have led some to consider the Kona to be something of a compact/subcompact hatchback instead of a small crossover SUV.

The 2022 Kona N Line features the range's more powerful 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine linked to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and our test vehicle has all-wheel drive. As for the N Line designation, that's a reference to the brand's "N" vehicles, like the Veloster N, the Elantra N, and, yes, the  Kona N, with N Line being a sort of stepping stone between the regular versions and the frenetic, high-performance full-N models. Those include the Elantra N Line, Sonata N Line, and more aggressively styled Tucson N Line, some of which receive power upgrades, and some of which don't.

So, is the 2022 Kona N Line to be viewed as a performance hatch with a direct line that traces to Hyundai N performance machines? Or is it more like a baby Tucson N Line, which is to say an SUV that's all show and no go? That's one of the questions we hoped to answer through testing.

What The Numbers Say

The 2022 Kona N Line AWD's performance shines greatest when it's turning left or right at speed and not so much out of the gate or in a straight line. On our one-way lateral acceleration loop on the skidpad, it netted a result of 0.89 g on average. That compares favorably to subcompact SUVs like the less powerful segment-leading 2021 Subaru Crosstrek Sport, which maxed out at 0.79 g, and 2019 Honda HR-V Sport AWD, which was very close at 0.88 g. It's also better than hatchbacks like the 2021 Mazda 3 AWD Turbo (0.79 g) and front-wheel-drive 2022 Honda Civic Sport Touring (0.88 g) but not unexpectedly trails thoroughbred performance models like the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R (0.94 g).

On our figure-eight assessment, the Kona N Line continued to impress, but with a caveat. "More grip than expected, but stubborn understeer on the limit," road test editor Chris Walton said. "The only time AWD was evident was on the exit, where I could floor the throttle without wheelspin. Steering weight and precision are very good for this vehicle class. Sportier than most would expect."