Hyundai is working on a mid-life refresh for the Kona crossover SUV, but we don’t expect it to make it to the Indian market anytime soon
The current-gen Kona has been on sale in the foreign markets since 2017, and Hyundai Motor is in the works of introducing a mid-life facelift for the crossover SUV. The facelifted Kona has been spied for the test time, but it is surprising to see the car being covered in camouflage from head to toe, since it is expected to be a minor mid-life refresh.
However, it can still be made out that the front fascia of the car remains largely unchanged. While the Kona facelift continues to sport a split headlamp design, we expect the headlamps to be slightly redesigned. Also, the compact SUV could get an updated grille design, putting the car in line with Hyundai’s Sensuous Sportiness design language.
The rear end of the Kona facelift will also slightly be altered, but it is not possible for us to comment on anything else apart from that. Hyundai currently offers the current-gen Kona in the European markets with three powertrains including 1.0L three-cylinder and 1.6L four-cylinder turbocharged petrol T-GDi petrol engines, along with a 1.6 CRDi oil burner which is offered in two states of tune.
The smaller petrol unit makes 120 PS of max power and 172 Nm peak torque and can only be had with a manual transmission, while the bigger 1.6L T-GDi drivetrain puts out 177 PS power and 265 Nm torque and comes paired to a DCT gearbox. On the other hand, the 1.6L diesel unit when coupled with a manual gearbox, produces 115 PS power and 280 Nm torque, while the same engine makes 136 PS/320 Nm when had with a DCT.
In India, Hyundai only retails the fully-electric version of the Kona, which is priced at Rs 23.71 lakh (ex-showroom). The Indian-spec Kona Electric gets 39.2 kWh battery pack that delivers an ARAI certified driving range of 452 km on a single charge. The car uses a 100 kW electric motor that generates 136 PS of power and 395 Nm of torque, and can only be had with a FWD configuration.
