Hyundai Kona 1.6 CRDi Premium SE 2018 first drive

Hyundai’s compact SUV is best known for its electric variant, the Kona Electric, which has a worthy claim to fame: it has the best real-world range of any electric car currently on sale (259 miles), and is far more affordable than most too.

While the Kona Electric is worthy of its many plaudits, it will only account for a nominal amount of the Kona’s sales. The majority will go to its petrol line-up, which includes a three-cylinder turbocharged 1.0-litre and a four-cylinder 1.6-litre turbo.

Finally, there is the Kona diesel. Plenty of rivals, such as the Seat Arona and Kia Stonic, also offer a diesel variant – but, nonetheless, there’s little demand for the fuel in the compact SUV segment. Most buyers use these cars for lower-mileage driving around town, where petrol (or electric) power suits, and diesel sales currently stand at around 10%. Hyundai maintains that diesel “is still an important part of our product line-up”.

The powertrain in the Kona diesel is a newly developed turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder unit. There are two options: one with 113bhp with a six-speed manual gearbox (driven here) and a 134bhp variant with a seven-speed automatic ’box.

Our car's powertrain, which also delivers 207lb ft of torque, pulls nicely from low revs, responding eagerly from 1500rpm, and feels sparky on runs around town. Achieving 0-62mph in 10.7sec, it sits between the Kona’s two petrols for acceleration and is perfectly happy hitting motorway speeds. It more naturally cruises at 60mph rather than 70mph but doesn’t struggle to keep up with other vehicles.

Probably the biggest criticism of the Kona diesel is how unrefined the diesel is. It’s noisy throughout its range and at low speeds, with a galling rattle that is hard to ignore. On this front, the Seat Arona diesel easily wins. 

Noise aside, the Kona is a comfortable, enjoyable place to be. The handling far exceeds what you expect - or need - from a compact SUV, with good cornering and little to no body roll, making this as fun as plenty of superminis out there. That’s helped by accurate steering and gearchanges which have been influenced by Hyundai’s popular hot hatch, the i30 N. R&D chief Albert Biermann told Autocar earlier this year there had been “many transfers” from the i30 N to other cars in the range: “The Kona – it’s fun to drive, the driving position is changed, the steering ratios are a little bit more direct. It’s not like an N car, but there’s a little bit of N in the Kona.”