New 2023 Hyundai Kona Hybrid targets Toyota SUVs

Hyundai has targeted Toyota’s range of compact hybrid SUVs with the new-generation 2023 Hyundai Kona Hybrid.

While pricing for Hyundai’s new-generation small SUV rises nearly 19 per cent, the Korean brand’s first petrol-electric Kona undercuts the Toyota C-HR Hybrid on dollars and sits just above the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid’s starting price.

The Hyundai Kona Hybrid also claims better combined-cycle fuel consumption than both Toyota SUVs and more power than the C-HR.

Toyota dominates hybrid car sales in Australia, delivering more than 70,000 new petrol-electric vehicles across its model lines in 2022.

The next-generation Toyota C-HR due in 2024 will only be sold as a petrol-electric hybrid.

The Kona is the second Hyundai model line after the Hyundai Santa Fe large SUV to add a hybrid.

The next will be the Hyundai i30 small sedan, while the Tucson medium SUV is also expected to soon offer a hybrid powertrain.

The Kona Hybrid will go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2023 and will be offered in four model grades: Kona, Kona N Line, Kona Premium and Kona Premium N Line.

Pricing announced today starts at $36,000, progresses to $40,000 for the N Line, $43,500 for the Premium and $46,500 for the Premium N Line (all plus on-road costs).

According to the Toyota Australia website, the C-HR is only available in Koba trim, priced at $38,465 plus ORCs.

The Corolla Cross is available in three grades – GX, GXL and Atmos – and as both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, with pricing stretching from $35,500 to $49,050 plus ORCs.

The Kona Hybrid is solely front-wheel drive. It is powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder that makes 77kW and 144Nm. Paired with a 32kW/170Nm electric motor, the combined outputs are 104kW/265Nm, driving the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission..

The e-motor draws energy from a 1.32kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack.

The ADR combined-cycle fuel consumption claim for the Kona Hybrid is 3.9L/100km.

The Toyota C-HR Hybrid drives its front wheels via a 1.8-litre Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine/electric motor combo with a combined output of just 90kW (Toyota doesn’t offer combined torque figures). The fuel consumption claim is 4.3L/100km.

The Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and e-motor that makes a combined 146kW and also averages 4.3L/100km in front-wheel drive.

While the new Kona Hybrid’s equipment levels are broadly in line with the orthodox 2.0-litre and 1.6-litre turbo-petrol models, it does include some unique features.

They include: torque vectoring that brakes the inside wheel and applies torque to the outside wheel to reduce understeer; regenerative braking that varies force via paddle shifters up to single pedal driving; hybrid instrument cluster information; and a low-speed pedestrian warning noise.

How much does the 2023 Hyundai Kona Hybrid cost?
Kona Hybrid – $36,000
Kona Hybrid N Line – $40,000
Kona Hybrid Premium $43,500
Kona Hybrid Premium N Line – $46,500
* Prices exclude on-road costs

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