Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) has officially started order taking for the Kona, just a day and several hours after the company teased the model on its Facebook page. It’s been quite a wait for the compact SUV, as it was first previewed at the 2018 KL International Motor Show (KLIMS) and was initially planned to be launched in the second quarter of last year.
If you’re keen on the Kona, you’ll want to head on over to HSDM’s website to register your interest and fork out the RM288 booking fee to secure a unit for yourself. Final pricing has yet to be revealed, but the page does state that it will start from RM115,000.
With the aforementioned starting price, the Kona is certainly within reasonable range of some of its rivals, most notably the popular Honda HR-V that comes in three flavours and currently retails between RM104,000 and RM118,582, with the current SST exemption in effect. Other competitors like the Mazda CX-3 (RM126,829) and Toyota C-HR (RM144,336) have a higher point of entry, and are only offered in a single variant.
The Kona is 4,165 mm long and 1,800 mm wide, which makes it 129 mm shorter than a Honda HR-V, but 28 mm wider. Its height of 1,550 mm is also 55 mm less than the Honda’s 1,605 mm. Meanwhile, the Kona’s wheelbase spans 2,600 mm, which is just 10 mm shy of the Honda’s 2,610 mm.
Exact specifications are unknown for now, but we do know the Kona is available with a few engine options globally. These include a 2.0 litre MPI, 1.0 litre T-GDI three-cylinder and a 1.6 litre Gamma T-GDI. The 1.6 litre unit, which comes with 177 PS, 265 Nm of torque and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission – was used in the car previewed at KLIMS.
The turbo variant is good for a zero to 100 km/h sprint time of 7.9 seconds and a top speed of 205 km/h. Should this be the variant launched, it would certainly be an interesting alternative to the Kona’s Japanese rivals that feature naturally-aspirated mills. The Hyundai model is also offered with an all-electric powertrain, with Cohesive Mobility Solution (COMOS) previously announcing a leasing plan for the Kona Electric.
Available equipment from the global catalogue include a head-up display (HUD) with navigation, a premium sound system by Krell, wireless charging and Hyundai’s full suite of active safety and driver assist systems, as seen in our market’s Ioniq.
GALLERY: Hyundai Kona 1.6 Turbo at the 2018 KL International Motor Show
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SD really slowpoke. How long as the Kona been on the roads globally already??
Would be interesting to see this with the 1.6T
Hyundai Kona : RM11X,XXX
Honda HR-V : RM104,000 – RM118,582
Mazda CX-3 : RM126,829
Toyota C-HR : RM144,336
Proton X50 : RM8X,XXX-RM9X,XXX
P2 D55L : Same size as current Myvi, Xover
Kona…sounds like a BADWORD towards vulgarity…cant the koreans coin better names?Hyundai Jibby sounds nostalgic.
Our Proton X70 180hp rm97k still a better choice,
Top Selling B-SUV and B-MPV
Perodua Aruz RM68k+
Toyota Rush RM88k+
Honda BR-V RM89k+
when you think it’s more value for money than a Tucson?
RM11X,xxx is gonna make the sales kona baring.
(Like) Kona
(Dislike) HRV
Looking handsome. Well loving car. Hoping to give 1.6 turbo engine
Should give us AEB as well
Like: X50 and Kona
Dislike: HRV
By the way, why not also bring hybrid.
Got AEB? Or even ACC maybe?
Got AEB got from Hyundai Smart Sense
https://paultan.org/2020/08/27/hyundai-kona-malaysian-debut-in-q4-cbu-fr-rm11xk/
pre- facelifted model, no thanks!
Byebye x50
That’s what Sorento said to X70 before it got slayed. History will repeat again?
Excitement and Amazing! Bring it on
Isn’t the new face lift model going to be launched globally soon? HSD seems to have a habit of selling outdated overpriced models here. While their principal may not mind, as it still helps them to turn a profit, it is damaging to the brand.
Wow! Booking fees yang mampu-bayar, i.e a low RM288.
waiting for X50 before making any decision on B segment SUV…
Expensip. Should be 70k only.
price in Korea is around 70K ringgit.
It would be the 1L turbo or the 1.6L NA, or will it?
The rear is so not nice. Like got 2 faces like that lol
x50 already killed this
Selling 2018 junk in 2020 with premium price?
test drove the Kona last week (using internal people). 1.6T will sell for 139k (estimate). Interior really outdated. System wise it copies 2018 hyundai ioniq but… analog meter, no electronic brake, single zone aircond, etc. Its lacking almost everywhere for 2020 market. Relevant if launched in 2018. The engine on the other hand, superb and drivetrain gives excellent response. Bad suspension but cabin is quite quiet.
Verdict: highest spec is not worth 139k. I will pay 115k max for high spec. But again, dont forget about x50..