GALLERY: 2021 Hyundai Kona N Line facelift on the road in Malaysia – sportier 1.6 turbo model, RM157k

Earlier this month, we brought you a full live gallery of the facelifted Hyundai Kona in range-topping N Line trim. We’ve now been able to get a hold of a Surfy Blue example to test, and we’ll tell you what it is like to drive in due course. In the meantime, here’s another gallery of the car in sunlight so you can see what it looks like outside of the showroom.

The N Line is by far the most expensive model in the updated Kona lineup – at RM156,888 on-the-road, it is a full RM37,000 dearer than the base 2.0 variant. The price, as usual, is on-the-road without insurance, inclusive of a 50% sales and service tax (SST) rebate, a five-year/300,000 km warranty and a three-year/50,000 km free service package.

Thankfully, the N Line is also the most powerful in the range, motivated by the same Smartstream G1.6 T-GDi turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the 1.6 Turbo model. It produces 198 PS at 6,000 rpm and 265 Nm of torque from 1,800 to 4,500 rpm, making it 21 PS more powerful than the pre-facelifted Kona 1.6 Turbo. It’s also much more muscular than the standard 2.0 litre naturally-aspirated mill to the tune of 53 PS and 85 Nm.

Setting the N Line apart from the rest of the Kona lineup is the sportier styling, highlighted by the body-coloured cladding in place of the usual black or matte grey. At the front, you have larger air intakes framed by a jutting chin spoiler, plus a Y-pattern mesh grille with the Hyundai logo at the centre. That leaves space up top for a trio of (fake) air inlets ahead of the bonnet shutline.

The side skirts also have a more protruding design, while the rear bumper gets fake vents and a large diffuser in place of a decorative skid plate, accented by twin exhaust pipes. Finishing off the aesthetic is the standard black roof for a trendy two-tone look, plus 18-inch machined turbine-style alloy wheels.

Step inside and you’ll find red seat stitching, black headlining, metal pedals, an upright gearknob with red striping and N logos on the steering wheel, gearknob and seats. Speaking of which, the N Line-specific pews are covered in leather and suede and feature ten-way power adjustment for the driver; it’s also the only Kona model with an eight-way powered passenger seat and heating and ventilation functions.

In fact, the N Line has pretty much every global options box ticked, save for the standard eight-inch centre touchscreen and six speakers instead of the high-end 10.25-inch display and eight speakers. Everything else is here – full-LED head- and taillights, keyless entry, push-button start, single-zone automatic climate control, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, auto engine start/stop, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a head-up display, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, front and rear parking sensors and a reverse camera.

Like the 1.6 Turbo, the N Line also get a full complement of SmartSense safety features, above and beyond the mid-range 2.0 Active. The radar sensor at the front adds adaptive cruise control with stop and go and cyclist detection to the previously-available autonomous emergency braking (which also detects pedestrians).

Also fitted as part of SmartSense are lane centring assist, lane keeping assist, front departure alert, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, a door opening warning, a rear seat reminder and automatic high beam. The turbo models additionally receive seat belt reminders on all five seats.

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