Hyundai’s N division is set to leave an ever broader mark on the model range. We already know the i30 N, but after the very first i20 N, the Kona now also appears for the first time as an N version at the Nürburgring. The already two-year-old rumors about the arrival of a sporty Kona are finally confirmed.
Hyundai is well on the way to show its sporty side in more models, in addition to the already existing i30 N. The N division, which operates close to the Nürburgring, recently sent the first i20 N ever to the ‘Ring, now the first crossover with N treatment appears. The Kona is the lucky one. Hyundai has undoubtedly managed to hide the necessary external N-features under the thick layers of camouflage material, but the thick exhausts, large wheels and brakes show that this is a sportier Kona than we are used to.
The arrival of the Kona N does not come completely out of the blue. Two years ago, Hyundai N CEO Albert Biermann already said that a prototype of a Kona N was being worked on, although the arrival of a production version seemed anything but certain at the time. After that it became quiet around this project, but this test sample shows that it will indeed come about. Chances are that the 250 hp 2.0 T-GDI that serves in the i30 N is also in the Kona N. Currently, the party for the Kona already ends with the 177 hp version of the 1.6 T-GDI. Patience is a virtue; given the early test stage, it will take a while before the Kona N comes on the market.