Master Horn heard that some time ago Hyundai Motor's high-performance car Elantra N came to China to show, and there are also peer teachers to bring test driving experience. I have to say that Elantra N does have a good popularity in China, as the first work of Hyundai Motor's high-performance department N department, it naturally attracts the attention of many car owners.
In fact, overseas regions and Elantra N also appeared with a steel gun SUV, which is the protagonist of this article - KONA N. Modern KONA you may be relatively unfamiliar, it corresponds to the domestic Beijing hyundai Onsino. For hyundai KONA N, there are few competitors in the world at present, in the face of Mercedes AMG CLA35 or BMW X2 M35i, KONA N pricing is more advantageous, North America its price is closer to the MINI COUNTRYMAN JCW, including the relevant taxes and fees landed at $35,500.
The other day, the corner master's little friend experienced the modern KONA N in the San Francisco Sonoma circuit, this article is his test drive report, the corner master sent out to share with everyone. The Hyundai test drive arrangement is still very sufficient, including comparison with the Elantra N, the track experience and the street experience. In three scenarios, you can fully feel the difference between KONA N and Elantra N.
First of all, in terms of appearance, KONA N is honestly much more understated than the Elantra N, with only a small tail wing on the roof at the rear. The grid side of the front face is designed with "N" markings, the rear bar at the rear of the tail is equipped with an air diffuser, and the two sides are equipped with a double-outlet exhaust layout. The car is equipped with 19-inch wheels, the shape is also the exclusive style of the N series, the center is not the modern "H" standard but the "N" standard, and the tires are made of Pirelli P Zero summer tires.
The powertrain, the KONA N is the same as the Elantra N, both are 2.0T four-cylinder turbocharged engines with a maximum power of 280 hp and a peak torque of 392 Nm. Unlike the Elantra N, the KONA N has no manual transmission, and the entire series only has an 8-speed wet dual-clutch transmission, and it is also unfortunate that there is no four-wheel drive, only the front drive. There is a "NGS" red button on the steering wheel that briefly boosts the power to 290 horsepower when pressed, while the valve inside the exhaust pipe is opened and the transmission response becomes extremely responsive. It is worth mentioning that this set of features has a cooldown period, that is, we play the game often called CD time (Cool Down Time), once lasting 20 seconds, and then cooling down for 40 seconds.
KONA N also supports launch control, which needs to be set in the central control LCD screen, after activation, the start will become extremely smooth, the front wheels will have slight signs of slippage, at the end of the first gear, the transmission will quickly rise to the second gear, without dragging mud and water. The 100-00 km/h accelerated by 5.2 seconds, compared to the Elantra N or 0.2 seconds slower. The exhaust control system can also be controlled by the vehicle system, and when it is turned on, you will hear a pleasant exhaust firing sound. Arguably, the KONA N is not meant to be a quietly driven SUV.
Hyundai N department for the two performance car to do a very good lightweight design, don't look at the KONA N is higher than the Elantra N, in fact, only 20kg heavier than the Elantra N, which explains why the KONA N is particularly flexible to drive. In addition, the steering machine of this car is integrated with the steering mechanism, and the steering wheel steering feels particularly like the dial pad of an old-fashioned telephone.
The KONA N doesn't have a limited-slip differential on the front axle, but when you're cornering, the system reacts quickly, passing more power to the outside wheels to suppress slippage, and the system performs very well on the track. In long corners, you can press the throttle earlier, at which point you will obviously feel the reverse thrust of the front of the car, all you have to do is continue to press the throttle to get a faster cornering speed.
If compared with the Elantra N, the suspension tuning performance of the KONA N is average, whether on the track or on the street, it is not as stable as the Elantra N. The reason for this is the SUV's higher body center of gravity and the older platform architecture of the Elantra N. (The Elantra N is from the latest K3 sedan platform, and the KONA N is the older SUV-B platform).
Despite the differential assistance at the front wheels, the intense driving on the track and the undulating road surfaces in the Sonoma circuit, the suspension system is difficult to keep the KONA N body smooth, this is not a problem of suspension stiffness, the track is continuously bumpy and undulating, like riding on the back of a bull, at this time you have to collect the oil to make the KONA N calm again.
On the track, it's not much better on the streets. Although the damping inductance of the shock absorber is adjustable in three modes, none of them is comfortable. Even if you choose the softest case, you can feel the impact of the sportY SUV, the narrow riding space and the noise of the road surface, which is an SUV that is difficult to drive every day, especially in areas where the road maintenance is not perfect. It is also a little unpleasant that the KONA N uses Pirelli tires instead of the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S series tires on the Elantra N, although they are all summer tires, but there is a clear difference in actual handling performance.
Master Horn wants to say:
Onsino's SUV itself is not selling well in China, and with the KONA N car still developed on the old platform, Hyundai is actually more willing to bring the Elantra N to China for sale. At present, some people on the Internet have seen the figure of Elantra N in the Beijing Hyundai factory, indicating that the new car is about to be introduced into China. If you want to drive, you can only go overseas.