Fuel efficiency is at the heart of Hyundai’s new small SUV, but does it have enough strings in its bow to beat the class leader? Let’s find out

Photography: John Bradshaw

NEW

Hyundai Kona 1.6 Hybrid N Line S

List price £34,225 Target Price £34,225 In hybrid form, this latest iteration of the Kona small SUV promises to be very efficient. It’s also lavishly equipped and more practical than its predecessor

Volkswagen T-Roc 1.5 TSI 150 R-Line

List price £34,575

Target Price £32,896 The T-Roc is our 2023 Small SUV of the Year in entry-level Life trim. Does the top-spec petrol version we’re testing here make as much sense?

B ack in 2013, when K-Pop band BTS first rose to fame been hard pressed to find anyone here in the UK who knew it existed. However, fast forward to 2017 and the group was winning Western music awards, and two years later it was selling out Wembley to some of the most committed fans in the industry.

We’ve seen something similar with South Korean cars. The models from the likes of Hyundai and Kia used to be oddball choices, but both brands have gone from strength to strength in recent years and seemingly can’t put a foot wrong these days.

Hyundai will be hoping that this trend continues with its latest model: the new Kona small SUV. Building on the firm foundations set by the previous version, it brings more interior space and a new infotainment system, plus it’s the first Hyundai to offer overthe-air software updates, so your car can be upgraded without you having to visit a dealer.

As before, the Kona is available in petrol, electric and hybrid forms, with the latter tested here. And what better test than putting it head to head with our favourite small SUV, the Volkswagen T-Roc? Seen here in 1.5 TSI 150 mild hybrid form (there’s no full hybrid version of the T-Roc), it represents fierce competition. So, can the Kona dethrone it in the same way that BTS knocked big-name artists off the top of the charts?

DRIVING

Performance, ride, handling, refinement

While the Kona and T-Roc are both being tested in sporty trims (N Line S and R-Line respectively), these beef up the looks rather than the performance, so neither car takes your breath away when you put your foot down.

It’s the Kona that can pull away from a set of traffic lights quicker, thanks to the responsiveness of its electric motor. However, the T-Roc is lighter and more powerful, so it soon catches up and is ultimately the livelier performer; it can accelerate from 0-60mph in 8.5sec, versus 9.9sec for the Kona.