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The Hyundai Kona is the Korean brand's small SUV, which sits above the city-sized Venue, and under the mid-size Tucson, seven-seat Santa Fe, and full-size Palisade.
The Kona competes head-on with the Honda HR-V, Toyota C-HR, Mazda CX-3 and Mitsubishi ASX, and is available in base, Active, Elite, N Line, Highlander, and N Line Premium trim levels. Buyers can choose between two petrol engines and two- or all-wheel drive drivetrains.
The zero (tailpipe) emissions Kona Highlander Electric launched in Australia in late 2019.
This vehicle is also known as The Hyundai Kona is also known as Hyundai Kauai (Portugal), Hyundai Encino (China) in markets outside Australia..
The updated Hyundai Kona’s interior has been made-over in favour of a design that highlights its upmarket technology and electrified-inspired new exterior.
The dashboard is now headlined by a 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system and on the base model, an analogue instrument panel with a 4.2-inch digital screen.
Cloth seat trims and a leather-wrapped steering wheel come standard but you can upgrade to a leather-accented treatment with higher grades or the optional N Line Pack
A tilt-and slide sunroof is an optional extra.
When all rows are in use, the Kona has 407L of boot capacity available. You can jump that figure up to 1241L with the rear seats folded.
There is a temporary spare tyre underneath the floor and a cargo net with luggage anchor points.
Standard equipment in the Kona includes push-button start, LED daytime running lights, 18-inch alloy wheels, a temporary spare tyre, leather-trimmed steering wheel, steering wheel mounted controls, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, wired Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, Bluetooth, 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system, 4.2-inch digital instrument panel, DAB radio, four USB-C ports, a 12-volt socket, a wireless charging pad, four cupholders, LED exterior lights, auto-dimming rear view mirror, extendable sun visors, and dual-zone climate control.
I can understand why the crank angle sensor was the first thing to be changed. These often start to die and the first symptom is an engine that stops after running for a while. But you’re right to be sceptical about the timing chain as there’s a theory that says if the engine runs properly at all, then the issue won’t be anything fundamental. Which is to say, if the timing chain was stretched beyond the point at which the engine could function properly, it wouldn’t function properly at all, regardless of how long it had been running.
A good workshop should be able to scan the car’s computer. If the timing chain really is stretched, then the computer should have logged this as a problem. If not, then you’re looking for something else. Of course, what that something else is the million-dollar question. Don’t rule out basic things like a dirty fuel filter which can allow fuel to flow for a while before the rubbish in it clogs the flow after a few minutes running.
That said, if the engine can’t locate the correct signal from the camshaft (which is controlled by the timing chain) it will sometimes look for a stand-in signal somewhere else on the engine, allowing it to start but not run properly. An electronic scan is definitely the way forward.
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These modern active cruise control system rely on lots and lots of information from around the car to function properly. And unless all those camera, steering, braking and throttle position (and more) sensors are playing as a team, the car’s computer - acting as the onboard relationship manager - has no option but to disable some functions, as they become potentially flawed without the correct inputs.
That’s why the connection between the power steering and the cameras on your car is so critical, and also why the systems have shut down. The actual failure could be with either the steering or camera system, but it will need a deep dive at the dealership to figure out what element has caused the shutdown of the other.
In any case, this is pretty clearly a warranty job (unless the camera has been damaged by hitting something) but you need to be fair about it and give Hyundai every chance to make it right.
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Hyundai actually issued a recall for some Konas with the dual-clutch transmission on precisely this basis. At the time, the reason given was that electrical gremlins within the computer-control of the driveline could cause the transmission to lose drive. Obviously, if you’re merging into fast moving traffic or crossing an uncontrolled intersection at the time, a sudden loss of drive could be very dangerous.
To find out if a particular car was affected and whether or not it’s been fixed, you can quote the VIN to a Hyundai dealer who should be able to give you the good or bad news.
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There are currently three engines for the Kona with an all-electric version expected sometime in the future.
They are a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine (110kW/180Nm), a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine (146kW/265Nm) and a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder petrol-hybrid with combined outputs of 104kW/265Nm.
The Kona petrol and turbo-petrol models each have a 47L fuel tank and a driving range between 618km and 712km.
The hybrid Kona has a 38L fuel tank and based on the official combined cycle fuel figure of 3.9L/100km, should have a driving range of around 974km.
The Kona comes with five seats, in a 2/3 configuration. The back row has a 60/40 split-fold and has a fold-down armrest with two cupholders.
Both front seats feature manual adjustments but the drivers’ seat does feature a 2-way power adjustment for the lumbar support.
The seat trim is black cloth on the base Kona model but on the Premium model they are a mix of synthetic and genuine leather trims. You can choose either a black or 'Sage Green' colour option on the Premium model.
In the second row, there are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the outboard seats plus three top tether anchor points, but two seats will fit best.
The Kona’s 0-100km/h sprint time varies between 7.5 to 8.5 seconds across its models. Expect a top-speed around 195km/h.