2021 Hyundai Kona N – the first N SUV fully uncovered
Hyundai has taken the wraps off the upcoming Hyundai Kona N, the high-performance version of its B-segment SUV. The Korean carmaker teased the Kona N in January, but this is our first look at the car without camouflage disguise. The Kona N will be the N performance sub-brand’s first SUV model.
The Kona’s midlife facelift that surfaced in September 2020 included for the first time a sporty N Line trim option. With a completely different face from the regular Kona, the N Line already looks rather aggressive, and the full N model here raises the bar, slightly.
These dark first images reveal a large grille with an N logo and a different grille insert design. Three air intake slots sit above the grille, and flanking it are LED headlamps connected to “side intakes”. The Kona’s trademark LED “eyebrow” DRLs are present.
Hyundai says that the lower grille’s shape is inspired by an aeronautic fuselage and extends to the side of the car, emphasising aerodynamic efficiency and speed. Comparing the N with the N Line, everything appears to be identical except for the inserts in both upper and lower grilles (lower honeycomb is full width) and a red lip that extends to the side skirts.
The differences are more striking at the rear, where the N wears a large double-wing roof spoiler for enhanced downforce. The big wing also incorporates a third triangular brake light, an N trademark as seen on the Veloster N and i30 N. The big diffuser is already on the N Line, but it incorporates a two big pipes here, one on each end, and a red stripe.
Like the N Line, body-coloured fenders replace the standard car’s SUV-style black plastic. This brings the Kona visually closer to the ground, Hyundai says. Lastly, the Kona N wears N-exclusive big fan-spoke wheels.
The Kona N will be powered by a 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired with an eight-speed wet dual-clutch transmission, which was added last year to the N models that were originally manual-only. In the i30 N facelift, the N-spec 2.0T makes 250 PS/353 Nm in standard form and 280 PS/392 Nm with the Performance Package.
The in-house developed eight-speed N DCT should also carry the N Grin Shift, N Power Shift and N Track Sense Shift modes. Hyundai has also confirmed the availability of Launch Control, plus an “emotive soundtrack” for the Kona N. See more of the facelifted Kona and Kona N Line here.
GALLERY: Hyundai Kona facelift N Line 
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