Hyundai Kona vs Mazda CX-5
Hyundai Kona vs Mazda CX-5
Posted on October 14, 2021
For people who spend most of their time driving in crowded city streets, owning the latest, largest, most powerful SUV model doesn't make a lot of sense. A subcompact car delivers a much more enticing combination of agility and economy, perfect for threading through heavy traffic and slotting into small parking spaces.
The Hyundai Kona is small and perfectly built for exactly these situations, but is it a model you should explore? To find out we've compared it to a similarly small city performer, the Mazda CX-5. Here's what we found.
Powertrains and Weight
At the entry level, the CX-5 has a more powerful engine than the Kona, with a 2.5L inline-four gas engine making 187 horsepower and 186lb-ft of torque. But while the Kona's 2.0L engine may seem less attractive with its 147 horsepower and 132lb-ft, the power is put to much more effective use. The Kona's curb weight of 1,313kg is nearly 20% less than the CX-5's 1,615kg, meaning much less power is needed for a responsive drive.
To complete the powertrain, both cars pair a six-speed automatic transmission with all-wheel drive included as standard on later models.
Fuel Economy
The Kona's lighter weight also shows up in some highly impressive fuel economy figures. City driving is rated at 8.7L / 100km compared to the Mazda's 9.4L, and the highway score is even more impressive at 7.1L compared to the CX-5's 7.6L. If you're looking for economical city driving to go with nimble performance, the Kona makes the ideal choice.
Available EV Powertrain
The Kona has an ace up its sleeve with an available fully electric powertrain which delivers over 200 horsepower combined with instant electric torque. The EV powertrain has an impressive range of 415km, along with fast-charging capability to make range anxiety a thing of the past.
Infotainment and Safety Technology
For such small cars, both are fully equipped with advanced infotainment technology. Both the Kona and the CX-5 are available with touchscreen displays of over 10" in size, and both can be equipped with a digital instrument cluster for essential driving information. Both cars are also supplied with generous amounts of safety tech, with standard features including lane keep assist, brake assist, traction control, and more.
Warranty Protection and Reliability
The standard Kona warranty covers the car for five years or 100,000km, whichever comes sooner, and is considerably longer than the Mazda coverage of three years or 60,000km. What's more, the powertrain in the Hyundai is fully covered for a lengthy ten years or 160,000km, vastly outpacing the Mazda's more meagre five years or 100,000km.
Combine this with Hyundai's greater overall reliability, as measured by independent experts JD Power, and the Kona should offer up significantly lower repair costs over its lifetime.
Experience the Hyundai Kona in Oakville
Ready to experience the newest, most exciting subcompact on the market? Book a test drive of the Hyundai Kona from our Oakville dealership and see just how perfectly it's been designed for daily city driving, combining agile performance with a genuine sense of fun.
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