I had an opportunity to see the my first Kona this weekend. The looks and feel of it, was wonderful! I did not have an opportunity to drive it, but I really like what I saw and heard from the owner. The user interface seemed OK, much better than many of the other options out there.
It's not. Take a look hands on at a dealership and you will be disappointed how small it actually is. One would probably want a Niro if you want decent hatch size and that's a requirement. We have test driven all of these and ultimately own one of these. Our impressions match most of those in the review. Biggest thing we miss in the Model 3 is a hatch, overall it's been a great vehicle for us.
It's a size class below the Rav4. The hatch size is about the same as the Sonic, with more volume for passengers. I was able to squeeze a lot into the Sonic, but some things were almost a no go that wouldn't be a question in a Prius.
As for Hyundai Kona - the Hyundai brand seems to traditionally be a higher-end version of the Kona lineup - similar for example between a GM SUV versus a Chevy SUV. Yet reviewers comparing the Kia Niro, to the Hyundai Kona, find the Niro to be a nicer, higher-end & roomier version of its Hyundai counterpart. Perhaps the reviewer chose the Kona for this comparison video because it was more of a bargain? .
Technically, Kia is the higher end brand, as Hyundai moved all its luxury models to Genesis. From what I've seen, they are the same in terms of 'level' with just different styling. For different demographics, as I think the companies aren't trying to face off directly anymore. The only difference I saw between the Tuscan and Sportage I sat win was that the Kia had horrible headrests. The Kona is an 'entry' level subcompact. Being a nonhybrid, it starts about $5000 less than the Niro. It is a Yaris to Corolla comparison. The Soul would be its direct competitor from Kia. The Niro is in the same class as the Tuscan, Sportage, Rav4, etc. The Kona was probably chosen as it is in the same size class as the Bolt. The Trax would actually be its ICE competitor, which is actually what the Bolt started as. The Model 3 is the odd ball in terms of class and size, but we all know why it's there. Or it was what was available to the reviewer.
after watching the reviewers comparing the electric Niro vs Kona, the Niro hands down gets thumbs up, compared to the Kona. .