The Kona’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Encore GX doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the Kona and the Encore GX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Kona is safer than the Buick Encore GX:
|
Kona |
Encore GX |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
20% |
24% |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
29/232 lbs. |
83/261 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
217 |
401 |
Neck Compression |
70 lbs. |
82 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
59/27 lbs. |
409/383 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Kona is 3.8% to 4.9% less likely to roll over than the Encore GX.
For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Kona its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 114 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Encore GX is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2019.