Compare the2023 Volvo XC40VS 2022 Hyundai Kona N

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC40 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Kona N doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The XC40’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Kona N doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the XC40 and Kona N have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC40 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Kona N’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Volvo XC40 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Kona N doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The XC40 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Kona N doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The XC40 has standard Automatic Braking After Collision, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Kona N doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XC40 has a standard CTA Auto Brake that use rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Kona N doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The XC40 B5 has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Kona N doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The XC40 offers an optional 360-Degree Surround View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Kona N only offers a rear monitor.

Both the XC40 and the Kona N have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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 vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the XC40 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 87 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Kona N has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

The XC40’s corrosion warranty is 5 years longer than the Kona N’s (12 vs. 7 years).

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the XC40 has a standard 800-amp battery. The Kona N’s 640-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XC40 gets better mileage than the Kona N:

			MPG
XC40
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/32 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/30 hwy
Kona N
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/27 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the XC40’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Kona N doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the XC40’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. The Kona N doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The XC40 has a gallon more fuel capacity than the Kona N (14.2 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The XC40 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Kona N doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volvo XC40 higher (5 out of 10) than the Hyundai Kona N (3). This means the XC40 produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Kona N every 15,000 miles.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XC40’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Kona N (245/45R20 vs. 235/40R19).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC40 offers optional 20-inch wheels. The Kona N’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

The XC40 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Kona N; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XC40’s wheelbase is 4 inches longer than on the Kona N (106.4 inches vs. 102.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XC40 is .8 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than on the Kona N.

The XC40’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (57.9% to 42.1%) than the Kona N’s (63.9% to 36.1%). This gives the XC40 more stable handling and braking.

For better maneuverability, the XC40’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Kona N’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.3 feet).

For greater off-road capability the XC40 has a 1.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Kona N (8.1 vs. 6.8 inches), allowing the XC40 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The XC40 has 3.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Kona N (98 vs. 94.1).

The XC40 has 1.4 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom, .9 inches more rear legroom, 2.4 inches more rear hip room and 1.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Kona N.

Cargo Capacity

The XC40 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Kona N with its rear seat up (20.4 vs. 19.2 cubic feet). The XC40 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Kona N with its rear seat folded (57.5 vs. 45.8 cubic feet).

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the XC40’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Kona N doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the XC40. The Kona N doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the XC40 has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or optionally by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Kona N doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Towing

The XC40 has a 3500 lbs. towing capacity. The Kona N has no towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the XC40 uses the Dynamic Stability and Traction Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Kona N doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The XC40 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Kona N uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the XC40, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Kona N doesn’t offer a memory system.

The XC40’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Kona N has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The XC40’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Kona N’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the XC40 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Kona N can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The XC40’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Kona N’s passenger power window and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The XC40’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Kona N’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XC40 offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Kona N doesn’t offer cornering lights. The XC40 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

When the XC40 is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Kona N’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The XC40’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Kona N offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the XC40 and the Kona N have standard heated front seats. The XC40 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Kona N.

On extremely cold winter days, the XC40’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Kona N doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The XC40’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Kona N doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the XC40 and the Kona N offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the XC40 has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Kona N doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the XC40 offers an optional Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Kona N doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

The XC40’s optional Park Assist Pilot can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Kona N doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Volvo XC40, based on reliability, safety and performance.