Compare the2023 Hyundai KonaVS 2023 Subaru Crosstrek

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Kona has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Crosstrek’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Kona has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Crosstrek and isn't available on the not available.

Compared to metal, the Kona’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Crosstrek has a metal gas tank.

Both the Kona and the Crosstrek have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and rear parking sensors.

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 Subaru Crosstrek:

	Kona	Crosstrek
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	20%	36%
Neck Stress	207 lbs.	304 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	29/232 lbs.	252/363 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	37%	44.6%
Neck Stress	193 lbs.	195 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	59/27 lbs.	230/427 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Kona is safer than the Subaru Crosstrek:

	Kona	Crosstrek
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	109	138
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	196	201
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	49 G’s
Hip Force	744 lbs.	824 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 1.5% to 2% less likely to roll over than the Crosstrek.

Warranty

The Kona comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Crosstrek’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Kona 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Subaru covers the Crosstrek. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Crosstrek ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Kona’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Crosstrek’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Kona for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Crosstrek.

There are over 30 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Kona’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. With 6 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Hyundai higher than Subaru.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 78 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 22nd.

Engine

The Kona N Line/Limited’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 13 more horsepower (195 vs. 182) and 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 176) than the Crosstrek Sport/Limited’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Kona N Line/Limited 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Crosstrek Sport/Limited 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder (automatics tested):

	Kona	Crosstrek
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	7.5 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	19.7 sec	22.2 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.6 sec	8.2 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90 MPH	88 MPH
Top Speed	130 MPH	120 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Kona gets better mileage than the Crosstrek:

			MPG
Kona
FWD	Auto	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/35 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
Crosstrek
AWD	Manual	2.0 DOHC flat-4	22 city/29 hwy

Regardless of its engine, the Kona’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. Subaru only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Crosstrek CVT.

Environmental Friendliness

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Hyundai Kona as a “Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle” (PZEV). The Subaru Crosstrek is only certified to “Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (SULEV) standards.

Transmission

The Hyundai Kona comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Crosstrek.

The Kona offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is more internally efficient than a CVT but just as easy to drive. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer an SMG.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Kona AWD/1.6T’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Crosstrek:

	Kona AWD/1.6T	Crosstrek
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.6 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	10.8 inches

The Kona stops much shorter than the Crosstrek:

	Kona	Crosstrek
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	131 feet	136 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Kona N Line/Limited’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Crosstrek (235/45R18 vs. 225/60R17).

The Kona N Line/Limited’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Crosstrek Limited’s 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Kona has variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Kona SEL AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the Crosstrek Limited pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Kona executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Crosstrek Limited (26.9 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Kona’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Crosstrek’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.4 feet).

Chassis

The Hyundai Kona may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 200 pounds less than the Subaru Crosstrek.

The Kona is 10.9 inches shorter than the Crosstrek, making the Kona easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The front step up height for the Kona is 1.5 inches lower than the Crosstrek (16” vs. 17.5”). The Kona’s rear step up height is 1.9 inches lower than the Crosstrek’s (16.1” vs. 18”).

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Kona easier. The Kona’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.5 inches, while the Crosstrek’s liftover is 30.9 inches.

Ergonomics

The Kona Limited’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Crosstrek’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

In addition to a parabolic reflector, optical-grade lenses in the Kona’s standard projector headlights precisely focus the beam, providing more even illumination of the road for better visibility and a sharp cut-off that prevents blinding oncoming drivers. The sharp cutoff allows the use of a stronger light. The Crosstrek’s standard uses a simple reflector to direct its standard headlights.

The Kona has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Crosstrek has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the Premium/Sport/Limited.

The Kona’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Crosstrek Premium/Sport/Limited.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Kona (except SE) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Model Availability

The Kona is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Kona is less expensive to operate than the Crosstrek because it costs $209 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Kona than the Crosstrek, including $40 less for front brake pads, $170 less for a starter, $86 less for fuel injection, $125 less for a fuel pump, $155 less for front struts and $106 less for a timing belt/chain.

Recommendations

The Kona was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2019. The Crosstrek has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue, and the Crosstrek has only been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Kona as the 2019 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Crosstrek has never been chosen.