Compare the2023 Hyundai KonaVS 2022 Honda CR-V

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Kona are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The CR-V doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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. Only the CR-V EX/EX-L/Touring has a rear cross-path warning system.

The Kona SEL/N Line/Limited has standard Blue Link, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The CR-V doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Kona and the CR-V 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, driver alert monitors, 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 Honda CR-V:

	Kona	CR-V
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	20%	27%
Neck Compression	57 lbs.	70 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	217	309
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	37%	37%
Neck Compression	70 lbs.	96 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	59/27 lbs.	276/243 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 post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Kona is safer than the Honda CR-V:

	Kona	CR-V
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	196	386
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	35 G’s

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 2.3% to 2.8% less likely to roll over than the CR-V.

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 CR-V’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 Honda covers the CR-V. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the CR-V ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Kona’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the CR-V’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. Honda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the CR-V.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Kona has a standard 640-amp battery. The CR-V’s 410-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 82 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 24th.

Engine

The Kona N Line/Limited’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (195 vs. 190) and 16 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 179) than the CR-V’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Kona N Line/Limited 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Honda CR-V:

	Kona	CR-V
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	7.6 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	19.7 sec	21.5 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.6 sec	8.1 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90 MPH	89 MPH
Top Speed	130 MPH	124 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Kona gets better mileage than the CR-V:

			MPG
Kona
	FWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/35 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
	AWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/33 hwy
CR-V
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/34 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/32 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Kona uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CR-V requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Tires and Wheels

The Kona SE’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the CR-V LX/SE’s standard 65 series tires. The Kona N Line/Limited’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the CR-V Touring’s 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Kona has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The CR-V’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

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 CR-V doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Kona SEL AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the CR-V Touring pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Kona executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the CR-V Touring (26.9 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Kona’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the CR-V’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

Chassis

The Hyundai Kona may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 450 pounds less than the Honda CR-V.

The Kona is 1 foot, 4.5 inches shorter than the CR-V, making the Kona easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Kona has .2 inches more front legroom and 2.7 inches more rear hip room than the CR-V.

The front step up height for the Kona is 3 inches lower than the CR-V (16” vs. 19”). The Kona’s rear step up height is 1.9 inches lower than the CR-V’s (16.1” vs. 18”).

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Kona and the CR-V have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Kona is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The CR-V prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Kona’s standard variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The CR-V LX’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

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 CR-V’s standard uses a simple reflector to direct its standard headlights.

The Kona’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Honda only offers heated mirrors on the CR-V EX/EX-L/Touring.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Kona owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Kona with a number “8” insurance rate while the CR-V is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Kona is less expensive to operate than the CR-V because typical repairs cost much less on the Kona than the CR-V, including $18 less for front brake pads, $234 less for a starter, $207 less for fuel injection, $184 less for a fuel pump, $14 less for front struts and $65 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

The Kona was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2019. The CR-V hasn’t been picked since 2017.

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