Compare the2023 Honda CR-VVS 2023 Hyundai Kona

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
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 Honda CR-V have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Hyundai Kona doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Honda CR-V has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Kona doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the CR-V deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The CR-V’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Kona’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CR-V has a standard Low-Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Kona doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The CR-V EX-L has standard Parking Sensors to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Kona doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

Both the CR-V and the Kona have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available all wheel drive.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the CR-V its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Kona has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

There are over 29 percent more Honda dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the CR-V’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the CR-V’s reliability 32 points higher than the Kona.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. With 2 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Honda higher than Hyundai.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 8 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

Engine

The CR-V’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 43 more horsepower (190 vs. 147) and 47 lbs.-ft. more torque (179 vs. 132) than the Kona’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The CR-V 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 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the CR-V’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Kona:

	CR-V	Kona	Kona AWD/1.6T
Front Rotors	12.3 inches	11 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	12.2 inches	10.3 inches	11.2 inches

The CR-V stops shorter than the Kona:

	CR-V	Kona
60 to 0 MPH	130 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CR-V has larger tires than the Kona (235/60R18 vs. 205/60R16).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CR-V has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Kona SE.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Honda CR-V has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Kona 4x2 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The CR-V has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the CR-V flat and controlled during cornering. The Kona 4x2 suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CR-V’s wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer than on the Kona (106.3 inches vs. 102.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CR-V is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Kona.

The CR-V EX-L AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Kona SE pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Chassis

The front grille of the CR-V uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Kona doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The CR-V uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Kona doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The CR-V has 9.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Kona (103.5 vs. 94.1).

The CR-V has 2.3 inches more front hip room, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 5.2 inches more rear legroom and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Kona.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the CR-V’s rear seats recline. The Kona’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Kona with its rear seat up (39.3 vs. 19.2 cubic feet). The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Kona with its rear seat folded (76.5 vs. 45.8 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the CR-V easier. The CR-V’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Kona’s liftover is 27.5 inches.

The CR-V’s cargo area is larger than the Kona’s in every dimension:

	CR-V	Kona
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	37.5”/71”	28.6”/61”
Max Width	54”	48”
Min Width	41.5”	40”
Height	41”	30”

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

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the CR-V EX-L has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Kona doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Towing

The CR-V has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Kona has no towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The CR-V uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Kona 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 CR-V EX-L, the memory seats make it convenient for both. Each keyless remote activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position. The Kona doesn’t offer memory seats.

The CR-V EX-L’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Kona doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The CR-V’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Kona 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 CR-V’s standard front power windows 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’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically. The CR-V EX-L’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches. With the Kona SEL/N Line/Limted’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

On a hot day the CR-V’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Kona can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The CR-V’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’s passenger power window and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The CR-V’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Kona’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The CR-V’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Kona’s standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

Consumer Reports rated the CR-V’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Kona’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The CR-V’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 doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

The CR-V’s standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Kona SE doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.

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

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda CR-V, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Hyundai Kona isn't recommended.

The CR-V was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “5Best Trucks/10Best” for 2023 and 3 more times in the last 22 years. The Kona hasn’t been picked since 2019, and the Kona has only been chosen once.

Motor Trend selected the CR-V as their 2018 Sport Utility of the Year. The Kona has never been chosen.

The Honda CR-V outsold the Hyundai Kona by almost four to one during 2022.