Compare the2023 Subaru CrosstrekVS 2023 Hyundai Kona

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

© 1999 - 2024Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. XPYNN-M34HG 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2024/12/04

The Subaru Crosstrek 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 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Crosstrek has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Kona doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Crosstrek Limited has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Kona doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Crosstrek. But it costs extra on the Kona.

The Crosstrek offers optional 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 Crosstrek and the Kona 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 crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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 Subaru Crosstrek is safer than the Hyundai Kona:

	Crosstrek	Kona
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.8 inches
Abdominal Force	196 lbs.	246 lbs.
Hip Force	346 lbs.	611 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	303	326
Spine Acceleration	58 G’s	66 G’s
Hip Force	428 lbs.	638 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches

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

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, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Crosstrek the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 164 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Kona has not been fully tested, yet.

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 Crosstrek’s reliability 37 points higher than the Kona.

Engine

The Crosstrek’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (152 vs. 147) and 13 lbs.-ft. more torque (145 vs. 132) than the Kona’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Crosstrek lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Kona doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Crosstrek
AWD	Auto	2.0 DOHC flat-4	28 city/33 hwy
		2.5 DOHC flat-4	27 city/34 hwy
Kona
AWD	Auto	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/32 hwy

The Crosstrek has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Kona (16.6 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Crosstrek higher (7 out of 10) than the Hyundai Kona (5 to 7). This means the Crosstrek produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Kona every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Crosstrek’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Kona:

	Crosstrek	Kona
Front Rotors	11.6 inches	11 inches
Rear Rotors	10.8 inches	10.3 inches

The Crosstrek stops much shorter than the Kona:

	Crosstrek	Kona
70 to 0 MPH	169 feet	175 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Crosstrek has larger tires than the Kona (225/60R17 vs. 205/60R16).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Crosstrek has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Kona SE.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Crosstrek 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 Crosstrek has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Crosstrek 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 Crosstrek’s wheelbase is 2.5 inches longer than on the Kona (104.9 inches vs. 102.4 inches).

The Crosstrek Premium executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Kona SE (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Crosstrek has 6.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Kona (100.9 vs. 94.1).

The Crosstrek has .2 inches more front headroom, 1.6 inches more front legroom, 1.8 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 1.3 inches more rear legroom, 3 inches more rear hip room and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Kona.

Cargo Capacity

The Crosstrek has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Kona with its rear seat up (20.8 vs. 19.2 cubic feet). The Crosstrek has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Kona with its rear seat folded (55.3 vs. 45.8 cubic feet).

The Crosstrek’s cargo area is larger than the Kona’s in almost every dimension:

	Crosstrek	Kona
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	32.3”/64.2”	28.6”/61”
Max Width	53”	48”
Min Width	43”	40”
Height	30”	30”

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

Towing

The Crosstrek has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Kona has no towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Crosstrek is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Kona. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The Crosstrek’s 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 Kona SEL/N Line/Limted’s rear windows don’t close automatically.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Crosstrek’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Crosstrek Base). The Kona doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Blue Link can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

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

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Crosstrek Limited has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Kona doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Crosstrek’s optional 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 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Crosstrek’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.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Crosstrek owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Crosstrek will cost $385 less than the Kona over a five-year period.

The Crosstrek will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Crosstrek will retain 57.4% to 60.77% of its original price after five years, while the Kona only retains 47.55% to 51.42%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Crosstrek is less expensive to operate than the Kona because typical repairs cost much less on the Crosstrek than the Kona, including $61 less for a water pump, $246 less for a muffler and $242 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Crosstrek and the Hyundai Kona, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Crosstrek outsold the Hyundai Kona by over two to one during the 2022 model year.

See Available Inventory