Compare the2023 Hyundai KonaVS 2023 Mazda CX-30

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
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 CX-30 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Kona’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The CX-30 doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

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. Only the CX-30 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium offers a blind spot warning system.

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 CX-30 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium has a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Kona and the CX-30 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, 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 Mazda CX-30:

	Kona	CX-30
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	20%	26.7%
Neck Stress	207 lbs.	216 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	29/232 lbs.	201/172 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Compression	70 lbs.	85 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	59/27 lbs.	380/386 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, results indicate that the Hyundai Kona is safer than the Mazda CX-30:

	Kona	CX-30
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.8 inches	1 inches

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 .6% to 1.9% less likely to roll over than the CX-30.

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 CX-30’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 Mazda covers the CX-30. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the CX-30 ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Kona’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the CX-30’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. Mazda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the CX-30.

There are over 52 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Kona’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Kona has a standard 150-amp alternator. The CX-30’s standard 100-amp alternator 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 Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is ranked 12th.

Engine

The Kona N Line/Limited’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 4 more horsepower (195 vs. 191) and 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 186) than the CX-30’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 Mazda CX-30 4 cyl.:

	Kona	CX-30
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	7.5 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	19.7 sec	20.7 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.6 sec	7.9 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90 MPH	89 MPH
Top Speed	130 MPH	126 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Kona gets better mileage than the CX-30:

			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
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/32 hwy
CX-30
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/30 hwy
		2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/33 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Kona’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 CX-30 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Kona uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CX-30 with the 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Hyundai Kona as a “Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle” (PZEV). The Mazda CX-30 is only certified to “Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (SULEV) standards.

Transmission

A seven-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Hyundai Kona N Line/Limited, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the CX-30.

The Kona has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The CX-30 doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Kona offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The CX-30 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Kona AWD/1.6T’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the CX-30:

	Kona AWD/1.6T	CX-30
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.6 inches

The Kona stops shorter than the CX-30:

	Kona	CX-30
70 to 0 MPH	171 feet	177 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	131 feet	147 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 CX-30 (235/45R18 vs. 215/65R16).

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 CX-30 2.5 S’ standard 65 series tires. The Kona N Line/Limited’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the CX-30 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Turbo/Premium’s 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Kona AWD 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 Mazda CX-30 has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Kona has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The CX-30’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Kona AWD has front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Kona AWD flat and controlled during cornering. The CX-30’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Kona SEL AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the CX-30 Premium pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Kona executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the CX-30 Premium (26.9 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

The Hyundai Kona may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 550 pounds less than the Mazda CX-30.

The Kona is 7.4 inches shorter than the CX-30, making the Kona easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Kona has 1.5 inches more front headroom and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the CX-30.

Cargo Capacity

The Kona has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the CX-30 with its rear seat folded (45.8 vs. 45.2 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Kona and the CX-30 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 CX-30 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Kona has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the CX-30 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Kona’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Mazda only offers heated mirrors on the CX-30 Carbon/Turbo.

Model Availability

The Kona is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The CX-30 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Recommendations

The Kona was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2019. The CX-30 has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue, and the CX-30 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 CX-30 has never been chosen.

The Hyundai Kona outsold the Mazda CX-30 by 21% during 2022.

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