Compare the2024 Subaru ImprezaVS 2023 Hyundai Kona

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Impreza have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Kona doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Subaru Impreza 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 Impreza 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.

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

Both the Impreza and the Kona have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Subaru Impreza achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Kona has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

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 Impreza’s reliability 31 points higher than the Kona.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 5 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

The Impreza’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 Impreza lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Kona doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Impreza 2.0 DOHC flat-4 gets better fuel mileage than the Kona 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder AWD (27 city/34 hwy vs. 27 city/32 hwy).

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

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

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

The Impreza’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Kona are solid, not vented.

The Impreza stops shorter than the Kona:

The Impreza’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Kona SE’s standard 60 series tires. The Impreza Sport/RS’ tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Kona N Line/Limited’s 45 series tires.

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Impreza 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 Impreza has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Impreza 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 Impreza’s wheelbase is 2.7 inches longer than on the Kona (105.1 inches vs. 102.4 inches).

The Impreza has 6.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Kona (100.5 vs. 94.1).

The Impreza has .2 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front legroom, 1.8 inches more front hip room, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 1.3 inches more rear legroom, 1 inch more rear hip room and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Kona.

The Impreza has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Kona with its rear seat up (20.4 vs. 19.2 cubic feet). The Impreza has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Kona with its rear seat folded (56 vs. 45.8 cubic feet).

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

The engine in the Impreza 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.

The Impreza’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch. 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 Impreza’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/Limited’s rear windows don’t close automatically.

The Impreza’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.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Impreza 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 Impreza’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 Impreza’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 Impreza’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.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Impreza, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Hyundai Kona isn't recommended.