Compare the2024 Hyundai KonaVS 2023 Toyota Corolla Hatchback

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Kona have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Toyota Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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 Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Kona offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Kona Limited has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Corolla Hatchback only offers a rear monitor.

The Kona has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Corolla Hatchback’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Kona has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Toyota charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Alert on the Corolla Hatchback and the Corolla Hatchback’s Rear Cross-Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Both the Kona and the Corolla Hatchback have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, 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 and driver alert monitors.

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

The Kona’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Corolla Hatchback’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Kona for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Corolla Hatchback (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai above average in initial quality. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fifth.

The Kona N Line/Limited’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 21 more horsepower (190 vs. 169) and 44 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 151) than the Corolla Hatchback’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

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 Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

For better stopping power the Kona AWD/SEL/1.6T’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Corolla Hatchback:

For better traction, the Kona has larger standard tires than the Corolla Hatchback (215/60R17 vs. 205/55R16). The Kona N Line/Limited’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Corolla Hatchback (235/45R19 vs. 225/40R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Kona SE has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Corolla Hatchback SE. The Kona N Line/Limited’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels optional on the Corolla Hatchback.

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

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Kona is 2.2 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Corolla Hatchback.

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

The design of the Hyundai Kona amounts to more than styling. The Kona has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .302 Cd. That is lower than the Corolla Hatchback (.32) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Kona get better fuel mileage.

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

The Kona has 16.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Corolla Hatchback (101.2 vs. 84.6).

The Kona has 1.5 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front hip room, 2.9 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 8.3 inches more rear legroom, 6.9 inches more rear hip room and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Corolla Hatchback.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Kona’s rear seats recline. The Corolla Hatchback’s rear seats don’t recline.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Kona Limited’s power liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Kona’s power liftgate can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

The Kona uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Corolla Hatchback 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.

The Kona has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Kona’s optional rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Kona Limited keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Kona Limited’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Kona Limited’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer an automated parking system.