Compare the2023 Hyundai Kona NVS 2024 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

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 N are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Stelvio doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Kona N and Stelvio have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Kona N has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Stelvio’s Rear Cross-Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Kona N and the Stelvio have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Kona N the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 231 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Stelvio has not been tested, yet.

The Kona N comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Stelvio’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Kona N 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Alfa Romeo covers the Stelvio. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Stelvio ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Kona N for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Alfa Romeo only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Stelvio.

There are almost 6 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Kona N’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Kona N has a standard 640-amp battery. The Stelvio’s 525-amp battery 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 Alfa Romeo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 97 more problems per 100 vehicles, Alfa Romeo is ranked 29th.

As tested in Car and Driver the Hyundai Kona N is faster than the Alfa Romeo Stelvio:

The Kona N offers a standard 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 Stelvio doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Kona N’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Stelvio doesn’t offer launch control.

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

The Kona N stops shorter than the Stelvio:

The Kona N’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Stelvio Sprint’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Kona N has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Stelvio Sprint.

The Kona N handles at .95 G’s, while the Stelvio Sprint AWD pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Hyundai Kona N may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 650 pounds less than the Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

The Kona N is 1 foot, 6.7 inches shorter than the Stelvio, making the Kona N easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Kona N has 4.9 inches more front legroom and 3.3 inches more rear legroom than the Stelvio.

The front step up height for the Kona N is 1 inches lower than the Stelvio (16” vs. 17”). The Kona N’s rear step up height is 1.9 inches lower than the Stelvio’s (16.1” vs. 18”).

The Kona N has a larger cargo volume than the Stelvio with its rear seat up (19.2 vs. 18.5 cubic feet).

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

The Kona N’s LED headlights produce a white, bright light using less electricity than the Stelvio’s xenon high intensity discharge (HID) headlights. HID headlights can be slow to reach full brightness or power cycle, causing issues when flashing them to signal other vehicles; LED headlights light instantly. LED lights also last about three to four times as long.

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

The Hyundai Kona outsold the Alfa Romeo Stelvio by over 8 to one during 2022.