Compare the2023 Hyundai Kona NVS 2023 Audi SQ5

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 SQ5 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Kona N’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The SQ5 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Kona N and the SQ5 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

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 Hyundai Kona N is safer than the Audi SQ5:

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

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 SQ5’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 Audi covers the SQ5. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the SQ5 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the SQ5.

There are almost 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Audi 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 SQ5’s 420-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai above average in initial quality. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi 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 Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 84 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 25th.

As tested in Car and Driver the Hyundai Kona N is faster than the Audi SQ5:

On the EPA test cycle the Kona N gets better fuel mileage than the SQ5 (20 city/27 hwy vs. 19 city/24 hwy).

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 SQ5 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better stopping power the Kona N’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the SQ5:

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 SQ5’s standard 45 series tires.

The Kona N handles at .95 G’s, while the SQ5 Prestige pulls only .93 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 950 pounds less than the Audi SQ5.

The Kona N is 1 foot, 6.4 inches shorter than the SQ5, making the Kona N easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front step up height for the Kona N is 3 inches lower than the SQ5 (16” vs. 19”). The Kona N’s rear step up height is 3.6 inches lower than the SQ5’s (16.1” vs. 19.7”).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Kona N easier. The Kona N’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.5 inches, while the SQ5’s liftover is 30.5 inches.

The Kona N 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 SQ5 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Kona N has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the SQ5 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Kona N has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the SQ5.

The Kona was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2019. The SQ5 has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

The Hyundai Kona outsold the Audi Q5/SQ5 by 1082 units during 2022.