Compare the2023 Hyundai Kona NVS 2024 Volvo XC60

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 XC60 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Kona N and the XC60 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, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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 Volvo XC60:

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 XC60’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 Volvo covers the XC60. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the XC60 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Volvo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Kona N’s warranty.

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 Volvo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai above average in initial quality. With 62 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volvo 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 Volvo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 108 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volvo is ranked 30th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 1 place higher in reliability than Volvo.

The Kona N’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 29 more horsepower (276 vs. 247) and 31 lbs.-ft. more torque (289 vs. 258) than the XC60 B5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

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 XC60 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 XC60 doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Kona N’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the XC60:

The Kona N stops shorter than the XC60:

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 XC60’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 XC60.

The front and rear suspension of the Kona N uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the XC60, which uses transverse leafs springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

The Kona N handles at .95 G’s, while the XC60 Recharge Polestar Engineered pulls only .86 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 800 to 1400 pounds less than the Volvo XC60.

The Kona N is 1 foot, 7.5 inches shorter than the XC60, making the Kona N easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Kona N is 7.8 inches narrower than the XC60, making the Kona N easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The front step up height for the Kona N is 3 inches lower than the XC60 (16” vs. 19”). The Kona N’s rear step up height is 3.4 inches lower than the XC60’s (16.1” vs. 19.5”).

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Kona N has standard extendable sun visors. The XC60 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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 XC60.

The Kona was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2019. The XC60 has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

The Hyundai Kona outsold the Volvo XC60 by 77% during 2022.