Compare the2024 Volkswagen TiguanVS 2023 Hyundai Kona

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload and Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Tiguan has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Kona doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Tiguan SE R-Line Black/SEL R-Line has standard Maneuver Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Kona doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Tiguan SEL R-Line has a standard Area View to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Kona only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

Both the Tiguan and the Kona have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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 available all wheel drive.

The Volkswagen Tiguan weighs 405 to 1041 pounds more than the Hyundai Kona. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Volkswagen Tiguan is safer than the Hyundai Kona:

	Tiguan	Kona
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	49	109
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.8 inches
Abdominal Force	82 lbs.	246 lbs.
Hip Force	337 lbs.	611 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	156	326
Spine Acceleration	44 G’s	66 G’s
Hip Force	510 lbs.	638 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Tiguan its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Kona has not been fully tested, yet.

Reliability

The Volkswagen Tiguan’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Kona’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

Engine

The Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 37 more horsepower (184 vs. 147) and 89 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 132) than the Kona’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 26 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 195) than the Kona N Line/Limited’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Tiguan FWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Kona (15.3 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Tiguan AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Kona (15.9 vs. 13.2 gallons).

Environmental Friendliness

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

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Tiguan	Kona	Kona AWD/1.6T
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	11 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	10.3 inches	11.2 inches

The Tiguan stops shorter than the Kona:

	Tiguan	Kona
70 to 0 MPH	174 feet	175 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	124 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Tiguan has larger standard tires than the Kona (215/65R17 vs. 205/60R16). The Tiguan SE R-Line Black’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Kona (255/45R19 vs. 235/45R18).

The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Kona N Line/Limited’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Tiguan S has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Kona SE. The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Kona N Line/Limited.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Volkswagen Tiguan 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 Tiguan has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Tiguan 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 Tiguan’s wheelbase is 7.5 inches longer than on the Kona (109.9 inches vs. 102.4 inches).

The Tiguan’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (55.9% to 44.1%) than the Kona’s (59.4% to 40.6%). This gives the Tiguan more stable handling and braking.

The Tiguan 4Motion® handles at .82 G’s, while the Kona SE pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Tiguan has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Kona (7.6 vs. 6.7 inches), allowing the Tiguan to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Tiguan offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the Kona can only carry 5.

The Tiguan has 29.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Kona (123.9 vs. 94.1).

The Tiguan has 1.2 inches more front hip room, 1.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 3.5 inches more rear legroom, 1.3 inches more rear hip room and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Kona.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Tiguan’s middle row seats recline. The Kona’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Tiguan’s cargo area provides more volume than the Kona.

	Tiguan	Kona
Third Seat Folded	33 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	37.6 cubic feet	19.2 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	65.3 cubic feet	45.8 cubic feet
Max Cargo Volume	73.4 cubic feet	45.8 cubic feet

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

	Tiguan	Kona
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	17.2”/39.7”/74.5”	n.a./28.6”/61”
Max Width	55”	48”
Min Width	39.8”	40”
Height	33.5”	30”

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Tiguan’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Kona doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Tiguan SE/SEL has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or on the Tiguan SEL R-Line, by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Kona doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Payload and Towing

The Tiguan has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Kona has no towing capacity.

The Tiguan has a higher standard payload capacity than the Kona (1014 vs. 915 lbs.).

The Tiguan has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Kona (1301 vs. 930 lbs.).

Servicing Ease

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

Ergonomics

When three different drivers share the Tiguan SEL R-Line, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for all three. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Kona doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Tiguan’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. 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 Tiguan’s front and rear power windows all 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. With the Kona SEL/N Line/Limited’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Tiguan SE/SEL/SEL Premium the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows with the driver’s door power window switch. The driver of the Kona can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Tiguan’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Kona’s passenger power window and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Tiguan’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Kona’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Tiguan SE/SEL to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Kona doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Tiguan’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.

Consumer Reports rated the Tiguan’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Kona’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Tiguan SE R-Line Black/SEL/SEL Premium R-Line has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Kona doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Tiguan SEL Premium R-Line also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

When the Tiguan SEL Premium is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Kona’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Tiguan SEL R-Line keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Kona doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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

The Tiguan SE/SEL’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.

Both the Tiguan and the Kona offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Tiguan has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Kona doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Kona doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

The Volkswagen Tiguan outsold the Hyundai Kona by 38% during 2022.

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