Compare the2024 Ford Bronco SportVS 2023 Hyundai Kona N

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Bronco Sport have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Kona N doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Ford Bronco Sport has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Kona N doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Bronco Sport has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Kona N 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.

The Bronco Sport has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Kona N doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Bronco Sport and the Kona N have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available rear parking sensors.

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 Ford Bronco Sport is safer than the Hyundai Kona N:

	Bronco Sport	Kona N
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	80	109
Abdominal Force	198 lbs.	246 lbs.
Hip Force	205 lbs.	611 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	144	326
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	66 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches
Hip Force	512 lbs.	744 lbs.

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 “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Bronco Sport its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 126 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Kona N has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

There are almost 4 times as many Ford dealers as there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bronco Sport’s warranty.

Reliability

The Bronco Sport has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Kona N doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Bronco Sport has a standard 760-amp battery. The Kona N’s 640-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Bronco Sport third among small suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Kona N isn’t in the top three in its category.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Bronco Sport 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder gets better fuel mileage than the Kona N (25 city/29 hwy vs. 20 city/27 hwy).

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Bronco Sport’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. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Kona N doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Ford Bronco Sport uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended on Bronco Sport Badlands for maximum performance). The Kona N requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Bronco Sport has 2.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Kona N (16 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Bronco Sport has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Kona N doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Ford Bronco Sport higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Hyundai Kona N (3). This means the Bronco Sport produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Kona N every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Bronco Sport stops shorter than the Kona N:

	Bronco Sport	Kona N
70 to 0 MPH	163 feet	168 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

The Bronco Sport offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Kona N; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Bronco Sport’s wheelbase is 2.7 inches longer than on the Kona N (105.1 inches vs. 102.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Bronco Sport is 1.2 inches wider in the front and .8 inches wider in the rear than on the Kona N.

The Bronco Sport’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (57% to 43%) than the Kona N’s (63.9% to 36.1%). This gives the Bronco Sport more stable handling and braking.

For better maneuverability, the Bronco Sport’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Kona N’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.3 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Bronco Sport Base/Big Bend has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Kona N (7.8 vs. 6.8 inches), allowing the Bronco Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Bronco Sport’s minimum ground clearance is 2 inches higher than on the Kona N (8.8 vs. 6.8 inches).

Chassis

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

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Bronco Sport Badlands is quieter than the Kona N:

	Bronco Sport	Kona N
At idle	38 dB	46 dB
Full-Throttle	73 dB	79 dB
70 MPH Cruising	69 dB	73 dB

Passenger Space

The Bronco Sport has 11.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Kona N (105.7 vs. 94.1).

The Bronco Sport has 1.9 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front legroom, 1.9 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, 3.9 inches more rear headroom, 1.7 inches more rear legroom, 1.2 inches more rear hip room and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Kona N.

Cargo Capacity

The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Kona N with its rear seat up (32.5 vs. 19.2 cubic feet). The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Kona N with its rear seat folded (65.2 vs. 45.8 cubic feet).

An optional locking center console keeps your small valuables safer in the Bronco Sport. The Kona N doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Bronco Sport’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Kona N’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

Towing

The Bronco Sport Badlands offers up to a 2200 lbs. towing capacity. The Kona N has no towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Sway Control on the Bronco Sport uses the AdvanceTrac® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Kona N doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The Bronco Sport uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Kona N 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 different drivers share the Bronco Sport Badlands, the optional memory seats and mirrors make it convenient. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Kona N doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Bronco Sport’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Kona N 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 Bronco Sport Outer Banks/Badlands’ 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 N’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Bronco Sport the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Kona N can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Bronco Sport’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Kona N doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Blue Link can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Bronco Sport’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 N’s passenger power window and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Bronco Sport’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Kona N’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Bronco Sport Outer Banks’ standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Bronco Sport offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Kona N doesn’t offer cornering lights.

On extremely cold winter days, the Bronco Sport’s optional (except Big Bend/Heritage/Free Wheeling) heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Kona N doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Bronco Sport (except Big Bend/Heritage/Free Wheeling)’s optional 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 N doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

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

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Bronco Sport offers an optional Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Kona N doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

The Bronco Sport Outer Banks/Badlands has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Kona N doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Bronco Sport owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Bronco Sport will cost $165 to $895 less than the Kona N over a five-year period.

The Bronco Sport will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Bronco Sport will retain 58.63% to 60.38% of its original price after five years, while the Kona N only retains 56.3%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Bronco Sport will be $4231 to $9890 less than for the Hyundai Kona N.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Bronco Sport second among small suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Kona N isn’t in the top three.

The Ford Bronco Sport outsold the Hyundai Kona by 56% during 2022.

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