2024 Hyundai Kona: Will It Dog?

The redesigned-for-2024 Hyundai Kona is a huge upgrade over the previous model where it matters most in a machine like this: the interior. Hyundai’s designers did a great job modernizing the dashboard while maintaining a great human-machine interface, and in the back, there’s just a little more room for your passengers of all species.

The base model Kona SE is a mechanically humble car—a 147-horsepower engine with a CVT won’t have you seeding excuses to go for drives. But at about $26,000 it still gets LED headlights, a big screen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a decent suite of safety sensors like blind spot alerts and lane keeping.

The all-wheel-drive Kona Limited that we tested is still definitely not a fast or exciting car to drive, but its 190-hp turbo engine makes it considerably better at getting out of its own way. If you drive somewhere at elevation (e.g. Colorado), this model will fare much better on mountain passes. Other appreciable features in the Limited include heated and cooled (and eight-way adjustable) front seats, a nice leather wrap on the steering wheel, even more safety sensors, a nice sunroof, ambient lighting, and a bigger and prettier gauge cluster. Our loaner car rang up at $34,695.

All new Konas can be spec’d with all-wheel drive (it’s a $1,500 option) and have the same 60/40 splittable rear seats. The only major difference that your dog might care about is that the nicer model has leatherette trim, and the base-base car has no rear ventilation.

The Kona’s cockpit is uniquely homey. There are many shelves, storage spots, and open areas where you can stash things. If you’re wondering how you’d adapt to such a space—take a look at your bedroom. Is everything put away, or do you have to swim through mountains of laundry to get into bed? Whatever your answer, that’s probably what the driver’s area of your Kona will look like once you start living with it.

The only real downside is that if you do start sprawling out, much of this storage is un-lid’d and things might go flying around in a panic stop. So pick what you place carefully.

While I already said I wouldn’t describe this as a “driver’s car,” the control layout is