Previously sighted undergoing cold-weather
tests in Northern Sweden, the Hyundai Kona N has now been spotted testing at
the perennial European performance-testing favourite that is the Nurburgring.
Here sighted on the public roads surrounding the circuit itself, the
forthcoming Kona N will have been putting its uprated performance to the test.
This will come courtesy of the 2.0 litre
turbocharged four-cylinder petrol powertrain that produces up to 275 hp and 353
Nm of torque in the Performance Package i30 N hot hatch, which is paired to a
six-speed manual gearbox. A more likely gearbox for the Kona N is the
eight-speed dual-clutch unit that has been introduced with the 2020 Veloster N,
given the crossover’s more probable role as a family vehicle.
Even so, the Kona N will be given chassis
upgrades to better handle the uprated engine outputs; these will include a
different choice of springs and dampers, while uprated brakes will be tasked
with keeping the more accelerative Kona in check.
The B-segment crossover’s enhanced
performance and handling will be dressed in a sportier exterior, here
comprising larger intakes within the more aggressive front bumper, as well as a
redesigned rear bumper to house the large twin exhaust outlets. Up top, a
larger rear spoiler complements its similarly augmented counterpart at the
front end. Given its still-considerable disguise, there’s more to be revealed
of the Kona N, which will come to light in the coming months and is expected to
debut later this year as a 2021 model.
