We’re one of the few people who genuinely liked the Nissan Juke. Sure, it wasn’t pretty to look at, but it was a hell of a lot of fun to drive. It was a hot hatch poorly disguised as a crossover, and we’re kind of sad it’s gone.

So when Hyundai left a brand-new Kona Ultimate in our driveway, we were stoked. On paper, this could be the new, more attractive version of the tiny Nissan, with a ton of stuff to like. It’s got a turbocharged, 175-horsepower engine. It’s got that weird split light treatment where what you think are the actual headlights are actually just the driving lights. And it’s no bigger than your favorite hot hatch.

Let’s start off with the Kona’s strongest point: the styling. Hyundai – and sister company Kia – have been pushing the boundaries of design to create vehicles that look daring, yet clean. The Kona is no different, offering up an exterior that’s tasteful, with just enough visual interest to keep it from ever looking boring. We love that aforementioned split headlight treatment, and the way the matte gray fenders wrap around the actual headlight elements appeals to our inner design nerd.

As much as we like the Kona’s exterior, it’s what’s inside that really impressed us. Hyundai finally stepped up and delivered a cabin that’s on par with Kia, whose cabins, for the record, we really like.

The cheapness we’ve often associated with Hyundai’s interiors is gone, replaced with thoughtful design and upgraded plastics. Similar to the Juke, the Kona’s interior features accent trim that matches the exterior body color. Only Hyundai goes a step beyond and adds color-matched contrast stitching to the leather-wrapped steering wheel, plus color-matched piping on the leather seats. It’s a comfortable place to sit, and it’s easy to settle into a comfortable driving position.

Our Kona Ultimate tester is also loaded with tech, including a large 8-inch touchscreen display, a heads-up display, pedestrian detection and smart cruise control. Mainly, though, we just keep our phone plugged in and rely on the standard Apple CarPlay.

So the Hyundai Kona is nice to look at and nice to sit in, but how does it drive? The answer: an un-climactic “okay.” There’s nothing wrong with the way the Kona drives, but there’s nothing exciting about it, either.

That turbocharged 1.6-liter engine does an admirable job of getting the Kona up to highway speeds, and the standard 7-speed dual-clutch transmission is a willing partner, though we’d love to see a manual option. Steering, however, feels artificially heavy and lacks the directness we crave. We’d also like a smoother, more controlled ride. It feels as if the Kona crashes over every bump we encounter, making for a chassis that never feels fully planted.

This is the part where we admit our biases and tie it all back to that opener about the Juke. Yes, we hopped into the Kona hoping for a “new” Juke. Given that the Kona shares a lot of the same mechanical parts of Hyundai/Kia’s other sporty compacts, we feel our initial comparison is fair. But a parts list is just that, so maybe Hyundai’s engineers had a different idea in mind. As it stands, the Kona Ultimate is a fine machine, albeit not cheap at $27,950. If you like how it looks, you likely won’t be disappointed by how it drives. For us, on the other hand, we’ll hold out and hope for an eventual Hyundai Kona N.

Highlights	Description
Engine	1.6L Turbo-GDI DOHC 16-valve Inline 4-cyl.
Horsepower	175 hp
Torque	195 lb.-ft.
Transmission	7-speed EcoShift dual-clutch transmission
Suspension, F/R	McPherson strut with coil springs/Coupled Torsion Beam Axle
Brakes, F/R	305mm/284mm
Wheels and Tires	18-in. alloy, P235/45R18
Curb weight	3062 lbs.
Overall length	164 in.
Overall width	70.9 in.
Overall height	61.6 in.
Wheelbase	102.4 in.

Hyundai Kona Ultimate