If you can get past the manual trunk, you might be interested in a 2023 Hyundai Kona.
That’s the premise of a video from TikTok creator lightfury_kn (@lightfury_kn/), who has a fledgling account devoted entirely to the car. The Alberta-based creator posted the video Saturday and has more than 93,000 views as of Sunday.
The clip starts with a look at the manual trunk. He assesses, “Most people don’t even know that these things exist.”
“I paid 36,500 Canadian dollars for this car,” he then confesses, wondering, “Did I overpay for it?” That works out, per current exchange values, to about $25,500 USD.
He notes that he only has two complaints about the car: The aforementioned manual trunk, and then, as he assesses while lifting the hood, “A strut tower brace and no air shocks.”
But he reveals himself to be generally bullish on the car, going over a few slight modifications he made. He praises the car’s interior, and notes that it has “any drive mode you could ever want for the Canadian winter.”
He concludes by rating it a 10 out of 10.
What one reviewer said
Car and Driver didn’t quite go that far but did rate the 2023 Kona a solid 9 out of 10.
“Whether you call it a low-riding SUV or a tall hatchback car, the diminutive 2023 Hyundai Kona is a practical and fun-to-drive vehicle, which makes it one of our faves,” the review begins, noting that it favorably compares to other vehicles in its class.
“Considering that rivals such as the Kia Seltos and the Volkswagen Taos cost thousands more to start, you may find it easy to justify splurging on a higher-trimmed Kona model even if you’re on a budget,” it continues. “The Kona may not have as much passenger or cargo space as some of its larger rivals, but when it comes to driving satisfaction it’s a bundle of spunky, funky fun—no matter whether you think it’s a car or an SUV.”
However, the all-while drive model took 9.2 seconds to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour, while the turbocharged version fared better, getting to 60 in 7.3 seconds.
Some didn’t think highly of the car
Some people responding to the TikTok video didn’t think as highly of Hyundai.
“You get that Hyundai engine,” one pointed out. “You’re going to enjoy that in a couple years.”
“Bro it’s a Hyundai,” said another.
“It’s got the GDI turbo,” assessed another. “Make sure you store 8k every 90k miles for a new motor. There’s a reason those aren’t popular.”
But someone else countered, “These are solid motors. The motors that ruined Hyundai/Kia’s reputation are the theta motors. These are equipped with the theta-ii engine and many people with Veloster and have well over 100k miles, some into the 200ks.”
@lightfury_kn i’m gonna get so much hate for this 😂 pardon my cringy ass voice #hyundai #newcar #2023kona #konan #winter #wintercar #konan #elantran #velostern #nfam #n75 #explore #fyp ♬ original sound – lightfury_kn
That person added, “I’ve done an oil analysis test on my motor at 95k and it came back great.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via TikTok comment and to Hyundai via email.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
