The 2022 Hyundai Kona N review: Fun, wild and weird

The O.G. The new hatchback, the Volkswagen Golf GTI, came as engineers tuned a dynamic and responsive compact for sharp cornering handling and more punch.

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But the automotive world has left hatchbacks behind in the last 50 years since then. Cross-country golf isn't even for sale in the United States anymore.

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The equally cheerful and no-nonsense compact for the 2020s looks more like Hyundai's Kona subcompact crossover.

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And Hyundai's N department is now giving us a new, all-large, domestic-powered version:

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the Hyundai Kona N, which I've been driving around my house in Michigan every week of late.

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The Kona N has the same 2.0-liter engine as the Elantra N, making 276 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of torque,

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but without the main option. The styling cues are comparable. It could be argued that it's a cheaper package than the fancy 3-door Veloster N

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now dropped from the lineup for being too fancy. And it can be rudely a laugh.

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