2022 Hyundai Kona N Looks Hungry For Golf GTI Blood

May. 19, 2021 10:41 AM ET by Karl Furlong Spy Shots / 9 Comments

Aggressive crossover has been snapped in a series of new pictures.

Hyundai's N performance brandis expanding . In April, the Korean automaker promised that besides the Veloster N hatchback, an Elantra N was on the way along with a sporty N Line version of the Tucson. At the same time, Hyundai revealed the new Kona N crossover. Based on the comments section of that reveal, CarBuzz readers were divided over whether the aggressive Kona N's styling was a hit or a miss. If you're still on the fence, a new batch of images of the Kona N in the wild could sway you in either direction.

The Korean Car Blog shared several new photographs of the Kona N, courtesy of Autopost, with the hot crossover pictured in white, gray, and black. In the US, the official color palette consists of Racing Red, Phantom Black, Lunar White, and Sonic Blue. The black one is allegedly a US-spec model and you can tell this by the placement of small amber reflector side markers on the front wheel arch. This particular Kona N also has a unique set of wheels relative to the others. The N Design 19-inch alloys are wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero tires. Other than this, all the Kona N models pictured feature the same red exterior detailing, fat dual-exit tailpipes, rear diffuser, a larger spoiler, and special grille.

Opinions will remain subjective but this remains an aggressive, although rather fussy, design. While we like that Hyundai has gone all-out to distinguish the most powerful Kona, there seem to be too many styling cues competing for attention instead of flowing together harmoniously. We have no qualms about the powertrain, though. The Kona N's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine produces up top 286 horsepower and will hit 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds. This engine is paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and front-wheel drive. Although pricing is yet to be announced, we expect the Kona N to easily undercut similarly quick German rivals. The 2022 Hyundai Kona N arrives in the US in fall 2021.