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2018 Hyundai Kona Ultimate 1.6T Review | The muscle has arrived

The 2018 Hyundai Kona sure is a breath of fresh air. To date, if you were looking for a subcompact or "B-segment" SUV, it was probably going to be a bit dreary to drive with a slow, undesirable powertrain. Mazda's CX-3 is an exception, but its tiny interior is even more Miata-inspired than its driving experience. Really, everything in the segment has at least one fundamental flaw that makes it tough to recommend, and although the new Kona certainly isn't flawless, it's the first member of the segment to provide abundant power, all-wheel drive and a transmission that isn't depressing. After driving a Kona 1.6T AWD for a week, I found it to be pleasantly well-rounded, surprisingly good to drive, and just as competitive as our on-paper comparison suggested it might be. First, though, the engine. The Kona's standard 147-horsepower naturally aspirated four-cylinder is perfectly competitive in terms of power, and isn't saddled with a CVT or the Jeep Renegade/Fiat 500X's nine-speed box of highly confused gears. That amounts to a win, but the engine to get is the 1.6-liter turbo-four good for 175 hp and 195 pound-feet of torque. That's more than a Volkswagen Golf, and although this Hyundai mill sounds too much like a growly sewing machine under light acceleration, it's an acceptable tradeoff for acceleration that blows the doors off everything in the segment except the 201-hp Kia Soul "!" trim (and that car is front-wheel drive only). Testing from various publications indicates 0-60-mph times in the mid-to-upper-6-seconds range, which would be about 3 seconds quicker than just about everything else in the segment. Some are even in the 10s. That vast difference is one you'll immediately notice on back-to-back test drives, and an advantage you'll be happy to have in the long run when you consider its estimated fuel economy of 27 mpg combined is equal to the 147-hp base engine – and better than most in the segment. It's paired to a seven-speed dual clutch automated manual that's been been smoothed over from earlier Hyundai/Kia applications, no longer herking and jerking at low speeds, and more responsive to throttle inputs. That's the case regardless of the selected driving mode. In past Hyundai/Kia efforts, Normal could be too lethargic, while Sport could feel over-caffeinated. Here, they're actually appropriate for the situations their names imply.

Hyundai returns to flashier design with 2018 Sonata

Compared to the stylistic achievement of the 2009 Hyundai Sonata, many observers viewed the redesigned 2015 Sonata as a step backward. To right the ship, Hyundai tasked its North American Design Center with restoring some razzle-dazzle to the brand's midsize contender for 2018. The creative team made changes throughout, the biggest development being the "cascading grille" at the front, cribbed from the Elantra. The Sonata Sport 2.0T grille gets a silver mesh treatment and vertical LED DRLs tucked in the triangular bumper vents at the corners. The other models wear chrome bars inside the grille, with vertical and horizontal LED DRLs at the corners. Slimmer headlights stretch around the front edges, with the hood sporting deeper chiseled surfaces to emphasize the injection of style. In back, instead of the hint of a spoiler on the current sedan, the 2018 Sonata's deck lid ends in a pronounced flick above a sharp taper into the rear valance. The license-plate holder moves down to the reshaped bumper so that the larger, flatter trunk face can fit much larger badging. The trunk release button hides inside the Flying H emblem, and wedge-shaped taillights glow with the same alien-script pattern familiar from the Elantra. Down below, non-Sport models get a single, trapezoidal exhaust tip, but the Sport 2.0T gets two such exhaust tips, paired with new Michelin tires and a flat-bottomed steering wheel. Engines don't change, but buyers who choose the 2.0-liter four-cylinder get an eight-speed automatic transmission that adds a cog at the low end and another at the high end. The rest of the lineup sticks with the present six-speed auto. Handling upgrades include 12-percent thicker torsion bars in the steering system and new steering calibration for better on-center feel and responsiveness, plus 21-percent thicker trailing arms and new bushings in the suspension for faster response and more compliance. Inside, a reworked center console holds steady with a seven-inch touchscreen. Interior designers gave the new HVAC and audio controls a silkier finish and contrasting "piano key" buttons. A second-row USB port serves back-seaters, and the options list will include a Qi wireless charging pad for those in front. The 2018 Sonata introduces a navigation bird's-eye view, free traffic data, standard blind-spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert, and a new lane departure warning system as some of the convenience and safety highlights.

2024 CES Mega Photo Gallery: Honda concepts, a VinFast truck and flying cars galore

The 2024 rendition of CES is coming to a close, and per usual, it was full of all the funky, futuristic tech the show is long known for. It’s also full of cars and legitimately forward-thinking tech related to cars, and we were on the ground to see it all and bring photos to you in this Mega Gallery.  A boatload of manufacturers attended and made big reveals, from the Star Wars-like Honda concept cars to a pickup truck from VinFast, the sort of debuts we got to see ran the gamut. Of course, there were plenty of reveals and vehicles on the floor that were even more outlandish than concepts from traditional OEMs like Honda and Mercedes. Check out this flying Xpeng car as an example. Or perhaps the flying Mansory car. Apparently, flying cars were a theme. Anyway, make sure you scroll down to check out the various reveals and photos of the cars and technologies revealed at the 2024 CES in our barrage of galleries. Honda 0 Series Honda 0 Series saloon 1 View 26 Photos VinFast Wild pickup VinFast Wild 10 View 10 Photos VinFast VF3 VinFast VF3 1 View 4 Photos VW GTI Prototype with AI-enhanced infotainment CES 2024: New Volkswagen GTI with AI-Enhanced Infotainment View 17 Photos Kia PBV Concept Kia PBV Concept platform View 28 Photos Sony Honda Mobility Afeela concept Afeela by Sony Honda Mobility View 5 Photos Hyundai Mobion Concept Hyundai Mobion Concept CES 2024 View 6 Photos Mullen Five RS Mullen 2 View 14 Photos Mansory Empower concept Mansory Empower concept View 14 Photos Hyundai Supernal S-A2 eVTOL Hyundai Supernal S-A2 View 13 Photos XPeng Aeroht eVTOL Flying Car XPeng Aeroht eVTOL?Flying Car View 6 Photos Verge TS Ultra verge-ts-ultra-ces-2024-electric-motorcycle-01 View 17 Photos Horwin Senmenti Maxi Scooter Range Horwin Senmenti 0 View 12 Photos BMW Teleoperated Valet BMW iX controlled with Remote Valet View 15 Photos Mercedes-Benz MB.OS infotainment Mercedes-Benz MB.OS infotainment system View 9 Photos Lamborghini Telemetry X Lamborghini Telemetry X View 5 Photos Related video: Green Motorsports CES BMW Ford Honda Hyundai Kia Lamborghini Mercedes-Benz Volkswagen Volvo Green Automakers Green Culture Technology Infotainment Smartphone Autonomous Vehicles Commercial Vehicles Concept Cars Polestar Infrastructure