Hyundai Kona 2020 review: Highlander snapshot

The Highlander is the pinnacle of the Kona small SUV range, starting from an MSRP of $36,000

That price is for the 2.0-litre non-turbo four-cylinder front-wheel drive variant (110kW/180Nm). The Highlander can also be had as a 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder (130kW/265Nm) with an MSRP of $39,500.

Either engine choice is capable of running on entry-level 91RON unleaded and have 50 litre fuel tanks.

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Explore the 2020 Hyundai Kona Range

Hyundai Kona Electric 2022 review: Standard Range Hyundai Kona 2020 review: Highlander snapshot Hyundai Kona 2020 review: Elite snapshot Hyundai Kona 2020 review: Active snapshot Hyundai Kona 2020 review: Go snapshot

Standard features on the Elite include 18-inch alloy wheels, an 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, built-in sat-nav, DAB+ digital radio, premium eight-speaker audio, a head-up display, keyless entry and push-start ignition, a reversing camera, reversing sensors, heated and auto folding mirrors, privacy glass, full LED lighting, faux-leather interior trim with heated and cooled front seats, a power-adjustable driver's seat, leather wheel and gear knob trim, a centre armrest console box, climate control, manual seat adjustment, a 4.2-inch TFT colour screen in the dash, and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

The Highlander can be chosen either with a sunroof or in a two-tone colour scheme with contrast black roof paint.

In terms of colours, the Highlander can be had in a total of eight choices. 'Phantom Black', 'Dark Knight' (grey), 'Blue Lagoon', 'Tangerine Comet' (orange), 'Acid Yellow', 'Ceramic Blue', and 'Pulse Red' attract a $595 premium. 'Chalk White' is the only free colour. The contrast roof can only be chosen with either white or colours, but not grey and black.

The Highlander has the full active safety suite offered in the Kona range. These features include radar-based freeway-speed auto emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning (LDW) lane keep assist (LKAS), driver attention alert (DAA), rear cross traffic alert (RCTA), blind spot monitoring (BSM), high beam assist, and active cruise control.

The Kona has six airbags, the expected stability controls, and wears a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating. Only a space saver spare is available across the Kona range.

All Kona variants are covered by Hyundai's five year/unlimited kilometre warranty, and comprehensive capped price servicing plan that extends well beyond that. For the first five years the 12 monthly/15,000km services average $284 per year.