[baneling]

ok specs say its GDI

 

[leftydog1961]

If you just want a reliable car without all the extras, costs, maintenance requirements, get one of the two lower trims. SEL or SE. test them and see what fits your needs

 

[baneling]

so GDI/DCT turbo engines have problems in general?

 

[leftydog1961]

Extra technology brings with it additional maintenance,repair, etc. It does not sound like your needs would be met by buying the higher trim levels which come with turbo, GDI, and DCT since you value reliability over performance. It's a matter of personal preference. I can tell you that if you consider leather seats, a heads up display, much larger tires, built in navigation, wireless phone recharging (although that may now be available in the SEL or SEL plus level), you will need to buy the more expensive models. Realize that the ultimate model (top of the line) with all the niceties brings with it a price tag in the neighborhood of $30,000. For me, that is too high a price to pay for this level of SUV, and I would shop CRV\Rav4 models, or maybe Toyota Highlander.
I'm a leisurely driver, rarely go about 70 mph, never jack rabbit start, or try to out accelerate mustangs and BMW's. Speed, engine roar, an extra inch of infotainment system screen, built in navigation, automatic climate control and automatic high beams are features that hold little value to me. I spent the extra money on a bumper to bumper 10yr/100,000 mile warranty instead of just the powertrain, along with 3 yrs complimentary maintenance, some fancy seat protector which repairs rips and tears and spills, and i was out the door at 25k with just about every safety feature, sunroof, and gap protection in case the car is destroyed in an accident to cover the difference between what i owe and what the insurance company will pay out.
My only concerns are brakes, tires, and wipers.
Regardless of what you choose, the warranty will cover those expensive parts on the higher trim lines for quite sometime so the risk seems small. It's just that the benefit for me is not worth the extra coin. If i wanted all of these luxury items and more i would have bought a Mercedes or BMW so that i can get a free snapple while i wait for them to repair my fine german automobile!

 

[kh56010]

Hi all, for the 2020 Kona model with the 1.6L turbo engine, Car and Driver said "The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic shifts quickly and smoothly once you're rolling, but it stumbles at low speed in parking lots and in bumper-to-bumper traffic, engaging and disengaging first gear hesitantly until the driver offers more throttle input". I"m not a car person, what "stumble in low speed" mean? Am I not going to like the car? I live in an area where there is a lot of traffic during rush hour. Why does the C&D person mention 1st gear if the transmission is auto?

Thanks

I have the 1.6 with DCT. For me it's extremely noticeable that you have a dual clutch. It stumbles a lot at low speeds and even jerks from time to time. But, it also seems to behave almost exactly like a manual transmission. Except I don't have a worn out left leg from clutching in and clutching out. In traffic I stop a little longer and don't "ride the clutch" as much. If I need to take off at a redlight or stop for some reason; manual mode in 1st gear. Everything above that it shifts and handles like a sports car.

So, in traffic it absolutely takes some getting used to and may not be for everyone. But for someone like me who wants the performance of a WRX, with the storage of a crosstrek and the technology like Lane Keep assist. This car is **** near perfect.

 

[Bad~Papa]

Wow.. How do you know the higher trim cars are Less reliable ? Can you cite some proof please ? How much more in maintenance is there for the higher trim Levels ?
I and others would gladly change their oil a bit earlier for the added performance and “Fun Factor“ of the Turbo version !! For those looking for more than mere transportation, The turbo/DCT is FUN to drive.. Sorry.. but for me.. you can’t put a price on enjoyment !! Life is short.. too short to settle for saving a few dollars when you can have hours of entertainment behind the wheel for not much more.. Nothing wrong with spoiling yourself with a some extras.. that’s fine if you just want to go from point a to b as cheaply as possible.. but telling others that the higher trims are unreliable and too costly, is way off base..

If you just want a reliable car without all the extras, costs, maintenance requirements, get one of the two lower trims. SEL or SE. test them and see what fits your needs

 

[Bad~Papa]

One other point.. I’ve always been a Less is More kind of guy.. So I avoided the frills and weight whenever I bought a sports/performance car.. Nowadays.. ALL trim levels are equipped with ABS,EBD,TCS, etc ... MOST of the frills being offered are based on those existing systems. It takes little more than a chip and some solid state sensors to add many high end features.. No weight penalties, proven reliability.. Might as well enjoy it !
or not...

 

[dklanecky1]

Extra technology brings with it additional maintenance,repair, etc. It does not sound like your needs would be met by buying the higher trim levels which come with turbo, GDI, and DCT since you value reliability over performance. It's a matter of personal preference. I can tell you that if you consider leather seats, a heads up display, much larger tires, built in navigation, wireless phone recharging (although that may now be available in the SEL or SEL plus level), you will need to buy the more expensive models. Realize that the ultimate model (top of the line) with all the niceties brings with it a price tag in the neighborhood of $30,000. For me, that is too high a price to pay for this level of SUV, and I would shop CRV\Rav4 models, or maybe Toyota Highlander.
I'm a leisurely driver, rarely go about 70 mph, never jack rabbit start, or try to out accelerate mustangs and BMW's. Speed, engine roar, an extra inch of infotainment system screen, built in navigation, automatic climate control and automatic high beams are features that hold little value to me. I spent the extra money on a bumper to bumper 10yr/100,000 mile warranty instead of just the powertrain, along with 3 yrs complimentary maintenance, some fancy seat protector which repairs rips and tears and spills, and i was out the door at 25k with just about every safety feature, sunroof, and gap protection in case the car is destroyed in an accident to cover the difference between what i owe and what the insurance company will pay out.
My only concerns are brakes, tires, and wipers.
Regardless of what you choose, the warranty will cover those expensive parts on the higher trim lines for quite sometime so the risk seems small. It's just that the benefit for me is not worth the extra coin. If i wanted all of these luxury items and more i would have bought a Mercedes or BMW so that i can get a free snapple while i wait for them to repair my fine german automobile!

And that is exactly why Hyundai makes 4 different models of gasoline engine Kona's. While your desires to go from place to place as cheaply, as possible is understandable, maybe even laudable, it certainly is not our desire.

We carefully shopped, and once we test drove the two different engine/transmission combinations, there was no question which side we were going to fall, and it would be one of the top two models. Further evaluation showed that the differences between the top 2 models would be of little value for us, so we bought the Limited. The only technology that we could see that might be troublesome in the Kona Ultimate was the way the HUD was implemented. The moving screen, just didn't look to us to be well designed and long term reliable. Time will tell, and I certainly hope it is not an issue.

Every single time I get in the Kona and drive it, I'm impressed again with the performance and features in the price class. Nothing comes even close in my opinion.

 

[leftydog1961]

All I can go by is the number of people reporting problems on this forum with the DCT needing replacement with extremely low mileage.
add to it the fact that the two most reliable car companies do not use DCT’s, and the very obvious observation that the more complex the technology the more likely it is to fail. It’s called common sense and years of experience. It’s your money. Do with it as you will. Life is not that short that it’s worth pissing away thousands on mere frivolities like HUD, etc.
For me a car is transportation from A to B.
when I want thrills, I look at my bank account!

 

[leftydog1961]

As to Bad-Papa’s second posting. Your statements are anecdotal. It’s a well known fact that GDI engines clog and carbonize the valves because of the design. Doubtful Hyundai will pay to decarbonize but you let us know!
the DCT is extremely complex compared to a slush box with torque converter. Additional mechanical parts, more computer controls, and added weight.
Ask the service department what a replacement turbo costs not under warranty? I could care less what you choose. For ME! There is No compelling reason to throw 5G away. May you be as happy with your model as I will be with mine ?

 

[1fastKona]

As to Bad-Papa’s second posting. Your statements are anecdotal. It’s a well known fact that GDI engines clog and carbonize the valves because of the design. Doubtful Hyundai will pay to decarbonize but you let us know!
the DCT is extremely complex compared to a slush box with torque converter. Additional mechanical parts, more computer controls, and added weight.
Ask the service department what a replacement turbo costs not under warranty? I could care less what you choose. For ME! There is No compelling reason to throw 5G away. May you be as happy with your model as I will be with mine ?

This is an inaccurate representation of the DCT. The DCT is smaller, and lighter then the slushbox you enjoy/ Though a tad more complex, because of the dual clutches, the actual gearing is simpler then the 6 speed in design, and doesn't have the issues conventional automatic clutch packs have. And you cant make the assumption the Nu engines is any better then the Gamma engine. The Nu is notorious for excessive wear issues, fires, ocv failures, ring land damage and weak timing tensioners, and my favorite, piston slap. If you think about it, an OE turbocharged engine is built to be a stronger and more reliable engine then a non-forced induction engine, simply because of the amount of abuse it needs to stand up too. But good luck either way.

 

[leftydog1961]

Arguing in a vacuum. While u race to the next red light ahead of me by 1.5 seconds hoping your DCT clutches are covered by the warranty obviously you must be quite concerned by the large number of failed DCT, not just in Hyundai but Ford, VW.
yes they are slightly different but they are all much more complex than my conventional auto. Why did Tucson not offer DCT? Why does Sportage use conventional tranny? I owned a DCT for 3 yrs waiting to get rid of it when 5/60 was up as it groaned, shuttered in stop and go NJ traffic.
Wait for the first time you step on the gas and the tach goes up and you don’t.
I will wave at you Hope your other car is a corolla.

 

[leftydog1961]

 

[leftydog1961]

Someone else’s major headache now!

 

[Bad~Papa]

So all 3 or 4 people who had issues with their Kona DCT is what you call an obvious observation? Many posts on the subject but the ACTUAL number of people affected are single digits..
so by your analogy, all our complex computers and phones should fail and are not reliable because of their complexities. Ok, got it.

All I can go by is the number of people reporting problems on this forum with the DCT needing replacement with extremely low mileage.
add to it the fact that the two most reliable car companies do not use DCT’s, and the very obvious observation that the more complex the technology the more likely it is to fail. It’s called common sense and years of experience. It’s your money. Do with it as you will. Life is not that short that it’s worth pissing away thousands on mere frivolities like HUD, etc.
For me a car is transportation from A to B.
when I want thrills, I look at my bank account!

 

[Bad~Papa]

Sorry.. but I offered actual evidence from owning 4 different GDI cars, that’s not anecdotal.
110K on the Kia, and 87K on my 335i . No issue with GDI or related..
The DCT is less complex mechanically than a typical planetary gear set automatic transmission. It’s a manual transmission which has been proven for over a century..
Its an automated manual with few moving parts compared to a conventional transmission.
So you’re not even arguing with valid information.

As to Bad-Papa’s second posting. Your statements are anecdotal. It’s a well known fact that GDI engines clog and carbonize the valves because of the design. Doubtful Hyundai will pay to decarbonize but you let us know!
the DCT is extremely complex compared to a slush box with torque converter. Additional mechanical parts, more computer controls, and added weight.
Ask the service department what a replacement turbo costs not under warranty? I could care less what you choose. For ME! There is No compelling reason to throw 5G away. May you be as happy with your model as I will be with mine ?

 

[Bad~Papa]

Well then be happy you don’t own a DCT. That doesn’t mean everyone who does own one is wrong or will have issues.

Arguing in a vacuum. While u race to the next red light ahead of me by 1.5 seconds hoping your DCT clutches are covered by the warranty obviously you must be quite concerned by the large number of failed DCT, not just in Hyundai but Ford, VW.
yes they are slightly different but they are all much more complex than my conventional auto. Why did Tucson not offer DCT? Why does Sportage use conventional tranny? I owned a DCT for 3 yrs waiting to get rid of it when 5/60 was up as it groaned, shuttered in stop and go NJ traffic.
Wait for the first time you step on the gas and the tach goes up and you don’t.
I will wave at you Hope your other car is a corolla.

 

[leftydog1961]

So all 3 or 4 people who had issues with their Kona DCT is what you call an obvious observation? Many posts on the subject but the ACTUAL number of people affected are single digits..
so by your analogy, all our complex computers and phones should fail and are not reliable because of their complexities. Ok, got it.

My main objective is to inform those without the skillset, knowledge and understanding what factors they should use when making a decision. There are many more than 3 or 4. Your basing that on this forum. Ask hyundai what the failure rate is of the DCT under 30k miles. Good Luck with that.
ANY failures of a transmission within 10k miles is intolerable. Not a glitch, not a minor problem, but a signal that something is wrong. The fact that they had to replace the entire transmission should give more pause for thought, as it was not a simple part swap. These DCT's were created for racing. Not stop and go driving which is what most do. They shift faster because they are automated manuals running under multiple computers. Notice that we have not heard about the conventional transmission failures on this board?
Lets go with all the facts, shall we!
Honda and Toyota, the leaders in reliability will not put a DCT in any of their cars? why? They would rather put that crappy CVT in instead. Why? What do they know about reliability of DCT?
Ford's powershift tranny is similar dry clutch to Hyundai. we know what problems that was on fiesta and focus. They stopped making sedans/hatches, and there is a class action lawsuit. Look it up : CarComplaints.com
Same with Hyundai on the 2016 Tucson 1.6. DCT. Class action lawsuit again.
think all of these problems were fixed with a simple computer update of the firmware? then your a fool
Why does the 2019 Tucson use a conventional tranny?? Why does the Kia (sister of Hyundai) use conventional transmissions?
have you read this: https://www.cnet.com/g00/roadshow/n...ransmission/?i10c.ua=1&i10c.encReferrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20v&i10c.dv=20

Have you watched any of the Scotty Kilmer videos on the problems of buying a car with GDI, Turbo, or DCT? He states clearly stay away if you value your money!

New technology always has a higher failure rate. Do you want to be on the hook for $5G for it? Sure, you say, hyundai will fix it for free.
Well, good luck trying to sell a 3 yr old Kona with a new DCT transmission in it. Shows up on Carfax. It's not a selling point. Further, if i had one of these problematic transmissions i would be constantly worried about when it will fail. Will it fail in a moment of crucial need? To big a risk. maybe in 5 yrs or so. Let some other sucker take that chance.

I haven't even started with the carbon problem on the GDI engines and the $$$ needed to walnut clean the valves. And the oil catch can you really need to buy if you have one of these.

We haven't even touched on turbos? Are they reliable, yes, more so than before, do they break down, yes! and they cost a small fortune to replace while not under warranty.

The list goes on. Larger tires on Ultimate model. No thanks, cost more to buy replacements, and increases road noise. Extra inch of infotainment system screen? really? heads up display? How did i live without it. You can buy a $5 amazon fresnel screeen for your phone to do the same thing. Wireless charging. Well worth the extra money!

About the only useful thing i see is the leather seats and the pedestrian monitor.

How do I know these things. because a long time ago, i was the idiot that bought the Audi Allroad in 2004. It looked just like that A6 avant, but this one had flaired fenders, and adjustable suspension to raise ride height, and not one, but 2 turbos for the 2.7 V6 engine. Got to have it.
Well the suspension bags broke one at a time at over $800 a piece, the turbo went out (after the warranty) and that was $1200, the timing belt and valve cover gaskets were $2800.
Because I just had to have all the gizmos's and gadgets it was a money pit. took years to recover.
So would you rather give Hyundai the 5K or put it in investments so that you can actually do something with, or do you really need to go 1.5 seconds faster to the next red light?

Like I said, its your money. If you want to sink it into a car which depreciates like a rock that's fine with me.
I'm looking long term here. I don't want hyundai to have my car every 2-3 yrs replacing DCT's for 2-3 weeks.
For me the car is a mode of transportation. Its not a measure of my penis size, nor of my salary, nor an impulse purchase. It was a well thought out decision, and even with the 10/100000, i still took out the bumper to bumper 10/100000.

Most people in the know stick with the tried and true Honda CRV and Toyota Rav 4. I don't like their style, but i am impressed by their extremely high satisfaction ratings, and reliability as per Consumer Reports.

If your happy with your DCT model that's fine with me. It was a huge headache when i went to get rid of the Veloster. many people knew about the transmission problems, and some did not like the way it drove. I knew the warranty was up at 60k and the cost of DCT repair is HUGE. Now it's someone else's worry.

When you fall in love with a car, its a one way attraction. Always! Best of luck no matter what you choose.

 

[leftydog1961]

Sorry.. but I offered actual evidence from owning 4 different GDI cars, that’s not anecdotal.
110K on the Kia, and 87K on my 335i . No issue with GDI or related..
The DCT is less complex mechanically than a typical planetary gear set automatic transmission. It’s a manual transmission which has been proven for over a century..
Its an automated manual with few moving parts compared to a conventional transmission.
So you’re not even arguing with valid information.

And your statement fails to mention that the DCT is NOT just a manual transmission which has been proved over a century. Yes the MT is proven, reliable, and cheap to repair.
The DCT is computer controlled. The dealer level scan tools needed to analyze these DCT problems cost $xx,xxx. Your repair is not a simple hydraulic line or slave cylinder, or pilot bearing. Oh NO!.. Now your dealing with thousands of dollars of computers which control everything. Nothing cheap about that.
But hey, money is no object, right?

 

[leftydog1961]

Well then be happy you don’t own a DCT. That doesn’t mean everyone who does own one is wrong or will have issues.

I never said everyone that owns one is wrong or will have issues. You choose to say RAH, and I say BOO. The argument is moot. You need to justify spending $X,XXX more for your model. I get that. enjoy it! My purpose is to help people understand the risks/benefits of what will be the second largest expenditure of money in their lifetimes.
Without facts, a logical decision can not be made