[riveryne]

Yeah I wasn't expecting it to be Custom Stereo good. Have had a few cars with big stereos and knew I wouldn't have anything that good. When I purchased my Forte, it was my first car where so much is integrated into the deck that switching it out didn't make much sense. And from what I have heard not great outputs ect to throw amps and a sub in these integrated decks. Really didn't like my Forte's sound system. But after having Bose headphones, and a Bose soundbar on my TV, I kind of expected that same Bose sound when getting Bose stereo in the car. Not great Bass. But has an airy mid-high range. In fact it was one of the main drawing points that got me to choose a N Line Premium over the Kona Preferred. So you can imagine my disappointment when it sounded no better than my old Forte, and had less options to try to tune the sound to make it sound better.

Also, keep in mind that the sound quality depends on other things like materials used in the interior. Kona has plenty of hard plastic inside and it doesn't help with the sound quality. Nevertheless, I think the sound system is pretty solid, way better that I was getting from a Toyota Corolla Cross I was considering to buy instead.

 

[CoffeeBean]

This is what you get from Bose. I own a pair of headphones and a soundbar + subwoofer from them, and the bass/middle/treble are the only configurable things there.

Lol, never thought about it like that. Yes my other Bose devices are limited to those 3 controls as well. Just expected more considering my past car stereos. It is kind of sad the way car manufacturers took over and killed the aftermarket Car stereo market with all the built into the car systems. And got rid of any real options in terms of quality.

 

[scraverx]

Also, keep in mind that the sound quality depends on other things like materials used in the interior. Kona has plenty of hard plastic inside and it doesn't help with the sound quality. Nevertheless, I think the sound system is pretty solid, way better that I was getting from a Toyota Corolla Cross I was considering to buy instead.

Just so. Hard surfaces cause reflections and reflections are not ideal for high frequencies. Causes them to scatter and scatter can lead to interference and cancelations.

There is one setting for the audio I have seen in guide videos that you guys haven't mentioned. The Bose system does have a Positional audio feature that allows you to move the listener's position.

 

[Boothy]

I eventually got the update. For some reason I had to hassle Hyundai Australia on Twitter. They asked for my VIN and rego and then did something on the back end to start the upgrade.

It's so much better!

 

[TJ Moritz]

If your US 2024 Kona has Navigation, there is a downloadable update from Hyundai that enables wireless CarPlay. Nothing available over OTA.

Download the Nav updater from update.hyundai.com and log in as guest.

Download the file, put it on an USB C drive with at least 64gb and run the update.
Took about 75 minutes for the update. The files are over 40gb.

After the restart, delete your device(s) from both the Kona and your iPhone, removing it from CarPlay and Bluetooth.

Make sure that both WiFi and BT are enabled on your phone.

Add it from within the Device Connections on the touch screen.

It is quick and extremely stable freeing up the data port for our USB drive of music.

Enjoy!

It is now available OTA. Just did mine March 29 2024. You will about an hour an a half. Once it starts be patient. Don’t mess with it. I just let my car run. The car will shut off (1.6 Turbo) after about a half hour. Go restart it and the update will continue. I did this for wireless Apple CarPlay and other fixes. It’s a big update.

 

[TJ Moritz]

Premium Bose is just a name. There is nothing premium about it. All manufactures upgraded stereos are better than the stock but nothing too great. I have owned many cars and only the luxury brands offer the high-end sound systems. Beside's Bose has been **** for decades. I will say for what it is, I think it's good. My MP3s using a USB stick sound very good. Sirius will always sound crappy.

My Lincoln Nautilus has Revel Premium (Bang and Olafson) audio. Sure it sounds great compared to the Bose in our Kona. But that audio upgrade for the Lincoln was a $4,500 option.
What did you expect in an entry level subcompact SUV? The Bose is just ok. But my SiriusXM sounds darn good. The Sirius Extra Channels sound really good streaming from the SiriusXM app via wireless Apple CarPlay.
All in all we like our 2024 Kona Limited AWD.