[Bama]

Well, it's down to the wire for me, as I plan to buy my Kona on Wednesday. My local dealership has a Pulse Red with black top SEL that I've been eyeing online for weeks. It was only a couple of days ago that I suddenly realized that it is AWD...and immediately did a crash course on the nature of AWD online. I didn't get a warm and fuzzy feeling from learning that routine dealer maintenance is much more expensive on AWD and that if one tire blows out, all four tires must be replaced, to prevent inconsistant tire wear from damaging the AWD system!:surprise:

I'm hoping for some advise from any of the forum crew who have experience with AWD vehicles, pro or con...

Snow isn't a factor here, but warm weather months often bring torrential rains, so I guess the better traction could be a benefit...and being recently retired, I spend my time pursuing nature photography, which often takes me on somewhat rough, 'washboard' dirt roads where the multi link independent rear suspension might be a plus.

Of the three closest Hyundai dealerships, only this one has this single SEL in the color I want...so I'd greatly appreciate your input before I plunk the money down...thanks!

 

[Bama]

Also, I forgot to ask in the initial post...would the AWD put more of a strain on the 2.0L engine, affecting power?

 

[pnwkona]

In regards to the AWD system on these cars , its a passive system meaning FWD bias until the system detects a slippage and the computer then adjusts by sending power to the respective wheel or wheels. There is a center diff with drive shaft to back diff that is has couplers that are disengaged or engaged by computer. All AWD on the marker now are like this except for Subaru which is Fulltime AWD meaning the power is a 50/50 or on my 08 Outback 45/55 the wheels are always being powered along with Audi and few others. The Kona like Toyota has a center diff lock for AWD to all wheels but only under 25mpg , manual states not to engage this over this speed.
Light off road you can lock it under 25 but then if becomes front wheel bias, it is a learning curve for me coming from real AWD but again AWD is not designed for anything but very light off road or decent inclines.

Downside- 2 differentials that need service and inspection of the drive shaft couplers but to me nothing major.
Tires have to be bought in 4's and if one blows out or damaged replacement of all 4 or if the remaining are within 2/32(this was per Subaru and now most)
Gas mileage slight difference between the fwd and awd.

Addressing the question of strain on the 2.0 there is none since it is a fwd bias system. Subaru has the same hp in the Impreza and Crosstrek and no issues reported some whine going up to speed and they have fulltime awd.

So it comes down to the service and the tires in time and if the awd is truly needed.

I like awd and chose to have it even though it is mainly flat here but light off road but fwd can also.

 

[Bama]

In regards to the AWD system on these cars , its a passive system meaning FWD bias until the system detects a slippage and the computer then adjusts by sending power to the respective wheel or wheels. There is a center diff with drive shaft to back diff that is has couplers that are disengaged or engaged by computer. All AWD on the marker now are like this except for Subaru which is Fulltime AWD meaning the power is a 50/50 or on my 08 Outback 45/55 the wheels are always being powered along with Audi and few others. The Kona like Toyota has a center diff lock for AWD to all wheels but only under 25mpg , manual states not to engage this over this speed.
Light off road you can lock it under 25 but then if becomes front wheel bias, it is a learning curve for me coming from real AWD but again AWD is not designed for anything but very light off road or decent inclines.

Downside- 2 differentials that need service and inspection of the drive shaft couplers but to me nothing major.
Tires have to be bought in 4's and if one blows out or damaged replacement of all 4 or if the remaining are within 2/32(this was per Subaru and now most)
Gas mileage slight difference between the fwd and awd.

Addressing the question of strain on the 2.0 there is none since it is a fwd bias system. Subaru has the same hp in the Impreza and Crosstrek and no issues reported some whine going up to speed and they have fulltime awd.

So it comes down to the service and the tires in time and if the awd is truly needed.

I like awd and chose to have it even though it is mainly flat here but light off road but fwd can also.

Thanks for your response! I gained a better understanding from you than dozens of Youtube tutorials...I'm comfortable now to go for the Kona I want!

 

[pnwkona]

Your welcome. Any other help let me know.

 

[JR KONA]

IMHO and by specs, the AWD is unneeded. It is a heavier vehicle and also doesn't perform as well as the front wheel drive. Fuel economy suffers also along with what has already been stated above.

 

[Bebop]

If it didn't snow in my area, I would have gotten FWD. 98%+ of the time most AWD cars are powered by the front wheels. Also, multi link rear suspensions only come with the AWD Kona.

I have owned two AWD before, first was a Civic for 15+ years and last one was the HRV for 3 years. Only extra maintenance was changing the rear diff oil. For some reason the interval for the Kona is longer than the Hondas I have owned.

 

[C141medic]

I’ve owned five Subaru’s and in my opinion AWD is the way to go. Especially if you live or drive in snowy areas. Never had any issues with the AWD systems. As far as tires, yes if one goes you do have to replace all 4. However, tire rack offers a service that will “shave” a new replacement tire to the tread remaining on the other 3 tires so you don’t have to replace all 4 tires.

 

[pnwkona]

The AWD on these and other cars are not a true AWD like Subaru,Audi and few others like I mentioned above, this system like Toyota, Honda, Chevy, Ford is a passive system of which is 100% FWD until a slip is detected and then it is 50/50 split or the center is locked for under 25mph then it disengages.

Subaru is full time AWD all wheels are powered through each diff my Outback was 45/55 ,manuals are 50/50 ,Sti has a torque vectoring AWD and 50/50 or more or less to front/rear.

This AWD will be a change for me coming from a Subaru and knowing I have all wheels powered especially for rain and snow, though fwd cars do really good in snow with the right tires and the tires are also a big component to any traction.


For those new to AWD or passive system that stopping does not increase with AWD that is based on your brakes and tire tread depth.

The cost was never an issue having a 2nd diff as fluid is not that expensive and I always used high end synthetic also just checking the drive shaft and seals on each diff from time to time for leaks.

 

[DenC]

We bought ours when it was just out here in Belgium... we needed to buy the AWD version to get the DCT transmission. The automatic transmission was only available in combination with the 1.6T and AWD. Fuel consumption is a downside with my Kona... My former car was a Renault Clio RS with 200hp and that consumed less while driving a whole lot faster.

 

[ridiadh]

Not Dynamax?

In regards to the AWD system on these cars , its a passive system meaning FWD bias until the system detects a slippage and the computer then adjusts by sending power to the respective wheel or wheels. There is a center diff with drive shaft to back diff that is has couplers that are disengaged or engaged by computer. All AWD on the marker now are like this except for Subaru which is Fulltime AWD meaning the power is a 50/50 or on my 08 Outback 45/55 the wheels are always being powered along with Audi and few others. The Kona like Toyota has a center diff lock for AWD to all wheels but only under 25mpg , manual states not to engage this over this speed.
Light off road you can lock it under 25 but then if becomes front wheel bias, it is a learning curve for me coming from real AWD but again AWD is not designed for anything but very light off road or decent inclines.

Downside- 2 differentials that need service and inspection of the drive shaft couplers but to me nothing major.
Tires have to be bought in 4's and if one blows out or damaged replacement of all 4 or if the remaining are within 2/32(this was per Subaru and now most)
Gas mileage slight difference between the fwd and awd.

Addressing the question of strain on the 2.0 there is none since it is a fwd bias system. Subaru has the same hp in the Impreza and Crosstrek and no issues reported some whine going up to speed and they have fulltime awd.

So it comes down to the service and the tires in time and if the awd is truly needed.

I like awd and chose to have it even though it is mainly flat here but light off road but fwd can also.

I thought Hyundai was using the Magna Dynamax AWD system in these cars? If so it is supposed to be a full time AWD system.

 

[pnwkona]

I thought Hyundai was using the Magna Dynamax AWD system in these cars? If so it is supposed to be a full time AWD system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahr-6CTZ7wg

What I found and this was the it was 100% fwd/50/50 when activated, even with this system it is not a full time awd, only Subaru and Audi and few other have true awd, this is a passive system.
I would like to believe it had fulltime awd , but seems it is only on the KIA.

 

[JR KONA]

That's true, you have an activation button for the 4 wheel drive in the Kona.

 

[Mainia1]

What I found and this was the it was 100% fwd/50/50 when activated, even with this system it is not a full time awd, only Subaru and Audi and few other have true awd, this is a passive system.
I would like to believe it had full time awd , but seems it is only on the KIA.

I found this video that this guy claims it's AWD when accelerating, goes to a 70% front and 30% rear config. We just can't poo poo what he said. Some of these guy have connections directly with regional Hyundai reps or were the "local " Hyundai suspension tuners that setup the cars for different countries roads and have access to the "true" setup and make up of the car and not the total cluelessness of the common local dealer service managers. Could be ...could not be?????

It sounds like this guy will be putting up more detailed vids of the Kona.


It sure looks like it could have the DynaMax AWD system since they used a Kia to sell they system .

.

 

[Mainia1]

Maybe we don't get a DynaMax AWD system???





Why Hyundai has different AWD systems for different vehicles - Autofocus.ca.






.

 

[Bebop]

It is a simple on demand AWD system. Mainly front wheels, then AWD when slip detected. We don't have the dynamax.

 

[WestCanMan]

Good idea to keep your drive train in proper alignment as well. I hit a pothole when I owned a Honda CR-V and didn’t have the alignment checked afterwards. Ended up on the hook for 4 new shoes because one rear tire was wearing badly on the inside shoulder. Stupid and cheap of me. And then I had to have an alignment after the tires were installed, lol. Save $100 now and pay $700 later.

 

[JR KONA]

You're right, we learn by our mistakes. I think the saying goes, "you can pay me now or you can pay me later.":wink: I don't believe you were purposely being stupid for one moment, you were just unaware at the time. We all are a bit ignorant at times, this is why we are just human. I'm certainly glad you realized and had it realigned.:smile:

 

[ridiadh]

It is a simple on demand AWD system. Mainly front wheels, then AWD when slip detected. We don't have the dynamax.

The Tucson and the Santa Fe both have the Magna Dynamax system, at least through 2018. It stands to reason that Hyundai would just use the same system in all of their SUVs. I kept looking around for something that said yes or no.

The thing about the Dynamax system is that it actually shifts front to back as you drive. If you are on a long straight highway it will transfer everything to the front wheels for better fuel mileage. When cornering, it begins transferring a portion to the rear to better corner. So, anyway, I found this on Hyundai's website:

All Wheel Drive supports drivers in all kinds of driving situations, with up to 50% torque distributed to the rear wheels. The on-demand system increases traction on snow, gravel and on regular road surfaces while enhancing cornering performance.​

Source: https://www.hyundai.news/eu/technology/all-new-hyundai-kona-seven-great-features/

So it looks like it is the Magna Dynamax system to me. It isn't full time all wheel drive, because on straight aways it does shift all to the front, so I guess saying it is full time all wheel drive is was not the best way to explain it. However, it is not a simple slip and grip system if it is activating the all wheel drive around corners and (see a previous post above for this) when accelerating.

If you have something saying it is not Magna Dynamax, could you link it to me so I can read it?


Thanks

 

[Mainia1]

IMHO and by specs, the AWD is unneeded. It is a heavier vehicle and also doesn't perform as well as the front wheel drive. Fuel economy suffers also along with what has already been stated above.

I can see you have never been in snow with a FWD car. I have had Audi's and Subaru's and went back to a Honda Fit and then my Elantra GT. FWD is NO FUN during Minnesota winters. Even "Simpleton AWD " like the Kona and my wife's AWD Rav4, that is almost always in FWD mode is so far superior in our winter weather it is without question, a game changer.



If you are not in a snow and ice environment yes, it really is not needed, unless it was a high end sophisticated AWD that would help you out in corners when you are "at the limit" A tire can only do something 100% so if you ask it to steer AND lay down 100% of the power, you will not be as fast around the track or feel as balanced doing it.



.