Today we purchased a new Kona Limited front-wheel drive, red with black leather and the turbo engine with the 7-speed DCT transmission.
Last week I e-mailed five different dealers in the Sacramento, CA area, and the offers kept coming. The best quote came from Roseville Hyundai, at $ 24,000. I printed the manager's e mail and just gave it to the sales associate as we walked in. His name is Ivan Contreras, super nice young man, highly recommended.
They did honor the price without a single hiccup. The MSRP with floor mats and destination was $ 25,805. We paid the 24,000, and with the sales tax and DMV fees our out the door price came to $ 26,301. That is a $ 1,800 discount from the MSRP. No finance charges, it was a cash deal. The Roseville Hyundai dealership accepted a personal check from us, even after I offered to get a cashier's check; they said don't bother. What a great place to get a new car.
We reset the trip computer before we left the dealership. It was an 83-mile trip back to Paradise. Coming home, some freeway and fast secondary roads, no traffic, speeds from 45-70 mph, the average mpg was shown 38.1 on the computer.
As we got closer to home and began climbing the mountain, our average dropped to 36 mpg. I figure the real number must be closer to 33-34, but even that is a great number.
The Kona turbo is a real blast to drive. Acceleration is about the same as our 2015 Santa Fe Sport turbo, but the steering, handling, overall responsiveness and the small, nimble nature of the Kona was a pure joy. The only car I ever liked even more was the VW GTI we had in 2007.
I think the GTI is the only threat to the Kona in that price range. The Kona will do for Hyundai what the Soul did for Kia: fill the cash registers.
I am 5'9, 178 lbs, and with the power seat fully raised I had plenty of head room and I was comfortable. I kept switching the DCT from D mode to manual mode and didn't experience any of the slipping, hesitation issues this transmission is known for. Driving the Kona in sport mode with the manual mode on the open road I was happy to find a car I can enjoy.
Once I start checking gas mileage with accurate calculation, I will report it back. To be honest, I'd be satisfied to get 24-26 overall mpg, this car is such a fun ride that suddenly the cost of filling up disappears.