[UltraBlack22KonaN]

Congratulations- picked mine up just a week after you- also Ultra Black! Paid 4% over MSRP but did well on the sale of my 2013 Civic Si on Cars & Bids so... pain alleviated a little. We're already calling ours The Batmobile. It's such a blast and I just don't get all the complaints about height and stiffness- this thing is a modern sleeper and the height just helps hide it's true intentions and abilities. And no, I'm not going for lap times at Watkins Glen in it. Would I lower an inch if OEM springs were available? Maybe. Do I love driving a giant-killer that looks like the demon child of a GTi and a CRV? Yes, yes indeed. I did consider briefly the GTI- but the messed up infotainment, VAG maintenance history, and lower performance for the $ turned me off. Only real other consideration was the M240i but $$$$$ and none to test drive anywhere near me... oh and HEAVY... and did I mention $$$$$? So here I am, glad to be part of the N family and happy to be driving a "CUV" named after good coffee and good earth . My other car is a 2004 Miata- now I go from smiles per gallon to... more smiles per gallon!

 

[UltraBlack22KonaN]

Thats awesome! I like the demon child reference as it fits perfect. I have been stopped a few times by people asking what the **** it is so that will be my new response lol. How are you liking yours as a daily driver? I have seen alot of complaints for ride quality and bad gas mileage. Here in St. Pete Florida the ride has been stiffer but easily tolerable and if I want better gas mileage I just throw it in ECO mode but wheres the fun in that lol.

I'll be honest- it is only my daily during summer on days when it is too hot (>90ºF) or too rainy for Dory the Miata. I'm still under 300 miles! It will get even more use in the winter, so as you can imagine I'm already shopping for winter rims & tires (gonna go with 18's and either Blizzaks or something comparable or perhaps 3-peak all seasons). Having said that I find myself taking the Kona aka Batmobile on many marginal days because I do simply love it. Ride quality: yes firm, yes a little bumpy but the car is TIGHT and PLANTED. My 2013 Civic Si was also firm, but NOT nearly as tight and not nearly as planted feeling. I don't find it obnoxious at all. It's a performance car, maybe a little over-damped but the complainers must be very spoiled. It feels fine to me and I'm 54 years old with a history of back problems. As far as mileage- sure, a little disappointing especially compared with the EPA spec of the M240i but I do get >30mpg on the highway no problem. Around town in Sport with a lot of stoplights and... you will be seeing 16-18mpg. Like you said- you could stick it in ECO and hypermile it but if you're doing that you bought the wrong car. Buy a Prius. I'm getting 18-20 combined, about the same as the aforementioned Civic Si it replaced. Biggest loves are #1 Ridiculous sleeper ability / acceleration (I've already seen a couple of "what the @#$! was that?" faces from older model Audi/Bimmer drivers ). I LOVE the stealth aspect. 2. The tech/infotainment- SO intuitive and adaptable. 3. The seats- SO comfortable & just the right amount of bolstering and 4.The climate controls- again, intuitive, and with KNOBS (hear that, VW), and the A/C is ice cold. The Kona N for me creates boxes I didn't know I needed, then checks them right off. By the way- I did invest in an actual spare from modernspare.com. Got it with jack kit etc.- not cheap but it's light, fits perfectly and eliminates the apprehension of relying on the useless pump. Can't really give Hyundai demerits for not including one; seems to be the status quo for all mfr's these days. Cheers!