Hyundai Kona diesel: new engine option for international models

A new diesel variant has joined Hyundai’s Kona small SUV family internationally, with a 1.6-litre diesel joining the brace of petrol-powered engines.

Orders for the new engine option opened today in the UK, where shoppers can now choose between two output tunes for the new four-cylinder diesel engine. Powered by the Hyundai group’s new U3 engine (it will also appear in the new Kia Optima), the 1.6-litre diesel will produce 84.6kW at 4000rpm and 280Nm at 1500rpm when paired with a six-speed manual gearbox, or 100kW at 4000rpm and 320Nm at 1750rpm when partnered with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

In its lower-output guise, that’s enough to clip 100km/h in 10.7 seconds and push on to 183km/h, while the more powerful version lowers the sprint time to 10.2 seconds and ups the top speed to 191km/h. Hyundai claims a max braked towing capacity of 1250kg.

Hyundai says its new Euro6-compliant U3 diesel has been designed with a focus on minimising both C02 emissions and fuel use, and the claimed economy figures are impressive. The Korean brand says the lower-output engine will sip just 4.2L/100km on the combined cycle, while the more powerful version ups the fuel use to 4.4L/100km. Emissions are pegged at 111 and 114g/km of C02 respectively.

In the UK, the diesel-powered Kona is offered in three trim levels, with the new diesel variants priced between the two-wheel-drive petrol and all-wheel-drive petrol variants. Internationally, both outputs are offered in two-wheel-drive guise only.

Hyundai Australia spokesperson Bill Thomas has confirmed there's no plans for a diesel Kona locally, however. Instead, a pure-EV Kona Electric will join the fleet by the end of the year, packing a 150kW motor and 64kWh lithium-ion battery that will deliver a driving range of up to 470km.

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