2024 Hyundai Kona vs. 2024 Subaru Crosstrek

2024 Subaru Crosstrek Limited ・ Photo by Brady Holt

This year marks the redesigns of two popular subcompact crossover SUVs – one of which tries to broaden its appeal, while the other doubles down on familiar virtues. 

We’re talking about the all-new 2024 Hyundai Kona and 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The funky-looking Kona is bigger and higher-tech than before, while you’d be forgiven for failing to notice that the Crosstrek has been redesigned at all. But which one should you buy? For this review, we’ve spent a week testing both the Crosstrek and the Kona to compare them across eight categories and then name an overall winner. Keep reading to learn which one we chose and see which sounds like the better small SUV for you. 

Pricing and Features

Until this year, the Kona was a value leader in the subcompact segment. But this year’s bigger model wears a bigger price tag, now starting at $24,250 with front-wheel drive and $25,750 with all-wheel drive. The Crosstrek, with AWD as standard equipment, starts at $24,995. 

Still, the Kona ekes out a narrow win in this category. It includes three years or 36,000 miles of free scheduled maintenance, plus a longer warranty. It includes blind-spot monitoring and a giant touchscreen as standard equipment even on the base model; these can be pricy upgrades on the Subaru. Plus, you can get a few features that the Crosstrek doesn’t offer at any price, including ventilated front seats and a heated steering wheel. Subaru does have the lower starting price with AWD, and its residual values have been historically stronger than Hyundai’s. But the Kona generally gives you more features for less money, especially if you choose front-wheel drive. 

Winner: Hyundai Kona

2024 Hyundai Kona N Line ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Exterior Design

The Kona has always been an attention-getting crossover, with a pugnacious plastic-clad hot-hatch vibe. The 2024 model doesn’t try to blend in, either. Slim front and rear lightbars sit atop chunky lights carved out of the bumpers, which house the main headlamps and taillamps. The body and fenders are artfully creased. The sport-themed N Line like our test vehicle has a big spoiler at the top of its liftgate, while other models have black plastic fenders; the N Line also has the most aggressively bulging front bumper. 

The Crosstrek, meanwhile, looks much the same as it has for a dozen years. It still takes the body of a Subaru Impreza hatchback (also conservatively redesigned this year), raises the suspension for higher ground clearance, and adds some rugged styling cues. You don’t have the boxy body or short nose of a typical SUV. Still, with a higher ground clearance, sturdy plastic trim, and available off-road-focused Wilderness model, it looks more purposeful than the flashier Kona. We’ll let you choose your winner. 

Winner: Tie

2024 Hyundai Kona N Line ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Interior Design

Both the Kona and Crosstrek introduced big new touchscreens in their redesigns this year. But these digital dashboards still have very different vibes.

The Crosstrek’s interior is simple and sturdy, just with an 11.6-inch vertically oriented touchscreen in the middle of its plain-looking dashboard (on all but the base model). It’s not our favorite touchscreen, and we’d have picked more physical controls, but it brightens up the dash and isn’t too clunky to use. The Kona makes a stronger impression with a 12.3-inch touchscreen standard on even the base model. Plus, it’s attached to the digital gauge cluster for the appearance of a single screen spreading most of the way across the dash. Straight lines dominate the dash, making the screens feel like a cohesive part of the interior design. We found some of the touchscreen’s controls frustrating, and the Kona's interior doesn’t feel fancy. But it has lots of smartly executed storage spaces and lots of standard technology, so we’ll give it a narrow win. 

Winner: Hyundai Kona

2024 Hyundai Kona N Line ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Passenger Accommodations

The 2024 Kona’s biggest upgrade involved its interior space. For the first time, it has an adult-friendly backseat, along with an open, airy feel to the front seats. Plus, as we mentioned, it’s now available with a heated steering wheel and ventilated front seats on the top Limited model. 

Still, the Crosstrek gets a narrow victory here because we prefer the shape and padding of its seats. Thickly cushioned and supportive, they’re extra-comfortable even on entry-level models. And like in the Kona, there’s ample space in both the front and rear. You can check these crossovers out for yourself to see if their seats suit your own body better, but we expect plenty of folks to be more impressed by the Subaru. 

Winner: Subaru Crosstrek

2024 Subaru Crosstrek Limited ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Cargo and Towing

Where the Kona does secure a clear advantage is in cargo capacity, another area in which the Hyundai improved this year. It has 25.5 cubic feet of space behind the rear seat and 63.7 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down. 

The Crosstrek has a tighter 19.9 cubic feet behind the rear seat and 55.3 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down. It’s easy to feel the pinch when the backseat is in use, and you’ll likely need to slide the front seats forward or remove the rear head restraints to fold the seat down. (The Hyundai has easier clearance.) The Subaru does come out ahead when you want to pull a trailer: Most trim levels can tow 1,500 pounds, while the Wilderness model manages a mighty 3,500 pounds. The Kona isn’t rated to tow at all. But we think the Hyundai’s bigger cargo hold will matter to more buyers more often. 

Winner: Hyundai Kona 

2024 Hyundai Kona N Line ・ Photo by Brady Holt

On-Road Driving

The previous-generation Kona was a spunky, sporty crossover – especially with one of its two available turbocharged engines. This year’s model still looks sporty, but it has gotten heavier and softer, and its biggest engine option didn’t return. (An available fully electric Kona is speedy but expensive, with a base price of $32,675.) 

Even so, it has more spice than the Crosstrek. Despite similar specs, the Kona’s base 2.0-liter 147-horsepower engine is peppier than the Crosstrek’s 2.0-liter 152-hp equivalent. The difference grows with the Kona’s 190-hp 1.6-liter turbo versus the Crosstrek’s 182-hp 2.5-liter naturally aspirated engine. Once again, these are similar specs on paper, but the Hyundai is quicker and significantly quieter – it has a smooth whir versus the Subaru’s thrashy growls. And while the new Kona isn’t especially agile like its predecessor, it still feels nimbler than the Crosstrek. Subaru does deliver an extra-smooth ride, but we otherwise pick the quicker, quieter, and more agile Hyundai. 

Winner: Hyundai Kona 

2024 Hyundai Kona N Line ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Off-Road Driving

The Crosstrek’s suspension isn’t merely optimized for a smooth ride. It’s also set up for extra capability for a subcompact crossover. With 8.7 inches of standard ground clearance, the Crosstrek can clear obstacles more easily than the Kona (6.7 to 8.3 inches, depending on the trim level and configuration). Take it on a rutted dirt road and you’ll welcome how it’s engineered to absorb blows and keep rolling. Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel-drive system also has proven performance in snow and mud, and its X-Mode setting optimizes the Crosstrek’s computers and hill-descent control for off-road conditions. 

Sealing the deal is the all-new Crosstrek Wilderness, the first time Subaru’s off-road trim level joins the Crosstrek lineup. It features 9.3 inches of ground clearance, a shorter final drive ratio for better low-speed traction, and all-terrain tires, along with even more rugged styling cues. It costs $32,195. We don’t mean that the Kona must be confined to the pavement, especially with its optional all-wheel drive. But off-road conditions are key to the Crosstrek’s engineering. 

Winner: Subaru Crosstrek 

2024 Subaru Crosstrek Limited ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Fuel Efficiency

Neither the Crosstrek nor the Kona (except the Kona Electric) is particularly fuel-efficient for such a small SUV. The 2.0-liter Crosstrek gets an EPA-estimated 27 mpg in the city, 34 mpg on the highway, and 29 mpg combined, while the 2.5-liter is right behind at 26 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, and 29 mpg combined. (The off-road-optimized Wilderness gives up about 2 mpg.) 

The Kona, meanwhile, has the winning option for efficiency: The front-wheel-drive 2.0-liter gets 29 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, and 31 mpg combined. However, other Konas trail the Crosstrek. The AWD 2.0-liter gets 27 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, and 28 mpg combined. And the turbo falls to 26 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, and 28 mpg combined with front-wheel drive and just 24 city, 29 highway, and 26 combined with AWD. We’ll call this category a tie overall, depending on whether you’d choose front- or all-wheel drive. 

Winner: Tie

2024 Hyundai Kona N Line ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Final Thoughts

The redesigned 2024 Hyundai Kona is a well-rounded subcompact crossover. We expect many people to appreciate its flashy design, roomy interior, easy driving manners, and lots of features for the money. 

Our winner, though, is the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. Hardy, comfortable, and useful, the Crosstrek is also attractively priced and decently economical. It won’t be everyone’s first choice over the sprightlier and more aggressively modern Kona. But we welcome this combination of everyday likability with a background of extra capability. 

Winner: Subaru Crosstrek 

2024 Subaru Crosstrek Limited ・ Photo by Brady Holt