2023 Hyundai Kona SEL Convenience AWD | Best Trim on Kona?

In this video I show you the 2023 Hyundai Kona SEL Convenience AWD. The Kona SEL Convenience receives a few changes for the 2023MY including the larger 10.25″ infotainment, power drivers seat, and rear USB charging among a few other things. Make sure to check out my full changes video if you want to know what changed for the entire lineup. Let me know what you think of the Kona SEL in the comments below!

Hey guys welcome back to the video today of the 2023 hyundai kona stl that i want to show you guys in man it has been a minute since i’ve seen a kona for sale so all joking aside it has been a while since we’ve had a kona here on the lot for sale but i think this is in part due to the 2022 to 2023 moderate switchover but part of me does think or wonder whether or

Not the kona’s popularity is starting to wane a little bit in terms of this segment now this fits in the sub compact suv segment and it’s still very popular within this don’t get me wrong but from time to time i wonder if the kona is starting to show its age a little bit in terms of this generation as it has been out since the 2018 model year so the hyundai kona

Received a refresh for the 2022 mod year so for 23 there aren’t going to be a ton of changes but there were several changes in terms of packaging and equipment shuffling within the lineup which i’ll touch on here for the sel trim in specific but if you’re curious about all the changes for all trim levels of the 23 konas i have a dedicated video here on the channel

To go over that so i’ll go ahead and throw a card up in the corner if you guys are interested in checking that out but the cone i have next to me today is the seo with convenience package which sits right in the middle of all the trim levels of the kona so it sits one step below the end line trim level and one step above the base scl of course so it kind of takes

Some equipment from those higher trim levels and brings it down to the more moderately equipped kona so in terms of changes for the 23 modder here on the scl convenience package in particular you’re going to notice a few updates so first of all you’re getting the 10.25 inch infotainment system with built-in navigation and over-the-air map updates you’re getting a

Power driver seat which is now standard on the sel and up but that was before only included in the end line and up you’re also getting the rear usb charge port as standard equipment on all konas that used to be on the end line with tech package and limited as well you’re getting auto up down front windows that’s standard on the scl and up and you’re losing the

Premium dark gray body cladding that’s now only found on the limited trim where it used to be the sel convenience and up so i’m not exactly sure what the cladding differences are i think it’s more of a texture thing maybe a little bit of the color as well but now you’re getting the standard black body color cladding instead of the premium gray cladding now to

Touch on pricing for the 23 modular here on the sel all-wheel drive with convenience package uh the 2022 monitor costs 27 595 including destination as equipped and for 2023 the sel convenience package is now 28 995 including destination so this represents a 1400 increase in the sel convenience package all-wheel drive like i mentioned now 700 of this is the sel

Base trim level and the other 700 is the convenience package itself so it kind of splits the difference because there is more equipment standard on the kona now for the 23 mod ear and then there is a few other additions for the convenience package so that’s kind of how hyundai did it is they split the difference and 1400 is the total increase if you want an sel

Convenience so with all this information in mind let’s not waste any more time take a look at what the 2023 hyundai kona sel all-wheel drive with convenience package gets you for just under 30 000. so the kona in front of us is finished in thunder gray with the black cloth interior and overall this color is very nice has a lot of metallic flake you can see here in

The sunlight and this metallic flake is kind of colored so there’s green pinks blues a ton of different colors in that flake which i think makes it one of the better colors in the lineup i do like the surf blue the bright blue exterior color i think those bright colors are neat on these smaller vehicles but overall i think this gray is very nice now up front of

The cone you’ll find the same front end as the 2022 refresh so this has the same split headlights and daytime running lights as the regular pre-refresh kona kind of just gave it a little more modern take up top you have your led daytime ring lights and below that you have your separate projector halogen headlights with incandescent turn signals the front bumper is

Black with the silver accent trim that loops around it has a matte black grille inside and you have your large chrome hyundai emblem up front on the bumper overall i do like the refresh front end just a little bit more but i think it’s just your personal preference obviously which front end looks better on the lower front corners you have aerodynamic treatments

To help with fuel efficiency coming to your wheels and tires these are your 17-inch silver painted alloy wheels they’re 215 55 17 inch hankook kenergy gt all season tires so just a typical all season tire and like i mentioned in the introduction of this video this does have the regular black plastic cladding along the lower body instead of the premium gray that

Was found on the last mod ear in the sel convenience package now i’m not exactly sure unless you put these side by side that you could tell a difference but that is something to note that change for this model year you do have body color mirrors with the led turn signal indicators on the outside these are all heated on all cones this model year with blind spot

Detection hyundai digital key one on the sl convenience package so you can use it with android compatible smartphones you have black trim around the windows as well as your roof rails up top on the sl convenience as well as your single power sunroof as part of this package as well so nice to have a little sunroof on this vehicle coming to the back you’ll find your

Incandescent tail lights turn signals and reverse lights so no leds out back of this trim you’ll find the same darker silver accent trim on the lower bumper rear back up camera of course chrome hyundai emblem and your all-wheel drive badge because this one is all-wheel drive but overall i think the kona still looks very stylish and very handsome in the sub compact

Space although like i said it is getting a little bit up there in age in comparison to some of the other vehicles out there but again i think this is still very competitive so take a look on the interior this is where you’ll find many of the changes for this model year in terms of packaging and features but the kona itself is very bare bones on the inside but

That’s many sub compact suvs are so the entire door panel is going to be hard touch you’re not going to find any padding even here on the armrest but you do have power windows mirrors and locks silver accented door handle poles your two speakers as part of the six speaker audio system and a little bit of extra storage including a bottle holder on the lower section

Coming to the driver’s seat you have your power driver seat standard on the sel and higher with two-way power lumbar this is your black cloth with the accent in the center there’s a look at your dashboard so stepping inside the step and height is very easy here on the kona i think that’s why a lot of people do gravitate towards these smaller suvs especially if

You might have some mobility issues let’s go ahead and start it up so immediately agreed to the analog gauge customer with the 4.2 inch color display in the center this displays some of your safety systems and can be controlled here on the right side of the steering wheel so cycling through you have your compass tpms information fuel economy drive information

Odometer lane keeping assist all the basic necessities that you want in front of you in your gauge cluster that screen displays leather wrapped steering wheel with some black accents on the bottom on the left side you have your audio controls voice command controls mode selection for the infotainment system on the right side you have your regular cruise control

The button to control that display in the gauge cluster as well as your lane following assist this does not have smart cruise control you have to step up to the limited trim to get that for this model year automatic headlights regular wiper stock on the right side to the left side of the dash gauge illumination hill descent control traction control off with

Some circular air vents i think these are kind of neat kind of spin them to close them overall i think it’s a cool design aesthetic the dash is going to be hard touch across the top so really not many soft touch materials on the touch points moving on to the infotainment system this is a new feature in the seo convenience for 2023 this is the same 10.25 inch

Screen with built-in navigation that’s found on the n-line tech and the limited trims last model year so this is now brought down to the sel convenience overall this is the same system that’s put in many hyundai models these days and for good reason because it’s easy to use display looks nice the overall ui is very easy to use you have your driver profiles which

Customizes some of the vehicle settings as well as the infotainment radio settings so you can set up multiple drivers you have valet mode the integrated navigation right here on the infotainment system hd radio wired android auto wired apple carplay so you are losing the wireless functionality if you opt for the convenience package but overall i would say it’s

Well worth it you can always get the third party adapters to adapt wireless functionality to the screen below that you have hard touch buttons for your radio and the infotainment system so it’s easy to access all the menu settings here via those hard touch buttons two ac vents single zone automatic climate control which is fine for this segment of suv i think just

Having automatic in general is a big plus there’s your hard touch buttons including your passenger airbag sensor below all that you have your hyundai digital keypad and wireless charging pad two usb ports for charging and data as well as a 12 volt outlet leather wrap shift knob on the sl convenience drive mode selection so in this vehicle you have smart sport

And normal heated front seats stop start off center differential lock so this will distribute power 50 50 front and rear here’s your manual parking brake two cup holders your proximity key fob does have built-in remote start on the fob and this vehicle is equipped with blue link functionality so you have the app as well padded center armrest it’s just more of

A rubberized texture it does not slide which is a little bit unfortunate i think sliding functionality will make the center area a little more comfortable but inside it’s pretty basic not very big doesn’t have any ports or anything but nice to have some extra storage nonetheless you have a light color headliner which is actually very soft touch it’s actually a

Little bit surprising but nice to see blue link mirror like i mentioned with the manual dimming functionality and one thing to note that isn’t found in a lot of hyundai vehicles anymore is the fact that this does have a sunglasses holder i think i don’t know why hyundai is getting rid of this in a lot of vehicles but it’s nice to see incandescent lighting on the

Interior with power sunroof control so there’s your single sunroof with manual shade lets in a lot of additional light but overall let’s take a look at the backseat see what it has to offer now the materials in the back are going to be the same as the front so very basic overall hard touch door panel a little bit of extra storage silver door handle pull seat

Materials are going to follow through as well stepping inside it’s not too bad it’s actually fairly easy there’s a look at the front seat here in the back you have a little bit of illumination holder for your hand if you need it no map pockets or nets on the backs of either front seat but you do have the rear usb charging port which is all new and standard on all

20 23 konas before you had to get the upper trims just to get that seats do fold 60 40 split and there is a center armrest with two cup holders so that’s a little bit of a bonus but yeah not much to see here in the back seat of the kona i have about an inch or two of leg room depending on where the seat is put so enough to stay comfortable plenty of foot room down

Below but yeah not too much to see back here in the back seat coming to the trunk you do have a power release but there’s no power functionality but that’s not to be expected on this class of vehicle cargo space is going to be similar to those of compact hatchbacks or slightly smaller in some cases depending on the vehicle that you’re looking at but it is usable

Nonetheless a little bit of storage on the left on the right side left side has your light but there’s no 12 volt outlet that i see here in the back which is a little bit surprising a little bit of under floor storage and there is a spare tire down below so there is your compact spare tire yeah overall pretty basic stuff in the back of the kona wrapping it up here

On the passenger front seat four-way manual passenger seat so no height adjustment there’s a look at the dashboard once again it is kind of hard touch but you have a nice pattern right here around this vents and inside the glove box is not damped but it actually does have a light which is a little bit surprising so you do have illumination in your glove box yeah

Overall pretty basic inside the kona let’s go ahead and take a look under the hood see what powers it and we’ll wrap up this video so under the hood of this kona and many kona’s out there you’re going to find the same naturally aspirated 2-liter 4-cylinder that puts out 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque through an ivt or cvt type transmission now this can

Either be paired to front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive depending on the options of your kona now if you want to step up to the end line and limited trims you’ll find the 1.6 liter turbocharged engine that puts out 195 horsepower and 195 foot-pounds of torque through a seven speed dual clutch transmission or if you step up all the way to the kona n you’ll find

The 2 liter turbocharged engine that puts out 276 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of torque through only the front wheels and a limited slip differential and eight-speed wet dual clutch transmission so overall there are three different powertrains that you’ll find in the kona depending on the trim that you get but many will be offered with this naturally aspirated

2-liter engine so to wrap up this video on the 2023 kona sel convenience package overall i think this is one of the better values in the kona lineup in terms of just a regular daily commuter car with a good amount of features obviously the new infotainment system is a nice upgrade it’s nice to have hyundai digital key power sunroof heated front seats those are

All some of the necessities i think are nice to have on a daily driver and also having the blue link functionality via the app is an also added bonus and not to mention in addition to all these comfort and convenience features you also have all-wheel drive for under that 30 000 mark so all this stuff can be had for right around that 29 to 30 thousand dollar mark

Depending on the accessories and paint color that you choose of your kona so overall i think it’s a fairly good value and the one thing to note about the all-wheel drive in particular is you do get the independent rear suspension which should improve handling and ride dynamics as well so if you’re thinking about getting a kona and have test drove maybe a front-wheel

Drive i would also recommend test driving the all-wheel drive just to see if you can feel a driving difference because that independent rear suspension definitely should help out especially on rougher roads now personally i do like a more sporty driving dynamic so to me for the extra about five to six thousand dollars i would probably out for the kona n which gives

You a little bit more features on the inside and stuff but also a lot more performance so if you guys enjoyed this video or found it helpful make sure to hit that like button below it definitely helps out these videos and the channel now if you guys are new make sure to hit that subscribe button and check out some of the other videos i have here on the channel

I have a bunch of other hyundai 2023 walk around videos model your change videos chevy walk around videos just a bunch of other automotive related content so make sure to check that out if you’re interested so let me know down in the comment section below what you think of the sel convenience package or if you haven’t known any kona in this generation let me know

How your ownership experience has been i’m definitely interested to hear how these vehicles actually treating people in real life and i’m sure it might help anybody who is interested in purchasing one so once again hopefully you guys enjoyed this video and as always i’ll see you guys in the next one bye

Transcribed from video
2023 Hyundai Kona SEL Convenience AWD | Best Trim on Kona? By Cars Made Simple