A Solid Upgrade
We leased a 2023 Kona and decided to take the plunge and finance the 2025 model, and it's a sizable upgrade in several ways, with a few minor caveats. The infotainment screen is much larger, and the digital dashboard feels premium without feeling over-designed. The volume and tuning rockers on the old steering wheel are replaced by textured metal wheels that are tactile and responsive. The bluetooth connectivity is much faster than it was on the 2023 Kona, near-instantly connecting CarPlay without any fiddling. While there are driver profiles you can select and customize, they seem to be limited to software presets and do NOT affect seat positioning--one of the key reasons to have driver profiles. We also noticed that the Kona seemed to ride a little higher than expected, with a visible gap between the tire and the vehicle itself, almost as if the suspension was jacked up. Reading reviews, we saw some pre-release indicators that reviewers found the ride a little rough, so perhaps this was in response to that? Either way, it's an odd look and makes it look like the Kona had its pant legs pulled up. The driver assist functions are better than they were in the 2023 Kona, but still feel overly aggressive at times--particularly the 'stay-in-lane' assist, which still has some trouble with temporary lines on the road from construction. Lastly, we've noticed some periodic grinding in the gear shifting, particularly going from reverse to drive when backing out of our garage and turning onto the road.