2021 Honda Odyssey vs 2022 Hyundai Kona

The 2021 Honda Odyssey presented a familiar yet refreshed appearance, with subtle updates to its styling. The new grille and front bumper, along with standard LED headlights across all trims, gave it a modern touch. The addition of a gloss black spear with a chrome insert across the taillights and a new 19-inch wheel design for the Touring trim further enhanced its look. These changes aimed to reduce brightwork and elevate the Odyssey's aesthetic appeal. Inside, the Odyssey offered a more luxurious feel with new perforated leather upholstery, contrast stitching, and ambient lighting, particularly in the Touring trim. The interior updates, including improved seating materials and tri-colour floor mats, contributed to a more upscale experience, making the Odyssey Touring a strong contender in the minivan segment.

In contrast, the 2022 Hyundai Kona underwent a significant makeover, although not a complete redesign. The Kona grew by 4 centimetres, featuring a revised grille, updated front and rear fascias, and enhanced LED lighting. The sporty new character lines and lower body cladding added sophistication to its exterior. Inside, the Kona's instrument panel and centre console were redesigned for a more horizontal layout, creating a spacious feel. New ambient lighting in the front cupholders and footwells added a touch of elegance. The introduction of the sporty N Line and Kona N trims brought unique styling elements, including body-colour cladding and exclusive wheel designs, enhancing the Kona's athletic appeal. The N Line's interior featured exclusive black seats with red stitching, a black headliner, and alloy sport pedals, while the Kona N offered even more sporty features, such as N sport bucket seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

The 2021 Honda Odyssey was equipped with a 3.5-litre V6 engine paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission, delivering 280 horsepower to the front wheels. This powertrain provided smooth and effortless power, with driving modes including Normal, Sport, Eco, and Snow, along with paddle shifters. The Odyssey's V6 engine featured variable cylinder management for improved fuel efficiency, achieving an average of 10.8 L/100 km during testing. However, the lack of all-wheel drive (AWD) put the Odyssey at a disadvantage in snowy Canadian conditions. The 2021 model introduced an electronic brake booster, enhancing the adaptive cruise control's stop-and-go capability and improving brake pedal feel. While the Odyssey offered a pleasurable driving experience with well-weighted steering and firm yet comfortable ride quality, the brakes showed signs of fade during intense use, indicating a need for improvement.

The 2022 Hyundai Kona offered a diverse range of powertrains, catering to different performance preferences. The Essential and Preferred trims featured a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 147 horsepower, paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). For those seeking more power, the N Line trim boasted a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine with 195 horsepower and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT). The new Kona N took performance to the next level with a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine producing 276 horsepower, paired with an N eight-speed wet DCT. The Kona N featured exclusive driving modes, launch control, and high-performance brakes and tires. The Kona N Line, with its turbocharged engine and AWD, offered spirited performance and agile handling, making it a joy to drive in various settings. Despite minor turbo lag and clunkiness in lower gears, the Kona's DCT enhanced its sportiness, while its low ride height and AWD contributed to stable and composed handling.

The 2021 Honda Odyssey excelled in interior space and functionality, offering legible instrumentation, logical controls, and ample storage. The 12-way power-adjustable driver's seat, standard in all but the base trim, provided comfort with adjustable armrests. Heated front seats and outboard mirrors were standard in Canada, with the EX-L Navi trim adding a heated steering wheel and the Touring grade offering ventilated front seats. The Odyssey's Magic Slide second-row seat layout allowed for versatile seating configurations, accommodating various passenger and cargo needs. Cargo space was generous, with 929 litres behind the third-row seat, expanding to 2,452 litres with the third-row seat tumbled, and a maximum of 3,984 litres with the second-row seats removed. However, removing the second-row seats was cumbersome, detracting from the overall convenience.

The 2022 Hyundai Kona, while compact, provided a comfortable front-seat experience with ample headroom and legroom, even with the optional sunroof. The N Line's front seats offered excellent support during spirited driving. However, rear-seat occupants faced challenges, with small door openings and limited head- and legroom due to the vehicle's compact dimensions. Despite Hyundai's claims of increased rear-seat legroom, it remained tight, especially with the front seat adjusted for taller drivers. Cargo space was limited, with 544 litres available with all seats up, expanding to 1,296 litres with the rear seats folded. The Kona's compact size made it less suitable for carrying larger loads, and towing was not recommended.

The 2021 Honda Odyssey featured an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, satellite radio, and more. The EX-L Navi and Touring trims added navigation, while the Touring grade included a CabinWatch interior camera and CabinTalk PA system. The Touring trim also offered an 11-speaker premium audio system, wireless smartphone charging, and a Wi-Fi hotspot. However, the lack of a tuning knob and subpar voice-recognition technology were notable drawbacks. The rear-seat entertainment system, available on higher trims, included a 10.2-inch screen, Blu-Ray player, and streaming apps, though it lacked a touchscreen interface.

The 2022 Hyundai Kona introduced more tech features, starting with an 8-inch display on the base Essential trim, offering Bluetooth connectivity and a six-speaker audio system. The Preferred trim added SiriusXM satellite radio and Hyundai BlueLink. The Kona N and N Line with the Ultimate Package featured a 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation and an eight-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay were standard with the base screen, while the larger screen required wired connections. The Kona's infotainment system was user-friendly, with easy smartphone connectivity and Hyundai BlueLink offering remote services for added convenience.

The 2021 Honda Odyssey improved its safety features with standard Honda Sensing, which included adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, pedestrian braking, and road-sign recognition. The Odyssey earned top safety ratings from the NHTSA and was expected to maintain its IIHS Top Safety Pick status. However, the adaptive cruise control's braking could be uneven, and the lane-departure warning system's steering wheel wobble was less effective than a vibration.

The 2022 Hyundai Kona offered standard safety features such as automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, and driver attention warning. Available technologies included adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warning, and rear cross-traffic alert. The Kona received five-star ratings from the NHTSA and "Good" ratings from the IIHS in crashworthiness tests. However, the child-seat anchors received a "Marginal" rating, preventing the Kona from achieving Top Safety Pick status.