2021 Hyundai Kona vs 2022 Buick Enclave

The 2021 Hyundai Kona was a small SUV that combined a playful and unique exterior with a more subdued rear design. Its front featured a busy array of lighting elements, including a grille flanked by lights, additional lights above, and fog lights on certain trims. This design appealed to younger buyers seeking a fun and distinctive vehicle. Inside, the Kona maintained its playful attitude with neat seat patterns and standard cloth upholstery, while higher trims offered leather upgrades. The interior was well-organized, featuring a high-mounted infotainment touchscreen and intuitive climate controls, making it user-friendly despite its compact size.

In contrast, the 2022 Buick Enclave embraced a more conservative design approach, reflecting its traditional customer base. However, over the years, Buick shifted its focus to SUVs, aligning with market trends. The Enclave, a three-row crossover, was a significant part of this transition. The 2022 model received a mid-cycle refresh with exterior enhancements, including a new grille, fascias, and wheel designs. The Avenir trim featured unique styling elements. Inside, the Enclave boasted a restyled centre console, upgraded materials, and available heated and cooled seats. The Avenir trim offered additional luxury features, such as climate-controlled front seats and a split sunroof, enhancing comfort and style.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona offered two powertrain options. The base model featured a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine producing 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. The optional turbocharged 1.6-litre engine delivered 195 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive was standard on lower trims, with all-wheel drive available, while higher trims came with standard AWD. Although neither engine was exceptionally powerful, they provided sufficient power for city and highway driving. The Kona's handling was surprisingly agile, offering a fun driving experience with a balance of comfort and composure. Fuel consumption ratings varied, with the base engine achieving 8.6/7.0/7.9 L/100 km city/highway/combined in FWD and 9.2/7.8/8.6 L/100 km in AWD. The turbo engine with AWD returned 9.0/8.0/8.6 L/100 km.

The 2022 Buick Enclave featured a single powertrain option: a 3.6-litre V6 engine with direct injection, producing 310 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. All Enclave trims in Canada came standard with all-wheel drive. The Enclave's maximum towing capacity was 2,268 kilograms (5,000 pounds) when properly equipped. Known for its quiet and smooth ride, the Enclave excelled in providing a premium driving experience. The Avenir Technology package enhanced the ride with a premium suspension and real-time chassis damping. The Enclave handled various terrains with ease, offering a serene cabin environment thanks to Buick's QuietTuning and active noise cancellation technology. Despite its size, the Enclave's powertrain was responsive, delivering good acceleration and pleasant engine sounds. With 19 centimetres of ground clearance, the Enclave was capable of handling light off-road trails and wintry conditions.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona provided decent front-seat headroom and legroom, with controls and displays easily accessible. The front seats were wide and well-padded but lacked sufficient support for spirited driving. Rear-seat passengers enjoyed good headroom, but legroom was limited. The Kona's large rear door openings facilitated child seat installation, though larger rear-facing seats could pose challenges for taller front passengers. Cargo space was limited, ranking low in its segment, but the rear seats folded to expand the area. Small-item storage was generous, with large door pockets and a spacious centre console.

The 2022 Buick Enclave offered easy ingress and egress, with excellent visibility due to its large windows. Standard features included an eight-way power driver seat and six-way power front passenger seat, both heated and with power lumbar control. The Enclave's cabin was spacious, accommodating passengers comfortably in all three rows. The third row provided ample space for six-footers, and the second-row captain's chairs facilitated access. The restyled centre console featured push-button transmission gears, enhancing accessibility to USB ports and wireless charging. The Enclave boasted generous cargo space, with 668 litres behind the third row, 1,634 litres with the third row folded, and 2,758 litres with both rows down. Power-folding third-row seats added convenience.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona came equipped with an eight-inch infotainment touchscreen, Bluetooth, six speakers, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and USB inputs. Available upgrades included SiriusXM radio, navigation, a Harman Kardon audio system, and a 10.25-inch touchscreen. The infotainment system was user-friendly, with a colourful and responsive interface. Wireless smartphone connectivity was a significant advantage, although the larger touchscreen did not support it.

The 2022 Buick Enclave featured a standard 4.2-inch driver information centre, with Premium and Avenir trims offering an 8-inch reconfigurable version. The Essence trim included an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and wireless phone charging. Premium and Avenir trims added navigation. The system supported pairing up to 10 devices, with a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot for up to four devices. The interface was familiar and easy to use, though some graphics appeared dated. The Premium and Avenir trims offered a superior 10-speaker Bose audio system. Standard features included a three-month SiriusXM 360L trial, six USB ports, a following-distance indicator, HD rear vision camera, and Teen Driver technology. Notable available features included adaptive cruise control, head-up display, and HD surround vision.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona earned a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS, with "Good" scores in all crash test areas, and a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA. Standard safety features included forward-collision avoidance assist, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, and cruise control. AWD grades added blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. Optional upgrades included lane-keeping assist, lane-following assist, adaptive cruise control, a head-up display, and parking sensors.

The 2022 Buick Enclave saw significant updates in safety tech, with the Buick Driver Confidence Plus package standard on all trims. This included automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, lane-change alert with blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning, rear park assist, following-distance indicator, and automatic high-beam headlights. Additional features on Premium trim included enhanced automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, surround-view camera, head-up display, and rear pedestrian alert. The NHTSA awarded the Enclave a five-star overall safety rating and four stars for rollover resistance. The IIHS gave it "Good" ratings in most crash tests, with an "Acceptable" score in the updated side-impact test.