2021 Nissan Rogue vs 2022 Hyundai Kona

The 2021 Nissan Rogue underwent a complete redesign, presenting a more muscular and imposing presence for this compact SUV. Its squared-off nose featured a deeper interpretation of Nissan’s V-Motion grille design, flanked by narrow, angled LED headlamps and separate LED daytime running lights. Functional forward air vents and active grille shutters contributed to a lower coefficient of drag, despite the Rogue's boxier proportions. The exterior colour palette was streamlined to include black, white, grey, red, and blue, with a pearl grey option available on the SV with all-wheel drive. The Platinum grade offered four two-tone colour configurations, combining a lower paint colour with a blacked-out roof. Inside, seating surfaces were primarily cloth, with leatherette upholstery available in the SV AWD model with the Premium Package. The Platinum model featured semi-aniline quilted Nappa leather, elevating the interior to a more luxurious level.

The 2022 Hyundai Kona received a significant makeover, extending its length by 4 centimetres and introducing a revised grille, enhanced LED lighting, and sporty new character lines. The sharp body lines contrasted with lower body cladding, and new alloy wheel designs completed the exterior updates. Inside, the instrument panel and centre console were separated to emphasize a more horizontal layout, creating a wider, more spacious look. New ambient lighting added sophistication. The addition of two new trim levels, the sporty N Line and the even sportier Kona N, brought unique styling elements and performance features. The N Line featured exclusive black seats with red stitching, a black headliner, and alloy sport pedals, while the Kona N boasted wide fenders, 19-inch alloy wheels, and N sport bucket seats. The refreshed 2022 model's proportions gave the Kona a more streamlined look, with the N Line's Surfy Blue exterior colour and exclusive 18-inch wheels standing out.

The 2021 Nissan Rogue featured a new 2.5-litre four-cylinder direct-injected engine, delivering 181 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 rpm. This represented a six and three per cent improvement over the previous version. The engine specs matched well with the Rogue’s curb weight, ranging from 1,536 kilograms for the front-wheel-drive S grade to 1,653 kilograms for the all-wheel-drive Platinum model. The continuously variable transmission (CVT) was less droning than expected, though no alternate powertrain was offered. Fuel efficiency was reasonable, with the front-wheel drive configuration using 8.9 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 7.0 on the highway, and 8.1 combined. All-wheel drive increased these figures slightly. The Rogue's handling improved significantly with a 27% increase in torsional rigidity, a 40-kilogram weight reduction, and a revamped multi-link rear suspension.

The 2022 Hyundai Kona offered a variety of engines and transmissions. The Essential and Preferred trims featured a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque, paired with a CVT. The N Line trim introduced a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine with 195 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT). The Kona N boasted a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine with 276 hp and 289 lb-ft of torque, paired with an N eight-speed wet DCT. The Kona N featured exclusive driving features like N Grin Shift and N Power Shift. Our test vehicle, a Kona N Line with the 1.6-litre turbo engine, provided ample power and was enjoyable to drive. The Kona's handling was composed, with a curb weight of around 1,500 kilograms, and the AWD system contributed to its stability.

The 2021 Nissan Rogue offered functional updates across all price points. The cabin was quieter by three decibels on average, and a new shift-by-wire system added a large compartment under the centre stack. The rear doors opened to 85 degrees, improving access, and second-row headroom was increased. Standard features included heated front seats, steering wheel, and exterior mirrors, with 17-inch alloy wheels. The SV trim added a 360-degree Around View Monitor, remote start, and 18-inch wheels. The Premium Package included leatherette upholstery and a power liftgate. The Platinum grade featured a redesigned Divide and Hide cargo system, offering 1,028 litres of cargo space with the second row seats upright and 2,064 litres with them folded.

The 2022 Hyundai Kona, while compact, provided ample front-seat comfort. Headroom and legroom were sufficient, even with the optional sunroof. However, rear-seat occupants faced challenges with small door openings and limited head- and legroom. Hyundai claimed increased rear-seat legroom for 2022, but it was difficult to notice. Cargo space was tight at 544 litres with all seats up, accommodating only a few bags. Folding the rear seats increased space to 1,296 litres, but towing was not recommended.

The 2021 Nissan Rogue featured an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, and SiriusXM satellite radio. The SV grade added an in-car Wi-Fi hotspot and four USB ports. The Platinum grade upgraded to a 9-inch screen with wireless phone charging and wireless Apple CarPlay. It also introduced a 10.8-inch head-up display and a Bose 10-speaker audio system. However, the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster had readability issues due to low contrast.

The 2022 Hyundai Kona added more tech, starting with an 8-inch display on the Essential trim. The Preferred trim added SiriusXM and Hyundai BlueLink. The Kona N 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, but the larger screen required wired connections. The Kona's infotainment system was user-friendly, and Hyundai BlueLink offered connected services for three years.

The 2021 Nissan Rogue came standard with the Safety Shield 360 suite, including forward emergency braking, blind-spot warning, and lane departure warning. The SV model introduced ProPILOT Assist, incorporating adaptive cruise control. The Rogue received a "Top Safety Pick+" rating from the IIHS and a four-star safety rating from the NHTSA, with improvements in frontal crash testing for later models.

The 2022 Hyundai Kona offered standard safety features like automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance. Available technologies included adaptive cruise control and blind-spot warning. The Kona received a five-star overall crash protection rating from the NHTSA and "Good" ratings in all IIHS crashworthiness tests. However, the child-seat anchors received a "Marginal" rating, preventing a Top Safety Pick status.