2023 Lexus RX Hybrid vs 2022 Hyundai Kona

The 2022 Hyundai Kona received a significant makeover, enhancing its overall sophistication. The vehicle was 4 centimetres longer than its predecessor, featuring a revised grille, updated front and rear fascias, and enhanced LED lighting. The sporty new character lines, contrasted by lower body cladding, gave the Kona a more refined appearance. Inside, the instrument panel and centre console were separated to emphasize a horizontal layout, creating a wider and more spacious look. The addition of ambient lighting in the front cupholders and footwells added a touch of elegance. The introduction of the N Line and Kona N trims brought unique styling elements, such as body-colour cladding and exclusive wheel designs, enhancing the vehicle's athletic appeal. The Kona N further elevated the sportiness with features like wide fenders, a front lip spoiler, and N sport bucket seats.

In contrast, the 2023 Lexus RX Hybrid underwent a redesign, maintaining its signature look while incorporating modern touches. The RX 350h and RX 500h F Sport Performance models shared a similar appearance to the standard RX 350, with subtle differences like the badge on the liftgate. The RX 500h stood out with its performance-tuned design, featuring a blacked-out grille, matte-black wheels, and aggressive bumper designs. The RX's interior adopted a cleaner, minimalistic appearance, with fewer switches and an improved infotainment system. The RX 350h Luxury model boasted Macadamia semi-aniline leather and Ash Bamboo wood trim, while the RX 500h F Sport Performance featured artificial suede and dark grey aluminum trim. Despite its redesign, the RX maintained its blunt-nosed appearance, with a wheelbase stretch that reduced the rear overhang, making it look smaller than its predecessor.

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 and 132 pound-feet of torque, paired with a CVT. The N Line trim provided a more spirited drive with a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine, delivering 195 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque through a seven-speed DCT. The Kona N took performance to another level with a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine, producing 276 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of torque, paired with an N eight-speed wet DCT. The Kona N also featured exclusive driving modes and performance enhancements like launch control and an electronic limited-slip differential. Our test vehicle, a Kona N Line with AWD, demonstrated impressive power and agility, making it enjoyable to drive in various settings.

The 2023 Lexus RX Hybrid introduced a new powertrain lineup, focusing on efficiency and performance. The RX 350h featured a hybrid system with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine, producing 246 horsepower and 233 pound-feet of torque. It achieved a combined fuel economy of 6.5 L/100 km and accelerated to 100 km/h in approximately 7.5 seconds. The RX 500h F Sport Performance model offered a turbocharged 2.4-litre engine, delivering 366 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. It featured a Direct4 AWD system and a six-speed automatic transmission, achieving a combined fuel economy of 8.6 L/100 km. The RX 500h's adaptive damping suspension and Dynamic Rear Steering system enhanced its athleticism, providing confidence in corners and curves. However, the RX 500h's fuel economy fell short of expectations during testing, averaging 11.3 L/100 km.

The 2022 Hyundai Kona, despite its compact size, offered commendable comfort for front-seat occupants. The front seats provided ample headroom and legroom, even for taller drivers, and the N Line's seats offered excellent support during spirited driving. However, rear-seat passengers faced challenges with limited headroom and legroom, exacerbated by the small rear door openings. The Kona's cargo space was also limited, with 544 litres available with all seats up and 1,296 litres with the rear seats folded down. Towing was not recommended for the Kona.

The 2023 Lexus RX Hybrid excelled in comfort and space, particularly in the RX 350h Luxury trim. The front seats offered ten-way power adjustment, premium leather, and effective climate control, creating a luxurious environment. The RX 500h F Sport Performance model featured eight-way power-adjustable seats with larger bolsters and standard-grade leather. The hybrids' battery packs were housed under the rear seat, providing excellent leg support and good legroom, though rear headroom was tight. The RX offered 838 litres of cargo space behind the rear seat and 1,308 litres with the back seat folded down, a significant improvement over the previous model.

The 2022 Hyundai Kona introduced more tech features, starting with an 8-inch display on the base trim, offering Bluetooth connectivity and a six-speaker audio system. The N Line and Kona N trims featured a 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation and an optional 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, and Hyundai BlueLink provided connected services for three years.

The 2023 Lexus RX Hybrid received a new infotainment system, offering wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Lexus Interface required activation of connected services plans for full functionality, including cloud-based navigation and an Intelligent Assistant. The system worked reasonably well, though it had limitations, such as viewing only one screen menu at a time and reflections on the display. The available head-up display featured dual-function touch-sensing control pads, which could be challenging to use with polarized sunglasses.

The 2022 Hyundai Kona offered essential safety features, including automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, and driver attention warning. Optional features included adaptive cruise control and blind-spot warning. The Kona received five stars from the NHTSA for overall crash protection and "Good" ratings from the IIHS in crashworthiness tests. However, it did not achieve Top Safety Pick status due to the "Marginal" rating for child-seat anchors.

The 2023 Lexus RX Hybrid came equipped with Lexus Safety System+ 3.0, featuring advanced driver assistance systems like motorcycle detection, evasive steering assistance, and intersection turn assistance. Proactive Driving Assist and Traffic Jam Assist were also available. While the safety features generally operated with refinement, some irritations were noted, such as the front cross-traffic alert system's reliance on visual indicators and the curve-speed reduction tech's reactive nature.