2025 Hyundai Kona vs 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E

The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E retained its distinctive and sharp styling, with an aggressive front fascia and a sloping profile that maintained its crossover proportions. The tri-bar tail lights, a hallmark of the Mustang nameplate, were refreshed to match the signature lighting of the seventh-generation Ford Mustang. The new Rally trim emerged as the top-of-the-line model, featuring unique styling cues such as LED fog lamps integrated into the grille, a black roof, and a distinctive front splitter and rear spoiler painted in Dark Carbonized Grey. The Oxford White 19-inch wheels were particularly eye-catching, drawing inspiration from rally racing. The GT trim offered 20-inch wheels with various finishes, including a new Bronze Appearance Package exclusive to the GT, which added a Sinister Bronze paint option.

The interior of the 2024 Mustang Mach-E remained familiar, with a minimalist dash and a large touchscreen at the centre. The Ford Performance front seats, with their heavier bolstering, became standard on the GT trim and carried over to the Rally trim, featuring Oxford White plastic trim for a futuristic look. The interior space was generous, with ample headroom and legroom for both front and rear passengers, especially with the panoramic glass roof option. The cargo space was impressive, offering 965 litres in total, with a drainable frunk for added convenience.

The 2025 Hyundai Kona, while visually unchanged from the 2024 model, continued to stand out in the crossover class with its futuristic design. The single-piece grille and ultra-slim LED light bars gave it a distinctive look. The Kona's increased size, being 15 centimetres longer than its predecessor, provided more interior space and a more assertive stance. The Kona N Line trim featured a sportier design with body-coloured bumpers and cladding, while the Essential and Preferred trims offered larger alloy wheels and LED lighting. The interior remained solid and airy, with a drive selector relocated to a column beneath the wiper stalk, creating a sense of space.

The Kona's interior offered a surprising amount of cargo capacity, with 723 litres behind the rear seats and 1,803 litres with the seats folded. Rear legroom was adequate, and the front seats provided a generous range of movement. The Essential and Preferred trims featured cloth upholstery, while the Trend package added leatherette, and the N Line had Alcantara sport seats. Heated front seats were standard in Canada, with a heated steering wheel available on the Preferred trim. The N Line with the Ultimate package offered ventilated front seats and dual-zone automatic climate control.

The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E maintained its sporty ride quality, with a firmer suspension that prioritized sports-car dynamics over crossover comfort. The GT trim featured the MagneRide damping system, allowing for more adjustment by drive mode. The GT Performance Upgrade package increased torque output to 700 lb-ft, maintaining 480 horsepower, resulting in a 0-96 km/h time of 3.3 seconds. The Mach-E GT and Rally trims offered all-wheel drive, with ranges of 451 and 426 kilometres, respectively. The Mach-E's new rear eMotor improved torque and range, with the base model achieving 402 kilometres of range and the Premium trim with extended-range battery reaching 515 kilometres. DC fast-charging was sped up by 20%, with the standard-range battery charging from 10 to 80% in 32 minutes.

The 2025 Hyundai Kona offered two gas-powered engine options. The Essential and Preferred trims featured a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine producing 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque, paired with Hyundai's Intelligent Variable Transmission. The Kona N Line boasted a more powerful turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine with 190 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive was available on the Essential and Preferred trims and standard on the N Line, providing active on-demand drive to the rear axle. The Kona's ride and handling focused on competence, with AWD models featuring a multi-link rear suspension for a more sophisticated setup.

The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E excelled in interior space, offering 965 litres of cargo capacity, with 841 litres behind the rear seats and a drainable frunk. Folding the rear seats expanded the cargo space to 1,690 litres. The driver and front passenger enjoyed 988 millimetres of headroom, while rear passengers had 970 millimetres, increasing with the panoramic glass roof. Legroom measured 1,100 millimetres in the front and 968 millimetres in the rear. The driver’s seat was power-adjustable, with ActiveX seating surfaces standard across trims.

The 2025 Hyundai Kona provided 723 litres of cargo capacity with the rear seats in place, expanding to 1,803 litres when folded. Rear legroom was 970 millimetres, with 972 millimetres of headroom. The front seats offered a generous range of movement, and the steering wheel was reach- and height-adjustable. The Essential and Preferred trims featured cloth upholstery, while the Trend package added leatherette, and the N Line had Alcantara sport seats. Heated front seats were standard in Canada, with a heated steering wheel available on the Preferred trim.

The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E featured wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with the latest SYNC 4A infotainment software on a 15.5-inch touchscreen. The system included Ford’s Intelligent Range, a cloud-based feature that kept range estimates accurate. The Mach-E's infotainment system required careful user experience design, as all controls were screen-based, with only a physical volume wheel available.

The 2025 Hyundai Kona offered a 12.3-inch central touchscreen infotainment display with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The Preferred trim with the Trend package and the N Line trim included wireless smartphone charging and Hyundai’s digital key. The N Line trim featured a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, while the Essential and Preferred trims had a 4.2-inch display. The N Line with the Ultimate package offered an eight-speaker Bose audio system and built-in navigation.

The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E came with BlueCruise 1.3, Ford’s hands-free highway-driving assist software, available on all trims. The Ford CoPilot 360 suite included a 360-degree camera, blind-spot information system, pre-collision assist, evasive steering assist, automatic high beams, and adaptive cruise control. The Mach-E earned a Top Safety Pick Award from the IIHS and five-star ratings from the NHTSA.

The 2025 Hyundai Kona impressed with its standard safety features, including Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Blind-Spot Collision Warning, and Rear Cross-traffic Collision Avoidance Assist. The Preferred trim added enhanced Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, while the N Line with the Ultimate package included Highway Driving Assist and Blind Spot View Monitor. The Kona was named a Top Safety Pick+ by the IIHS.