2025 Hyundai Kona vs 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport was designed to project a sportier image within the Range Rover lineup. Its tall stature was complemented by a shorter wheelbase and a chopped top, giving it a more athletic appearance compared to the traditional Range Rover. The large front air intakes and faux vents on the hood and fenders added to its sporty look, although from certain angles, it appeared a bit too tall and narrow. The SV Edition Two, the highest-performance model, featured unique elements like 23-inch carbon-fibre wheels and a carbon-fibre hood. Inside, the minimalist design was highlighted by red leather upholstery and sport seats with illuminated inserts, although the high console and dash created a somewhat cramped feel.

The 2025 Hyundai Kona, while visually unchanged from the 2024 model, maintained a distinctive appearance in the crossover class. Its flush, single-piece grille and ultra-slim LED light bars gave it a futuristic look. The Kona's increased size, being 15 centimetres longer than its predecessor, provided more interior space and a more assertive stance. The N Line trim offered a sportier design with body-coloured bumpers and cladding. Inside, the Kona felt solid and airy, with a drive selector relocated to a column beneath the wiper stalk, enhancing the sense of space. The interior featured a range of materials, from cloth upholstery in the Essential and Preferred trims to Alcantara sport seats in the N Line.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport offered a variety of powertrain options, all paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard four-wheel drive. The base Dynamic SE model featured a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six engine with 395 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque. A plug-in hybrid variant increased output to 454 horsepower and 487 lb-ft. The Autobiography trim offered a more powerful plug-in hybrid with 543 horsepower and 590 lb-ft. A BMW-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 engine, producing 523 horsepower and 553 lb-ft, was available for the Dynamic SE and Autobiography models. The SV Edition Two pushed the V8's output to 626 horsepower, making it the most powerful Range Rover model. It could accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and had a top speed of 290 km/h. The Range Rover Sport excelled in both on-road performance and off-road capability, with features like four-wheel steering and brake-based torque vectoring enhancing agility.

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 with 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque, paired with an Intelligent Variable Transmission. The Kona N Line boasted a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine with 190 horsepower and 195 lb-ft, coupled with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The turbo engine provided a broader torque band, although it felt slightly flat at low revs. All-wheel drive was available for the Essential and Preferred trims and standard on the N Line, enhancing traction and handling. The Kona's ride and handling prioritized competence, with AWD models featuring a more sophisticated multi-link rear suspension.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, positioned between the Velar and full-size Range Rover, offered a midsize two-row, five-seater configuration. Front-seat occupants enjoyed similar headroom to other midsize luxury SUVs, while rear-seat headroom was only slightly impacted by the sloping roof. The Sport provided 835 litres of cargo space behind the second row, expanding to 1,860 litres with the seats folded. It had a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 kilograms for turbo-six and V8 models, with plug-in hybrids rated at 3,000 kilograms. The interior featured deep door pockets and large cupholders, while power operation and an "access height" setting for the air suspension facilitated loading and unloading.

The 2025 Hyundai Kona offered 723 litres of cargo capacity with the rear seats in place, expanding to 1,803 litres when folded. Rear legroom measured 970 millimetres, with 972 millimetres of headroom, providing adequate space for passengers. The front seats offered a generous range of movement, and the steering wheel was adjustable for reach and height. The interior featured numerous storage compartments, enhancing practicality. The Essential and Preferred trims had cloth upholstery, while the N Line featured Alcantara sport seats. Heated front seats were standard in Canada, with additional features like a heated steering wheel and ventilated front seats available on higher trims.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport featured a 13.7-inch digital instrument cluster and a 13.1-inch touchscreen for infotainment, with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa integration. The minimalist design, while visually appealing, relied heavily on the touchscreen for functions like climate control and drive mode selection. The Pivi Pro infotainment system was responsive, with natural-language voice recognition. The SV Edition Two included "Body and Soul Seats" with embedded transducers, providing a unique audio experience. The Meridian audio system offered up to 29 speakers, depending on configuration.

The 2025 Hyundai Kona came with a 12.3-inch central touchscreen infotainment display across all trims, featuring 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 also featured a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, offering more customization options. The N Line with the Ultimate package provided an eight-speaker Bose premium audio system and built-in navigation. Hyundai's Bluelink connectivity enabled over-the-air software updates, ensuring features remained up to date.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport included standard driver-assist features such as automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a driver attention monitor. A 360-degree camera system and digital rearview mirror aided parking, although the parking sensors were overly sensitive. Safety ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA were not available at the time of writing.

The 2025 Hyundai Kona impressed with its standard safety features, including Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Following Assist, Blind-Spot Collision Warning, Rear Cross-traffic Collision Avoidance Assist, and Safe Exit Warning. The Preferred trim added enhanced Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, while the N Line with the Ultimate package included advanced features like Highway Driving Assist and Blind Spot View Monitor. All Konas came with six airbags, electronic stability control, and a tire pressure monitoring system. The Kona was named a Top Safety Pick+ by the IIHS.