Hyundai Kona N sheds baggy camo, shows off beefy exhaust tips

The high-performance Hyundai Kona N has been spied in the wild yet again, this time with more form-fitting camouflage that gives us a better hint at what to expect from the Korean automaker’s latest N model. 

When we last saw “Kona the Destroyer,” it was wearing tearing around a snow-covered lake in baggy black camo. This time, we’re seeing it in what might be its more natural habitat — the Nürburgring. 

Not only has the prototype shed some of that form-obscuring disguise, but we’re getting a much more intimate look at some of the details in these photos. We already knew it was packing some monster brakes and in-your-face exhaust tips, but the close-up shot of the rear end really brings into focus just how aggressive Hyundai is getting with the Kona N’s details. 

We now also know that Hyundai won’t be putting any large functional air intakes on the Kona N’s front end, since it’s almost completely taped off in these photos. And speaking of aero, this new camo package gives us a much clearer look at the Kona N’s larger spoiler. It’s not quite as boy-racer as the one found on the Veloster N hatchback, but it’s close. 

Up to this point, we’ve speculated that the Kona N will be powered by a variant of the high-output 2.0-liter four-pot found in the Veloster N, but with new rumors swirling about an even larger, more powerful engine coming to Hyundai’s hot hatchback, we’re inclined to believe that both models could end up getting a 2.5-liter engine with closer to 300 horsepower. The Kona could handle an even punchier version of that mill thanks to its all-wheel drive system; the extra power wouldn’t go to waste spinning the front wheels.

Hyundai has remained relatively mum on the Kona N’s details, but we suspect it won’t be too long before hints start being dropped about what is in store for the company’s first high-performance SUV. 

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