That Puma ST handle and ride like an affordable Porsche for everyday people. But the Kona N on the other hand is a mini Urus!

Steve Sutcliffe is a great journalist but for crying out loud he needs to realise that the Hyundai N cars have a Custom mode and that’s what makes them so good. It’s so frustrating because I remember him complaining about the same stuff in the i30N. Put the suspension and steering in normal or sport and you’re onto a winner.

Why don’t these journalists do their research! I have a Kona N and you can put it in ‘N Custom’ mode. Select everything in max attack mode apart from the suspension and steering put them in comfort mode and then it drives beautifully and doesn’t bump you around like in this video. Also, for an extra £5k you get bundles more specification, loads more power and torque, a proper DCT gearbox, a mechanical diff, a 5-year warranty etc etc

You know the kona will allow you to adjust the suspension settings, right?

This was a little bit silly test. First you set Kona to the firmest suspension because you wanna be the fastest with it, then you name the Ford winner, because it's slower though but it has a softer suspension that you like better. You can't really decide what you want from the Kona.

Huge difference in the warranty offered on each car tho....hyundai warranty is far superior to fords.....

Love my Kona n... Spend 36.. I genuinely feel this guy had the puma picked no matter what lol... He clearly was biased.

I just wanna say Hyundai implement double split headlights way better than BMW.

Great video. Kona N is my daily love it🔥🔥. I enjoy the torque steer, the customization, the ride quality but it’s not for ever body.

The journalist has no idea. Put the Kona N in N Custom and soften the suspension if the ride is too hard for you princess 🤦🏻‍♂️

Both nice cars but puma st for me, just ordered one in mean green colour with the machined alloys, be sept Oct before delivery because brand new ,cant wait such a nice car, even if it looks like Kermit the frog from the front ,I love the looks of it in green, an fast enough for me,that Kona proper quick though I can see why lots of people would choose that car too, good fun video to watch loved it 👌👍

I've had a Kona N for 2 months now and previously had an i30 N DCT and before that gen 1 i30 N. The Kona feels slightly softer I think and not as loud. 8 mph slower top speed but they've thrown every extra going on the car, the spec is unreal! The NGS button should be higher on the steering wheel though so you can boost it between the bends. Yet to drive the Puma, but if its anything like the old wide arch one I had I bet its well balanced and precise. Thanks for the vid 👍

I agree the Puma is lovely to drive . I own a Kona and have driven the Puma, which is now top of the list for my next car. Wonderful review thanks. Pete from Oz.

I prefer when Auto Express leaves out the name of the reviewer in the title. That way when you see or hear Steve you get a rush of excitement after a few seconds of anticipation!

Test drove both and purchased the kona. Different animal really, puma was very well balanced and had more finesse but kona felt more special, had more kit, more premium interior.

So according your lap times Kona N did almost same time as i30N DCT, Audi S3, Golf R and it was only 1 sec slower than Type R, Cupra 300 and GR yaris? And Kona N was in Wet and only FWD??? WOW the Koreans did something astonishing or your driving skills aren't that good 😅

Please do a comparison of the Ford Fiesta ST against the Hyundai i20N!

I wonder what the Fiesta ST time would be? Has it been lapped yet?

I’ll take the Kona n. 💪🏾

Great Review!

La Puma del test ha il differenziale autobloccante???

Did u used the N mod and NGS ? Probably no

Definitely trying harder in the Ford. Off out of the track limits twice and took way more curb through the chicane to straighten it and set up for the next corner.

I'd take the Puma. There's a vid on Largus channel with performance on The Ring- it does some crazy speed trough corners

For 40 odd sec per lap, that must be one tiny track. Difference be huge when it is a slightly more normal sized track.

I looked at the Focus st and the 130N And opted for the N. Based on Bang for Buck and that the ST, as great as they are, but they are every where. And for that reason, I would opt for the Nona N again, and I still might :)

This is just the type of test and video I want, and then you see Steve Sutcliffe and aaahhh perfect ❗️😊

Love this segment of car's, would love to see another nismo juke , a gr rav 4 or type r hrv .

I reckon if you would have set up a custom N mode you could have knocked off at least another half second on that lap time. Once you’re comfortable with KONAN it becomes a weapon.

Kona might be £5k more to start, but will probably hold value better than the Puma, esp with that long warranty

As a UK i30N owner, Hyundai need to soften their suspension settings down a notch across the board i.e. N mode gets sport suspension and normal mode is rounded off slightly to aid with the terrible road surfaces you encounter. Anything above comfort suspension is essentially unusable on the road which makes it slightly pointless.

I have Puma ST 1 year now and it is great car.

Kona N for the spirited driver, Puma for the relaxed driver. Simple really

I wonder if ford will ever use DCT in the 1.5 triple !

Awaiting delivery of an ST Performance as a daily runabout. Ticks so many boxes, from performance, handling, equipment and of course value. Cheeky looks set it apart too.

An interesting result suggesting that “less is more”……. Sometimes at least.

To everyone commenting here who has a puma or a Kona, how often have you taken these to a track? or have just gotten into your car and gone joyriding? I just don’t see the purpose of this video, I agree with the decision he has made, the puma is awesome, I drove a puma hybrid and then an ST each for a year and ended up with a fiesta mk8.5 ST. so I think I have enough experience to comment here. So, I am a parent, I needed a "sensible" car for daily driving, I used the Hybrid Puma "fantastic car", for about a year, got the opportunity to swap it to a 21 Puma ST and drive that for a year, also fantastic car, but neither of them gave me the feeling, I want to go to SPA, Hockenheim, or the Nürburgring. they were more, life practical cars for me. kid in one arm, shopping in the other, wave foot, boot open convenience etc. and then when the 2023 Fiesta ST finally came out, I got rid of the Puma ST and picked up the fiesta, which I continue to daily drive, and try to use it as practical as i can, but then I am also frequently racing with the i30n pC, MX5s GR86s with my Fiesta on loads of tracks around Europe, or ripping through the alps over the mountain passes. this car serves two purposes for me. I just don’t see the appeal of this video talking about performance and track times, I would have more expected this to be geared to an audience looking for family convenience? correct me if I’m wrong. My best mate's wife is a proper petrol head, used to be a mechanic, moved from blue collor to white but still in the auto industry, and now is a crash evaluator. She has kids, and so she purchased and drives a Puma ST because she does rip around the mountain passes in Italy France and Switzerland in her car, and so in that regard the Puma ST makes sence. she is limited by the kids and the requirement of practicallity while wanting to also try to have a bit of fun when she can. but granted, id say she is a special case.

In no universe is the Puma ST a better track car than a Kona N ! No way known

I have actually purchased that very puma st 👍

What are you talking about that's what make the Kona N amazing to drive putting it in N mode and hearing the pop's and bangs. Why would I want a boring SUV for that I would just get a Rav 4. Keep it up Hyundai I love the Kona N leave the boring to the other brands.

Interesting i30N FL DCT = 47.1 i20N = 47.3 Kona N = 46.9

I really like the Puma st, I hope I could get one at 18

I would be interested in the Puma, But Ford stands for: "Found on road dead", so I choose Hyundai, and I go really near that N mode button and the NGS button as often as I can.

Personally, i would still go for the KONA N. From the top of my head, it still has better equipment (even a sunroof which the Puma ST lacks, and all equipment is standard), it is taller, and i prefer its interior, plus i vastly prefer the automatic transmission. Being also quicker is just a bonus. The KONA N is just more of an SUV than the Puma, the Puma being just a taller Fiesta, much closer to a normal hatchback.

cmon dude u were driving that Ford much harder gtfoh those cars are not that close. People love to hate Hyuandai because of how bad they used to be. News flash they arent bad anymore. The Kona N is in a different league if u set it up right its a borderline sports car.

ford v hyundai , ford have normally a better ride and handling , but the puma dont come in auto box ?

Kona N all day for me

He didn’t do proper research! I have a kona n and it’s fully customisable. Another western pro journalist

Not a hyundai fan then lol 😆

Steve Sutcliffe prefers cars with soft suspension.. and LOTS of body roll. I remember he preferred the Golf R over a Honda Civic Type R

I think the Kona N and Puma ST are quite different.

THINK THE T ROC overall , just clips all the others in this go fast small suv mkt

Both cars are great.

While I know it's basically same engine size (IE .5 l per cylinder) I still don't like the idea of a 3 cylinder. 2.0 four bangers make me feel better.

Lucky enough to own a Puma ST Gold Edition after having my Fiesta ST order cancelled by the factory due to parts unavailability and have to agree with everything Steve says. Absolutely love the thing.

The Puma M265 from mountune would be a great comparison

On the roads of the UK, ride comfort is everything. I doubt the Puma is silky smooth, but I know for a fact that I couldn't live with the Kona. Watching how much it was shaking and jittering around on a TRACK leaves me with no doubt that I'd be on first name terms with my local tyre fitter AND chiropractor if I drove one around the pot-holed lanes of Sussex! where I live.

lol the video is called a track battle and he said the quicker car is not the best. Obv need to do a bit more research in playing with the drive modes

Ja wir nehmen den Buma.. KLASSE.

The puma comes alive with a map

Thanks for that review - I have been lukewarm on that Puma ST for a while and did not know if it was any good at all ;)

Very Nice

I think quite honestly, choosing between the two is impossible. Both superb hot hatches. Though I think the Ford probably pips it for the road.

not really comparible 2.0 vs 1.5 and 75hp difference. Well driven though the puma looked so controlled.

i definitely like the look of the Puma over the Kona the Puma is such a under rated car great video..

How long have you been on Fords Payroll.

Definitely a ford fan!!

I respectfully disagree. The Kona N would be my choice. Better all around car.

Put them both on hilly windy terrain and the extra torque and marvellous 8 speed dct plus diff will anihilate the manual thing. The dct is cleverer and quicker than you and 20 secs of NGS on such a road is fantastic...pop pop...woohoo. Higher ride height saves crunching kerbs in the front . If you want a soft ride buy a normal car or stay on the tarmac rather than cutting the corners with shocks on race setting

Puma is a way more beatiful car! Hyundai N is a great car but I'd go for the puma, no doubt about it.

Don’t forget Ford’s always offer good discounts on their cars. You can pick up the puma st for around 26k if you shop around. Combine that with Ford’s 0% finance at the moment and you’ll probably be paying almost half a month compared to the Kona 👍

Puma is just 0.7 sec slower being 100 less hp. That says it all.

Like both but would take the Puma 🐈‍⬛️ for UK roads, practibillity and affordability.

These kind of cars won't be for everyone, but these will still be rapid and easy to use :D. For me, I'd pick the Ford 😃👍

Lab time is a critical factor in performance cars. Every manufacturers spends a lot of money to reduce 0.1 second. So, I don't agree with you.

I prefer ford, they handle so much better than Hyundai

I prefer the looks of the Kona, I cannot stand the Puma in all honesty and likewise the Fiesta too - hideous things. The Kona is a novelty car and is certainly different and sounds way better - not keen on that 3 pot thrum.

Bravo

I saw other track tests of the Cona and it wasn't bouncy at all obviously it seems you had more air pressure in the tyres than recommended, perhaps ( deliberately) if so I wonder how much you were paid !

My Kona doesn't bounce around like that? Not saying it's not stiff but it's not that bad. It is loads of fun and has loads of character and is a real everything car too (the boot is a bit small being the one downer). That ford had way more understeer and looked a lot more unbalanced, objectively in the video, even if it's softer so you can't feel it, nowhere near the same capability

I love it when all the KONA people will argue over a result that goes against them. Thete was another review a few weeks ago...sq2, Kona and Puma ST.....the ST won that too. Live with it guys and accept that the Puma is the better all round 'live with' car.

pretty simple the KONA ..IS THE BETTER PERFORMANCE CAR..no question you just proved it on your vid..faster on the track better 0 to 60 better gearbox..case closed

Come on, the point of track racing these cars is?

The Kona makes more sense to me because it's got increased practicality over the i20 that is based on and the engine of the i30n whereas the Puma shares the same engine as the Fiesta ST not the focus. Why wouldn't you just buy the focus? Better looking, better to drive, more powerful etc etc. Kona all day for me out of these 2.

Silly race?? One has loads more power and a bigger engine. Pointless.

God how biased towards the hyundai was the presenter must be a ford fan!!!

Puma.

Lol extra 100bhp and only 0.7sec!

The puma looks more like a ugly frog than a puma.

200 PS Puma no longer built😢

Sorry but the Kona n.is far more exciting.Driven both and want a car to feel special and the ford simply dosent do it plus it dosent have the cool N badge

Wow you just lost all credibility

You talking s..t!😂🤮 Kona it's much better!

A bad reviewer I'd say. Maybe do some more research or at lrast study the car before reviewing them.

Biased 👎

The Kona is not complicated. It is in fact giving you the tech and customisations that Germans are offering being always on top of the car league. If you find a car in today's world for the price without these tech. You can spend your money to buy an old fart Honda integra type R. Or buy a new civic Si lol it has nothing new from the integra. And is more expensive than any car of it's league! 🤷‍♂️

Why on earth would ANYONE take these to a track?

2 seconds in and the puma is just hideous.. so Hyundai it is.

If a sports car is too stiff for you, you need to quit reviewing sports cars. Boomer.

What a pointless review. Who takes a crossover SUV to a track...Journalists looking for a story that's who. The fastest you can drive legally in the UK is 70MPH on public roads. all cars today can go much faster than that, so much that many are electronically limited to 150-160 MPH. Only an idiot or a criminal would go significantly over the speed limit. I currently drive a Fiesta ST and await delivery of the Puma ST. Why an ST? I like the seats and styling and the cars responsiveness. If you want to push yourself on a track then get a Lambo, Ferrari Bugatti etc and stop playing with toys.