Where Toyota and Mazda stop with 2.5-liter, 145-horse four-bangers, the 2018 Hyundai Kona offers the same pair of engines that comes with the sporty Hyundai Veloster sports coupe Ð 143-horse, 2.0-liter 4-banger and 175-horse, 193-torque, 1.6-liter turbo.

The 2018 Hyundai Kona features a funky front end reminiscent of Jeep's last-gen, 2016 Cherokee - three shelves of lights border the big grille with the running lights on top (!) and the headlights in the middle.

Why let the front end get all the attention? The rear of the 2018 Hyundai Kona is almost as unconventional as the front, with two tiers of lights.

The 2018 Hyundai Kona has a lot going on with its sculpted fenders and shoulders and sporty roofline - but you'll be able to pick it out in the parking lot next to all the other 5-door utes. Especially if you paint it in Lime Twist.

Five doors, cladding, raised seating position - the 2018 Hyundai Kona is definitely a crossover alright . But with tight handling, it shares its character with the Veolster Coupe and Elantra sedan.

The 2018 Hyundai Kona is a funky five-door ute that joins more conventional-looking subcompacts like the Ford Ecosport, Honda HR-V, Subaru Crosstrek, and Chevy Trax.

Best-in-class cargo room, fold flat rear seats, and electronic options that would make a luxury car proud, the 2018 Hyundai Kona is an impressive package.

The 2018 Hyundai Kona compliments its best-in-class cargo space with nifty sub-cargo bins under the rear floor mat.

Funky outside, conventional inside. The 2018 Hyundai Kona sports a familiar Hyundai interior with tablet screen, intuitive control knobs, and nice materials.

The 2018 Hyundai Kona. Under the revised U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, the number of U.S. automobile exports that will be allowed to meet American car safety standards in lieu of Korean standards, and enter the Korean market without further modification, will be increased to 50,000 cars per manufacturer per year from 25,000 vehicles today.

The interior of the 2018 Hyundai Kona is familiar Hyundai - though Kona decided to put its speaker system low to open up more space along the dash.

Yeah, it's a bit tight back there. It's a subcompact ute after all. But the 2018 Hyundai Kona has good headroom even with a sunroof.