3 Things
There are 3 areas in which I would give my Kona 3 stars at best.
1. Unreliable acceleration and loses acceleration on cruise control.
2. Brakes. On several occasions they have skipped when I was stopping. Good thing I was going under 25mph. Also on the brakes, when there is a lot of moisture in the air or it has been raining, when you first drive it, the brakes make the sound of wet brakes. It last for about 10-15, then goes away.
3. The Kona is a light weight suv. It does not handle well on very windy days that gets harder on windy days on the highway. I do not take my Kona up north in the winter. I rent a heavier SUV.
Other than those things the Kona has a great body style, good leg room in the back, easy steering, very good space in the hatch, decent mileage, it comes with good tires and a good package.