Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) just launched the facelifted Hyundai Kona here in Malaysia, which made its international debut back in September last year. Sporting a sleeker, updated design, the B-segment SUV – fully imported (CBU) from South Korea – gets some changes under the skin as well, including a new transmission.

Oddly enough, the 1.6 Turbo variant of the pre-facelift Kona is not part of the updated model lineup. Instead, the facelifted Kona is now offered in the base 2.0 model for RM119,888, as well as the better equipped 2.0 Active trim, which costs RM136,888. These prices are actually RM4,000 and RM2,000 less compared to the pre-facelift models of the same trim.

As their names suggest, both variants of the facelifted Kona are powered by a Smartstream G2.0 MPI four-cylinder engine that outputs 149PS and 180Nm of torque. Unlike the previous six-speed automatic transmission, these two models now feature Hyundai’s Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT), the Korean company’s version of a CVT gearbox.

Aside from that, the 2.0 Active also comes with Hyundai’s SmartSense suite of active safety features, which include Forward Collision-avoidance Assist (FCA), Blind-spot Collision-avoidance Assist (BCA), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), and Lane Following Assist (LFA). Unfortunately, there’s no adaptive cruise control here.

Other specifications of the updated 2.0 Active Kona include leather seats, 18-inch alloy wheels, and even a head-up display. The base 2.0 model, on the other hand, comes with fabric seats and 17-inch alloys instead. Aside from that, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (very nice) as well as six airbags are standard across the range.

The facelifted Hyundai Kona is now available for booking in Malaysia. If these two models don’t catch your fancy, perhaps you’d be interested in the sportier N Line trim. It’s said to be arriving here in the near future, and there’s a good chance it will be equipped with the more powerful 1.6 T-GDI engine found in the pre-facelift model.