Our plan for the day runs like this. Start at Cane Ridge Park at 9 a.m., run a quick errand stop near Bell Road, then coast out to Percy Priest Lake before lunch. Three stops. Roughly 18 miles of driving total. The 2026 Hyundai Kona handles every inch of it on a fraction of a full tank, and that's not a marketing line. The EPA rates the 2.0L FWD configuration at 29 city / 34 highway / 31 combined MPG-estimated. On a 12.4-gallon tank, that's a genuine range of over 380 miles before you're looking for a pump.
We'll be honest about one thing up front. This isn't the route for someone who wants neck-snapping highway merges. The 2.0L SE and SEL Sport make 147 horsepower, and they're not pretending otherwise. What they do well is pull cleanly through stop-and-start conditions on Cane Ridge Parkway and Bell Road without burning fuel doing it. That's the tradeoff, and for this kind of Saturday, it's the right one.
What's the Route?
The loop runs south Nashville's most efficient corridor, earning that label with surface roads at moderate traffic, one short I-24 stretch, and easy parking at every stop, so it won't be the quickest way across town, but it will be the gentlest on your fuel gauge.
| Stop | Drive Time | What to Do | What to Pack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cane Ridge Park (419 Battle Rd) | Start here | Walking trails, basketball courts, bike paths, playground | Layers (cool fall mornings), water bottles, dog leash |
| Bell Road Corridor errands | ~8 min from Cane Ridge Park | Grocery run, coffee, any quick pickup | Reusable bags, 25.5 cu ft of cargo room to fill |
| Percy Priest Lake (Seven Points Recreation Area) | ~12 min from Bell Road | Shoreline walk, picnic, fishing | Cooler, chairs, fishing gear (63.7 cu ft with seats folded handles all of it) |
Two things make this loop work in a Kona specifically. First, the Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT) on the 2.0L trims manages fuel delivery smoothly through the traffic patterns on Bell Road (it's calibrated to feel like a conventional geared transmission rather than a rubbery CVT, which matters when you're in and out of parking lots). Second, the cargo floor. With 25.5 cubic feet behind the rear seats, you can carry the morning's groceries and still have room for folding chairs. Fold the rear seats and the Kona opens to 63.7 cubic feet. A cooler, a picnic kit, and a couple of camp chairs all fit. No tetris.
The Three Stops in Detail
Stop 1: Cane Ridge Park
Pull in off Battle Road and you'll find bike paths, walking trails, basketball and tennis courts, and covered picnic shelters. Fall is the right time for it. September temperatures in Nashville tend to sit in the low-to-mid 70s by mid-morning, which makes the trail circuit genuinely comfortable rather than a test of endurance. The park has ample free parking and a playground, so this stop works whether you're solo or bringing kids. See the current Kona lineup and note how compact the footprint is (171.3 inches long), because parking here, and everywhere on this loop, is never a problem.
Plan on 45 minutes to an hour, then point it north on Battle Road. Next stop, Bell Road.
Stop 2: Bell Road Corridor
Where does the stop-and-go picture show up in real numbers? Right here, near I-24. The 2.0L Kona's IVT keeps the engine in its efficiency band during the kind of slow-and-surge traffic that runs through this stretch. In our experience on similar Nashville surface roads, the city MPG figure of 29 holds up, because the IVT doesn't hunt for gears the way a traditional automatic does under light throttle. Pick up whatever you need. The 12.3-inch touchscreen handles navigation hands-free with wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, no fumbling with cables before you pull back onto the road. Explore financing options if you're still in the math phase of this decision.
Give yourself 20-30 minutes here. Then it's east to the lake.
Stop 3: Percy Priest Lake (Seven Points Recreation Area)
Seven Points sits on the western shore of Percy Priest Lake, about 10 miles east of downtown Nashville. There's a beach area, picnic spots, a nature trail, and a day-use area managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, so plan for a small day-use fee (no dollar amount we'd ever quote, as it changes). The Kona's job here is simple. Carry your gear in, find a spot easily in the lot, and stay comfortable while you wait out the best part of a fall afternoon by the water.
Keep the Kona in shape for day trips like this one (fresh tires and a functioning climate system matter more on a lake run than they do on a commute).
Hyundai's SmartSense suite comes standard on every Kona trim, including Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Blind-Spot Collision Warning, and Lane Keeping Assist (all active on the I-24 segment between Bell Road and the lake access roads without any configuration required).
Tweak It to Your Crew
The loop above works well for two adults or a small family, and it flexes without much fuss when your crew looks different. It scales up for a bigger group or down to a fuel-only run, so here's how to adjust it based on who's coming.
Bigger group or more cargo: The Kona seats five, and with 38.2 inches of rear legroom, adults in the back aren't crammed. If you're hauling bikes or a serious amount of gear, fold the rear seats (63.7 cubic feet) and move the errands stop to a pickup-only pass-through rather than a full grocery run. The SEL Premium and Limited trims carry a 13.2-gallon tank and add a 1.6L turbo making 190 horsepower (that's the pick if your crew includes a highway stretch to Old Hickory or a longer run to the lake's east access roads).
Just fuel savings, no compromise on power: The SEL Premium's 1.6T still returns 28 MPG combined EPA-estimated on FWD, which is a strong figure for a turbocharged engine in this class. You give up 3 MPG combined compared to the 2.0L but gain 43 horsepower (useful if you're regularly merging from Bell Road onto I-24 at speed).
Winter version of this route: Nashville's ice events are occasional but real, usually concentrated in January and February. HTRAC all-wheel drive is available on every Kona trim. It costs a couple of MPG (the 2.0L drops from 31 to about 29 MPG combined with AWD), so if you only need it a few times a year, FWD with good all-season tires is the practical call for most south Nashville driving, ice weeks aside. If you do more than a few winter highway runs, a Kona with HTRAC capability might give you that performance without the full new-vehicle premium.
