Hyundai Inster vs Renault Trafic

What's the difference?

The target market for the Inster isn't huge, and Hyundai knows it won't be a runaway best-seller for the brand. But those in the market for a bite-sized EV will find the Inster feels bigger, and drives better, than they might expect.

The Renault Trafic is a practical and capable workhorse, but then so are some other mid-sized van rivals which sell in greater numbers and come standard with five-star safety credentials. Therefore, a potential buyer must be prepared to accept the Trafic’s inferior standard safety menu (or pay extra to enhance it) to exploit its numerous strengths in a working role.

The words small but perfectly formed appear here, with Hyundai’s insistence on not having a traditional range-wide design identity allowing them the freedom to create something unique and pretty funky here — though I do see some shades of Suzuki Ignis in the side profile.

It does look fun though, right? With the selfie ring-light-style headlights, Tetris-style rear lights, those swollen guards and the funky alloys.

And you can dial up further with the Cross variant, which gets a tougher, more squared-off look front and back - even if you’re more chance of meeting a bunyip than an Inster on your favourite off-road track.

Inside, the cuteness continues, though some of the scratchy cabin materials definitely point to the entry-level nature of the Inster.

Still, the seat materials, both the cloth and the leather, are lovely and thoughtfully coloured, and the twin screen setup is nice, too. I love the inclusion of a host of physical buttons that control the climate, stereo and the nav.

Our LWB example rides on a sizeable 3498mm wheelbase with four-wheel disc brakes, rack and pinion steering and MacPherson strut front suspension.

The rear suspension uses torsion bar primary springing, supplemented by a pair of secondary coil springs for carrying heavy loads.

Its 1967mm height ensures access to height-limited areas like multi-storey car parks and underground loading zones, but its lengthy wheelbase and front wheel-drive configuration combine to produce a relatively large 13.8-metre turning circle.

The Pro’s no-frills work focus results in extensive use of unpainted dark grey plastic in external areas where bumps and scrapes usually occur in hard-working vans, including the door mirror shells, wheel hubcaps, front/rear bumpers (including the rear pillars from top to bottom) and along the sides.

As a result, the Trafic has a robust and purposeful appearance, combined with a neat and practical cabin design with seating for three on a tasteful blend of contrasting grey fabrics. Hard surfaces are enhanced with satin chrome highlights.

The minimalist dash design (thankfully) provides physical ‘piano key’ buttons for numerous functions, plus there’s a trio of large manual dials to control fan speed, air-flow and cabin temperature in preference to distracting touchscreen prompts.

The Inster stretches 3825mm long, 1610mm wide and 1575mm tall, but it rides on a 2580mm wheelbase – the later being bigger than the Hyundai Venue, and almost as big as the Kona.

It has allowed Hyundai to stretch the legroom options in the backseat, which actually gives you more space than the two bigger SUVs mentioned above, helped massively by the fact the Inster's rear pew is on rails, allowing you to slide it right back, and that it reclines a fair way, too.

I'm 175cm and I found I had more than enough leg and headroom, and with the backseat in full La-Z-Boy mode, I could sit back and relax, even on a longer journey.

It's a good thing it's four seats only, though. While the Inster feels longer than it is, it doesn't feel any wider, and even in the front seat you can feel like you're in economy class when you have a passenger on board, with both of you rubbing elbows on the central armrest.

Clever storage abounds though, with hidey-holes, handbag hooks and more dotted throughout the cabin. Opt for the roof box – and wear the efficiency penalty – and you can pop another 75kg worth of gear on the roof.

Also cool is the fact the backseats fold completely flat in the entry-level Inster, upping the storage possibilities. And in the top-spec Cross, the front seats fold down, too, allowing for fairly long items to be stowed. Though why you would need the driver's seat to fold flat is a bit of a mystery, unless you're looking to turn your Inster into an immovable storage container.

Apparently in Korea you can option a mattress that slides over all four seats, but I can't see that taking off here.

The official storage numbers are 280L and 1059L, and the small boot is helped along a little by underfloor storage where you can pop your charging stuff.

With its relatively light 1816kg kerb weight and 3070kg GVM, our test vehicle has a substantial 1254kg payload rating which is almost 200kg higher than Toyota’s HiAce LWB (1055kg).

Its 1630kg braked tow rating is also higher than the HiAce’s 1500kg limit and with its 4700kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) the Trafic (like the HiAce) can haul its maximum payload while towing its maximum trailer weight.

Standard cargo bay access is through a single kerbside-sliding door or glazed swing-up tailgate, but a right-side sliding door and glazed symmetrical rear barn-doors with forklift-friendly 180-degree opening (the latter as fitted to our test vehicle) are available as options. The cargo bay walls and doors are lined to mid-height.

The load floor is 2937mm long and 1662mm wide, with 1268mm between the rear-wheel housings. So, it can carry up to two standard 1165mm-square Aussie pallets or up to three 1200 x 800mm Euro pallets, secured by a choice of eight load-anchorage points.

The cargo bay offers a competitive 6.55 cubic metres of load volume. Our example is fitted with a 12mm-ply non-slip floor kit and cube shelving kit provided by local industry supplier Autosafe. According to Renault, this tradie-focused set-up retails for $5254 including freight and installation.

The fixed two-passenger bench seat has a lap-sash belt for the central passenger and even someone my height (186cm) can get reasonably comfortable in the middle of a crew of three, albeit with knees competing for space with the prominent dash protrusion that houses the gearshift. By contrast, the outer passenger has ample knee and foot room.

The cabin is equally generous with headroom and displays optimum use of storage space. This includes a large bin in each door which can fit large bottles, with a smaller bin above.

There’s also small-bottle/cupholders on each side of the dash-pad plus a clamshell-lid compartment ahead of the driver, a large open tray in the centre (with two USB-C ports), small closable bins in the lower dash on either side of the driver and a single glove box.

If you choose the glazed bulkhead option, the centre-seat backrest folds forward to reveal an elaborate three-tier workstation, starting with a clipboard on top that can also be detached to use outside the vehicle or mounted vertically in the workstation to face the driver or passenger.

Beneath the clipboard is a hinged work desk, which when raised reveals a shallow felt-lined compartment that’s ideal for hidden storage of phones, tablets, lap-tops etc.

Folding the bench seat’s front-hinged base cushions forward also reveals a cavernous hidden storage compartment underneath.

Our Pro LWB (Long Wheelbase) L2H1 test vehicle, in 'Glacier White' and ‘Pro’ model grade, comes with a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine and optional six-speed dual-clutch automatic for a list price of $53,000.

In comparison to the major players, that's in the same ballpark as the Toyota HiAce, lower than Ford's Transit Custom and higher than Hyundai's Staria Load and LDV's G10+.

Our example has a couple of extra-cost options including a glazed cabin bulkhead ($400) and glazed rear barn-doors ($400). The cabin is also equipped with a set of carpet mats ($138) from Renault’s genuine accessories range.

Its work-focused standard equipment list includes no-frills 16-inch steel wheels with 205/65R16 tyres and a full-size spare, plus an eight-way-adjustable driver’s bucket seat, 4.2-inch colour driver’s display including digital speedo, two-passenger bench with under-seat storage, rear parking sensors, reversing camera, LED headlights and LED daytime running lights.

Multimedia is provided by an 8.0-inch central touchscreen with wireless Apple and Android smartphone mirroring and Bluetooth audio streaming.

Renault also offers numerous individual options, plus option packs including the 'Comfort Pack', 'Peace of Mind Pack' and 'Trade Pack'.

The Hyundai Inster Standard Range kicks off power proceedings, with a single front-mounted electric motor producing 71kW and 147Nm.

Next is the Extended Range, which shares its outputs with the Inster Cross. Here, the front-mounted motor’s outputs have been ticked up slightly, now producing 84kW and 147Nm.

Those aren’t big numbers, but then neither does either Inster feel particularly slow or underpowered. 

The Euro 5-compliant 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel produces 125kW at 3500rpm and peak torque of 380Nm at 1500rpm.

The six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission offers the choice of sequential manual-shifting using the shift-lever (no steering wheel paddles) and offers three drive modes comprising 'Normal' (default setting), 'Eco' and 'Performance'.

Standard Range cars get a 42kWh lithium-ion battery, producing a driving range of 327km. The Extended Range and the Cross get a bigger 49kWh battery, increasing the range to 360kms. Now, that roof box. It does look cool, but you’re going to really need to carry stuff to choose that option, given it increases energy consumption by 25 per cent, reducing the Cross’s range to just 293km.

When it comes to charging, the Inster is set up for 120kW DC fast charging, or 10.5kW AC charging - provided you have that much power available at home, as most wall boxes are more like 7.1kW.

Renault claims official combined (urban/extra-urban) average consumption of 6.5L/100km but the Trafic’s dash display was showing 7.9 when we stopped to refuel at the end of our 359km test, of which about one third of that distance was hauling a one-tonne-plus payload.

Our own figure, calculated from actual fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, was higher again at 8.9 which falls comfortably within the usual 2.0-3.0L/100km discrepancy between official and ‘real world’ consumption.

Fact is, any mid-sized van that can produce sub-10L economy in the real world gets a big thumbs-up from us. So, based on our numbers, you could expect an expansive driving range of around 900km from its 80-litre tank.

Honestly, the impact electrification has had on vehicles in this class is staggering.

It wasn't so long ago that these micro cars were fitted with underwhelming petrol engines, four- or five-speed gearboxes and all the noise-deadening technology of a tin of beans.

As a result, they were cute, but painful. It always felt like you had to wring their neck to get the most out of them, and when you did, they were loud, buzzy and annoying.

But the Inster is none of those things. While not ludicrously powerful, the electric propulsion offered, and the nature of the way it's produced, feels ample in the little Hyundai, with the acceleration smooth, silent and easy,

It's also just generally quiet. Hyundai says it has double-sealed the doors, used thicker glass and fitted full underbody coverings to reduce the NVH - or noise, vibration, harshness - levels, and all of that, combined with the peace and quiet of an electric motor, have created a mostly blissful cabin experience.

The ride and handling hasn't been through the full Hyundai Australia ride and handling calibration of old. Instead, it's undergone the brand's more modern approach, which is to take the best componentry from what's available overseas and then build the Aussie-spec cars from there.

Either way, it all works pretty well here. Only really big bumps clang into the cabin, with the Inster otherwise riding well over all of the road surfaces we encountered.

The point, I guess, is that it's a drive experience stuffed full of happy surprises. The ride, the acceleration and the refinement are all well up on what you might expect from a city car.

The driver’s seat offers good comfort with its firm bolstering, fold-down inboard arm-rest and adjustable lumbar support. The only thing missing is a left footrest, just like the one residing in the outer passenger footwell which is of course the driver’s footwell in LHD models.

The synthetic leather-rimmed steering wheel feels nice in your hands and has a premium look. Eyelines to all mirrors are good and the large window in the optional cabin bulkhead allows a clear view through the rear barn-doors, but only if you remove the centre seat’s headrest when the middle seat is unoccupied.

Engine response is at its most energetic from 1500rpm where maximum torque is tapped and it continues to pull strongly all the way to maximum power at 3500rpm.

The decisive shifts of the dual-clutch automatic in Normal (default) drive mode feel well calibrated in terms of optimising the engine’s performance in all driving conditions, which is confirmed by only small differences in response when using the Eco and Performance modes.

Its gearing also ensures the Trafic is well-suited to highway work, requiring only 2000rpm to  maintain 110km/h. It’s even better with the optional bulkhead/cargo barrier as fitted to our test vehicle given it insulates the driver from most cargo bay noise, which can become intolerable in vans at these speeds without this item fitted.

To test its payload rating we forklifted 975kg into the cargo bay. Combined with the weight of the Autosafe fit-out and driver, it equalled a total payload of 1150kg which was only about 100kg less than its legal limit.

The rear suspension compressed about 50mm under this loading, yet still had ample travel to ensure there was no bottoming-out during our test drive. It hauled this one-tonne-plus payload with commendable ease in city, suburban and highway driving, with negligible effects on handling and braking.

It also impressed on our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km set-climb at 60km/h, quickly downshifting to third gear to easily haul this load to the top.

Engine-braking on the way down, in a manually-selected second gear, wasn’t as robust, but in our experience typical of small displacement (sub-3.0L) turbo-diesels trying to restrain one-tonne-plus payloads on steep descents. Even so, the four-wheel disc brakes comfortably kept speeds under control without a hint of fade.

There’s no ANCAP star rating and the current range (September 2022 onwards) only earned a silver medal in ANCAP’s Commercial Van Safety Comparison, with its score of 45 per cent reflecting the absence of AEB for pedestrians/cyclists and lane-keeping assist.

Even so, its standard safety menu includes front and lateral-curtain airbags for driver and passengers plus driver’s thorax airbag, car-to-car AEB, lane departure warning, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and more.

However, with a huge blind-spot over the driver’s left shoulder created by the solid cargo bay walls, a Trafic buyer should not have to pay extra to get essentials like blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, given these active safety features are standard on the segment-leading Toyota HiAce.

The Inster delivers super long service intervals, requiring a trip to the service centre every two years or 30,000kms, but each service is priced at $655. A Toyota Yaris Cross, for perspective, will see you visit the service centre twice as often, but each visit will only cost you $255, or $510 every two years.

The Hyundai warranty is five years/unlimited kilometres, while the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years.

The Trafic comes with a five year/200,000km warranty, which includes five years 24/7 roadside assist. Scheduled servicing is 12 months/30,000km whichever occurs first. Capped-pricing applies to the first five scheduled services up to five years/150,000km which totals $3555, or an annual average of $711.