Hyundai Inster vs Subaru Crosstrek

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 Crosstrek is good to drive with great ground clearance and an excellent all-wheel drive system for light off-road adventures. I’m also a fan of the styling and features for the money. But The letdowns comes in the form of limited boot space and cabin storage, a short warranty and pricey servicing. Still, it’s great to see Subaru has updated the car's safety systems, the most important part of any car.

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.

While SUVs tend to come in either a tall and boxy or coupe-like shape, the Crosstrek has a uniquely sleek and sporty wagon look that has stayed much the same over three generations.

Also while the Crosstrek competes with the Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30 and Toyota Corolla Cross the Subaru is the most off-road suitable thanks in part to its high 220mm ground clearance

As if to signal those adventurous aspirations the Crosstrek has a more rugged appearance with robust-looking plastic guards and chunky roof rails.

Inside the Crosstrek looks so much the same as most other new Subarus it's hard to work out which one you’re in. The materials are dark and soft, there is not much in the way of glitzy trimmings but there’s a high quality feeling throughout. 

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.

The Crosstrek is a small SUV but its low and sleek shape doesn’t do it any practicality favours in terms of exiting and entering or storage in the boot.

Boot capacity is 291 litres which is very small compared to its rivals which have capacities closer to 350 or 400 litres.

People space inside, however, is good, and even for a tall (189cm) person like me there’s plenty of space up front and behind my driving position.

Storage space is passable with three cupholders and thin door pockets and a decent-size console bin.

Given the Crosstrek’s adventurous intent, the cabin should be more reflective of that rugged aspiration.

The Crosstrek range is divided into three petrol variants and two hybrids. With a list price of $43,990, our test Crosstrek 2.0S sits at the top of the petrols and second from the top of the line-up under the Crosstrek AWD Hybrid S flagship.

Standard features on our 2.0S include 18-in alloy wheels, roof rails, LED headlights and tail-lights, dual-zone climate control, push-button start, proximity unlocking , 10-speaker audio, wireless phone charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an 11.6-inch media touchscreen and leather-trimmed seats.

If you’re looking to save a few thousand dollars the 2.0R is almost as well equipped. 

Is it worth stepping up to the hybrid? Not in my opinion. The hybrid is the 'mild' kind and doesn't offer a great deal in terms of real-world fuel savings. You can read more on fuel efficiency below.

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 Crosstrek 2.0S uses a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, horizontally-opposed 'boxer' petrol engine which makes 115kW and 196Nm. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) with eight 'speeds’ isn’t the most exhilarating automatic but all Subaru now use CVTs.

The boxer engine has advantageous in terms of a lower centre of mass and helps deliver better driving feel thanks to more adept handling. Boxer engines also sound better to my ears with their throaty burble.

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.

The Crosstrek 2.0S's combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) fuel consumption is 7.2L/100km which aligns closely with our real-world test average of 8.7L/100km returned over mainly urban and city driving. That’s not bad, but given the price of fuel as well as the availability of EVs and excellent hybrids from other brands the Crosstrek is seriously behind the times.

Yes, yes, there is a hybrid Crosstrek, but it’s a mild-hybrid and the electric motor doesn't drive the wheels and doesn’t save much fuel. The hybrid Crosstrek has a claimed combined cycle consumption figure of 6.5L/100km, so there’s not much difference between the efficiency of the two. When you consider the price premium you need to pay it’s not worth stepping up into the hybrid.

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.

I’ve never met a new Subaru that wasn’t good to drive, apart from that time a friend sent me his 30-year old Brumby minus brakes. But even that was fun, until it was time to stop… Anyway, in my view the Crosstrek is better than its rivals in multiple areas except one, which I’ll get to in a moment.

The Crosstrek 2.0S is comfortable to sit in and its ride and handling balance is exceptional for a vehicle in this class. Honestly, the ride quality, body control and steering outshines the HR-V, Kona, CX-30 and Corolla Cross in my view.

A big call out has to go to the Crosstrek's all-wheel drive system, which is exceptional. I have tested this vehicle in some pretty adventurous settings and the kind of terrain it can devour would frighten its rivals.  

But the one area that lets the experience down is the CVT auto. I feel this way about this type of transmission in any car and I’m not alone. CVTs provide smooth acceleration and deceleration but if you’re hoping for an engaging, sporty experience you’ll be left wanting.

That said, my wife also drove the car and thought it was perfect for city traffic. And I agree, it’s just on the motorway where you might notice the lack of oomph when overtaking.

Visibility is good and you sit quite high for a little SUV. That small size makes it easy to park and manage in the city’s tighter spaces.

Part of the reason we're testing the Crosstrek is because it was updated with more safety tech and equipment towards the end of last year. This safety boost means the Crosstrek continues to boast a maximum five-star ANCAP rating.

The big change was to the 'Eyesight' sensor system with better traffic sign recognition and enhanced AEB systems. An emergency vehicle stop system has also been added to bring the car to a halt if the driver becomes unresponsive.

The rest of the Crosstrek’s features carry over including AEB, lane-keeping assistance, front and rear cross-traffic alert (with braking) and blind-spot warning.

For child seats there are two ISOFIX points and three top tether anchor mounts across the second row.

There is a spare where but it's a temporary type which will get you to a repair place.  

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.

Subaru’s five year united kilometre warranty is becoming less appealing as other brands offer seven or even 10 years of coverage. 

Servicing is recommended every 12 months/15,000km and a capped schedule is pricey relative to its competitors at more than $2400 over five years or about $400 on average per service.

The brand is represented by a long-established and stable network of close to 130 dealers covering metro, rural and regional locations across every state and territory.