Hyundai Staria vs Renault Trafic

What's the difference?

The Staria Load HEV offers numerous advantages over its diesel equivalent including superior fuel economy, lower exhaust emissions, higher power output and a bigger payload. However, it also has a higher purchase price and no tow rating, so careful analysis of your specific work requirements will determine if Hyundai’s new hybrid van is fit for purpose.

The Renault Trafic Premium LWB makes light work of heavy payloads and offers smart solutions for long internal load carrying and ‘mobile office’ requirements, combined with lengthy service intervals, good fuel economy and long driving range. It’s certainly worthy of cross-shopping with the HiAce and other rivals if you’re in the market for a refined and efficient mid-size commercial van.

The updated Staria Load range brings mild styling revisions of the headlights and front bumper along with a more conventional and (in our eyes at least) stylish grille design.

The roomy and practical cabin has also been refreshed with a new four-spoke leather-trimmed steering wheel and a more spacious and versatile centre console (see Practicality).

The refreshed Staria Load is available only in a two-seater configuration, as the five-seater ‘crew’ variant with a bench seat in the cargo bay has been discontinued.

The Trafic is one of the most distinctive mid-size vans in Australia, with its sculptured flanks and ornate upswept headlights adding rare styling flair to a light-commercial vehicle segment traditionally compared with whitegoods. Even so, this overt styling does not detract from its work-focused practicality.

The spacious cabin has a neat and practical appearance with numerous shades of grey enhanced by satin chrome highlights and contrasting white stitching on the fabric-covered seats.

We also like the functional dash layout, particularly Renault’s adherence to a trio of large physical dials to control cabin climate settings in preference to distracting touchscreen prompts.

The Premium LWB has a sizeable 3498mm wheelbase which, combined with its front wheel-drive configuration, results in a large 13.8-metre turning circle. However, its 1967mm height ensures comfortable access to multi-storey carparks and low clearance loading zones.

With its peak kerb weight of 2091kg and 3130kg GVM, our test vehicle has a one-tonne-plus payload rating of 1039kg which is slightly higher than its diesel sibling (997kg). And it can legally carry up to 100kg of that payload on the roof.

However, unlike the diesel version which is rated to tow up to 2500kg of braked trailer, our HEV variant is not rated for towing. Obviously, this could be a deal breaker for tradies and other users who rely on being able to haul trailers to get the job done.

The cargo bay is 2500mm long and 1640mm wide with (according to our tape measure) 1250mm between the rear wheel housings, which means it can carry up to two 1165mm-square Aussie pallets or up to three Euro pallets, secured by a choice of eight load anchorage points.

It can also accommodate load heights up to 1436mm and offers a total (VDA) load volume of 4935 litres. That’s a snip under 5.0 cubic metres which is significantly less than the 6.2 cubic metres offered by the segment-leading Toyota HiAce LWB. Walls and doors are lined to mid-height and there’s a rubber load floor covering.

The cargo bay is accessed through sliding doors on each side with 870mm openings (just wide enough for a Euro pallet) or through the rear via the standard swing-up tailgate. However, for working roles that need rear forklift access, optional twin-swing doors with 180-degree opening are available. Our example is also equipped with a sturdy mesh-type cargo barrier from Hyundai’s genuine accessories range.

The cabin is a comfortable and practical workspace with its work-focused vinyl floor (ours also has genuine accessory all-weather floor mats), dark fabric-trimmed seats and wipe-clean hard surfaces.

There’s also plenty of storage courtesy of a glovebox, two overhead shelves, wide-opening doors with three tiers of storage including large-bottle holders, long shelves on either side of the dash plus a cup-holder next to the driver’s instrument display.

The centre fascia adds a wireless phone-charging pad, two USB-C ports, 12V socket and more small bins while the new centre console between the seats provides a cavernous open bin and two cup/small-bottle holders.

Our test vehicle’s relatively light 1844kg kerb weight and 3070kg GVM results in a substantial 1226kg payload capacity. Its upgraded 2500kg braked tow rating is, like the payload rating, higher than the Toyota HiAce LWB but lower than the Ford Transit Custom LWB.

However, Renault does not publish a GCM figure (how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) so we don’t know if it can haul its maximum payload while towing its maximum trailer weight.

Access to the cargo bay, which offers a competitive 6.7 cubic metres of load volume, is through solid sliding doors on each side and glazed rear barn doors with forklift friendly 180-degree opening. The standard right-side sliding door can be deleted when ordering and a glazed single tailgate option is also available.

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 800 x 1200 Euro pallets. There’s eight load-anchorage points at floor level and another eight at various heights for carrying taller loads.

Hinged flaps at the base of the front bulkhead and under the front of the passenger seat can also be opened to extend the load floor to an expansive 4150mm, allowing similar lengths of timber, conduit or PVC pipe to be carried.

The two-passenger bench seat has ample legroom for the outer occupant and even someone my height (186cm) can find reasonable comfort in the middle of a crew of three, albeit with knees competing for space with the prominent dash protrusion that houses the gearshift.

Generous cabin storage includes large bins in each door plus cup-holders on each side of the dash, a clamshell-lid compartment ahead of the driver, large open tray in the centre, small bin in the lower dash and a single glovebox.

The centre-seat backrest also folds forward to reveal a clever three-tier workstation, with a clipboard on top that can be detached to use outside the vehicle or mounted vertically in the workstation to face the driver or passenger (see image).

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

Folding the bench seat’s front-hinged base cushions forward also reveals a cavernous hidden storage compartment below, which allows long cargo items to pass through when its front and rear metal flaps are open.

The MY26 Renault Trafic range offers a choice of short wheelbase (SWB) or long wheelbase (LWB) and three trim levels across five models, comprising the entry-level SWB Pro with a list price of $52,990, SWB Premium ($56,990), LWB Pro ($54,990), LWB Premium ($57,990) and LWB Crew Lifestyle ($64,990).

Our Glacier White test vehicle is the LWB Premium (Premium has more standard features than Pro) equipped with the same 2.0-litre diesel automatic drivetrain shared by all Trafic variants. Its $57,990 list price is in the same $50-60K ballpark as the Toyota HiAce LWB ($56,880) and other established players including the Hyundai Staria Load Premium ($52,740) and Ford Transit Custom Trend LWB ($57,890).

Technical upgrades for the MY26 Trafic range include a new nine-speed torque converter automatic transmission, which offers notably smoother shifting than the six-speed twin-clutch auto it replaces.

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel has also been upgraded to tougher Euro 6 emission standards (previously Euro 5) and fuel consumption has been trimmed from the previous 6.5 to 6.2L/100km without reductions in power or torque output.

Its braked tow rating has been raised to 2500kg, which is a substantial increase over the 1630kg (LWB) and 1680kg (SWB) limits of previous automatic variants.

The Premium's standard equipment includes 16-inch steel wheels with 205/65 R16 tyres and full-size spare, LED headlights/DRLs/fog lights, front/rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, 7.0-inch driver info display and 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, wireless phone charging, three USB ports, two 12v sockets, steel cabin bulkhead with window, body colour tail-light columns, seating for three, reconfigurable centre seat workstation, large hidden storage compartment/cargo length extender beneath the passenger seat (see Practicality) and more.

Renault also offers numerous options including six exterior colours, different cargo bay door/window configurations and 17-inch alloy wheels, plus the choice of numerous individual options or tailored equipment packages like the Trade Pack and Business Pack. Options on our test vehicle include cabin floor mats, cargo bay side panels and a timber-lined load floor.

The Staria Load HEV is powered by Hyundai’s 1.6 T-GDi (Turbocharged-Gasoline Direct Injection) hybrid drivetrain, which comprises a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine producing 132kW at 5500rpm and 265Nm across a wide peak torque band between 1500-4500rpm. It also has combined CO2 emissions of 147g/km which is lower than the diesel’s 183g/km output.

This engine is paired with a single electric motor that produces up to 54kW of power and 304Nm of torque. Their official combined power output is rated at 180kW (50kW more than the diesel’s 130kW) but there’s no official combined torque figure, given the petrol engine and electric motor do not produce their peak torque values at the same time. Even so, based on our test drive, its torque is ample for mid-size van duties.

The six-speed automatic transmission replaces the conventional hydraulic torque converter with a hybrid electric motor/engine-disconnect clutch assembly. However, it still shifts and behaves much like a conventional auto, including the choice of sequential manual shifting.

It also offers three drive modes comprising ‘Eco’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Smart’ with the latter offering the best balance of performance and fuel efficiency which we mostly used during our test.

The hybrid system is also equipped with what Hyundai calls ‘e-Motion Drive’ which incorporates a series of automated control strategies for the electric motor that actively enhance chassis dynamics to optimise ride quality, handling and stability.

New front subframe bushings bring additional rough-road comfort while rear hydro bushings allow for more natural body movement over bumps. NVH (Noise/Vibration/Harshness) has also been addressed with greater noise insulation within the dash structure and body mountings.

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel, now with Euro 6 emissions compliance using AdBlue, produces 125kW at 3500rpm and peak torque of 380Nm at 1500rpm.

The new nine-speed torque converter automatic offers a choice of drive modes and sequential manual-shifting using the steering wheel-mounted paddles.

MacPherson strut front suspension is paired with torsion bar rear springing, the latter including a pair of secondary coil springs for hauling heavy loads. It also has rack and pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes.

Hyundai claims HEV combined consumption of only 6.5L/100km and the dash display was close to that at 6.8 when we stopped to refuel at the completion of our test. We covered a total distance of 339km comprising our usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving, of which more than 100km was carrying a heavy payload.

Our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, came in slightly higher at 7.1L/100km. Even so, that’s outstanding economy for a mid-size commercial van in real-world use, given the much higher figures we recorded with a Toyota HiAce LWB (10.7L/100km) and Staria Load diesel (10.9L/100km) during our most recent tests of those models using similar test procedures.

So, based on our numbers, you could expect an extensive real-world driving range of around 900km from its 65-litre petrol tank, which is 10 litres less than its diesel sibling.

Renault claims average combined consumption of only 6.2L/100km (lower than HiAce, Staria Load and Transit Custom) and the dash display was showing 6.9 at the completion of our test, during which we travelled 501km across our usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving of which about 100km was hauling a near maximum payload.

So, based on these figures our test vehicle has a vast theoretical driving range of around 1100km from its big 80-litre tank, but even allowing for the usual 2-3L/100km discrepancy between official and real-world consumption, it should do 800-900km between refills.

Driving a hybrid van is no different to driving a non-hybrid van. Apart from accelerating, braking and switching between drive modes, the driver has no input in how the vehicle performs as it continuously monitors and distributes outputs from the petrol engine, electric motor and hybrid battery to ensure sufficient charge, good response and optimum fuel efficiency at all times.

So, the driver only needs to concentrate on driving while the hybrid components talk among themselves. You can feel and hear the smooth transitions between petrol and electric power which are also visually tracked by information on the digital screens.

Although the HEV has more power than its diesel sibling, we didn’t sense a dramatic performance increase given its kerb weight is also higher.

Even so, it’s an energetic performer with good acceleration from standing starts combined with surefooted handling and braking. The unladen ride quality is firm, as you’d expect given its one-tonne payload, but with enough suppleness to maintain acceptable ride comfort.

To test its GVM rating we forklifted 650kg into the cargo bay which with driver equalled a total payload of around 750kg. The rigid-beam axle/leaf-spring rear suspension only compressed about 20mm under this weight which ensured it had plenty of wheel travel remaining to avoid any bottoming-out on our test route.

It hauled this payload with ease which included our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km set climb at 60km/h. Engine braking on the way down, in a manually selected second gear, was not as robust but within expectations given its relatively small 1.6-litre displacement restraining a heavy payload. Overall, this hybrid drivetrain is well calibrated for commercial van use.

However, for potential buyers doing regular highway travel, we recommend fitment of Hyundai’s genuine accessory solid bulkhead between the cabin and cargo bay, to insulate occupants from considerable tyre noise emanating from the rear wheel housings at these speeds.

It has a comfortable driving position with ample steering wheel and seat positioning, the latter including adjustable lumbar. The seat’s firm bolstering provides good thigh and torso support, the latter enhanced by a fold-down inboard armrest.

The only thing missing is a raised left footrest like the one residing in the outer passenger footwell, which is of course the driver’s footwell in LHD models. The centre passenger seat’s headrest also blocks most of the central mirror’s view through the bulkhead window (we removed and stowed it when not required).

It has good unladen ride quality with surefooted handling, nicely weighted steering and strong braking making it responsive and enjoyable to drive.

The engine is at its most energetic when peak torque is tapped at 1500rpm and it continues to pull strongly all the way to maximum power at 3500rpm. The new nine-speed torque converter auto provides near seamless shifting and good all-round response.

Its long-legged gearing is also well suited to highway work, requiring less than 2000rpm to maintain 110km/h. When combined with the bulkhead, which insulates occupants from most cargo bay noise, the Trafic is a comfortable highway hauler even though tyre noise is more intrusive at these speeds.

To test its GVM rating we forklifted 975kg into the cargo bay, which combined with our crew of two equalled a total payload of 1150kg that was less than 100kg under its legal limit. The rear suspension compressed about 50mm but still had enough travel to ensure there was no bottoming-out on our test route.

It handled this big payload easily, with the increase in sprung weight providing an even smoother ride with minimal effect on handling and braking response.

The efficient drivetrain also made light work of our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km set climb at 60km/h, with the new auto promptly downshifting to fourth gear to easily haul this load to the top.

Engine braking on the way down, in a manually selected second gear, was not as robust as you’d expect for a 2.0-litre engine but the four-wheel disc brakes were more than capable of keeping speeds under control during the descent.

Our only other gripe is the tachometer display, with its 1000rpm increments represented by a horizontal line of small dots with no corresponding numbers displayed. It’s not easy to interpret at a glance and would benefit from a more user-friendly design.

The MY26 Trafic has a Gold rating (one grade lower than the highest Platinum rating) in ANCAP’s Commercial Van Safety Comparison.

Passive safety includes multiple airbags for driver and passengers plus auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keeping, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, tyre pressure monitoring, adaptive cruise control, front/rear parking sensors, reversing camera and more.

The Staria Load HEV comes standard with a five-year/160,000km warranty and a separate eight- year/160,000km warranty covering the hybrid battery. There’s also 12 months of complimentary roadside assistance which is renewable annually with scheduled Hyundai dealer servicing.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/15,000km whichever occurs first. Hyundai offers a five-year pre-paid servicing plan covering the first five scheduled services but pricing is calculated from a participating dealer's scheduled servicing prices at the time the plan is purchased, rather than a national standard set by Hyundai (hence the lower score in this segment).

The Renault Trafic comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is an improvement on the previous 200,000km limit, plus five years of roadside assistance.

Scheduled servicing is every 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 average of $711 per service.

That's slightly more than the HiAce but more convenient given the Trafic's once-a-year servicing requirement. Renault Australia has a national network of more than 50 dealers across most capital cities and many regional areas.