2021 is undoubtedly a big year for MPV products, with the opening of the two- and three-tire policies, major car companies have intensified the arms race between the MPV market. Among them, a so-called "home MPV popularizer" Kustu has refreshed the definition of Korean cars by the Chinese people with its strong product strength, and has become a fragrant feast in the MPV industry.
At the same time, at the end of 2021, as Honda's "Gemini" strategy, as well as the two MPV of the evergreen tree of the home MPV market, Odyssey and Alexand, have completed the restructuring and upgrading to prepare for 2022. It is foreseeable that the competition in the household MPV market will be more intense in 2022.
So the question arises, as the "back wave" of this market segment, can Hyundai Kustu shake the dominance of Honda Alisson and Odyssey in the home MPV market in the new year? Today we will take the 2021 Kustu 380TGDi top version (218,800 hereinafter referred to as Kustu), the 2022 2.0L e: HEV classic low version (279,800 hereinafter referred to as the Alexand), the Odyssey 2022 2.0L e: HEV Rui Yue Enjoy Low edition (235,800 hereinafter referred to as the Odyssey) three 200,000 range competitors for in-depth comparison.
Exterior, interior, who is more textured?
In this era where appearance is supreme, if a car does not have a high enough appearance, I am afraid it will not be able to enter the eyes of picky consumers, even if it is a dull MPV.
In terms of appearance, both Alexand and Odyssey have undergone great changes compared to before, in which Alexand adopts a new style of matrix grille, and under the modification of chrome trim, it has become more mature and stable. Its side adopts the design of the front and rear door integrated door handles, which is well distinguished from the Odyssey. In terms of the tail, AliShen adopted a taillight blackening treatment, equipped with penetrating chrome trim, and the horizontal visual effect was full, which was more advanced and calm.
The front face of the Odyssey has also been greatly optimized, and on the basis of the original, the new car has been equipped with a new hexagonal net, the grille size is smaller than that of the Alexand, and the chrome exhaust is also used under the tail. Overall, the overall design of the Odyssey is more youthful and athletic, which is different from the style of Alexand.
However, in general, no matter how these two cars are upgraded, their own business foundation is still very obvious, and it is easy to produce aesthetic fatigue over time. In contrast, the design of Kustu will be much newer, and it is difficult for you to tell at first glance whether this is an SUV or an MPV?
The front face of the new car is very rounded, and the front face grille adopts a dynamic design language, which can create different visual feelings with the change of perspective and light, which is very sci-fi. On the side of the body, Kustu also adopts more exaggerated lines, and the overall is fuller and more stylish, quite a crossover SUV flavor in it. The LED taillight of the tail double C shape combined with the through-type tail light group has a high degree of recognition and a very novel shape.
In the interior, the new Odyssey and Alexand are not much different, both equipped with a new suspension large screen, the whole vehicle has a clear sense of layering. But at the same time, the entire interior layout will be more inclined to the three-dimensional state, the angle is too vertical, and the truncated design is adopted in the center console part, which cannot be well set off by the elbow when driving, and it is also destined to be a model that is tailored for the driver.
The Kusuit has a clear difference, leaving aside the larger central control screen, take the longitudinal screen tilted 45° towards the driver's seat, which is very humane. In addition, the car's center-controlled armrests are spacious for elbow support. On top of that, Kustu supports steering wheel shifting, which makes the overall driving state more pleasant and lazy for the driver.
Driving experience, Kustu led the way
Of course, for a home MPV, the exterior and interior are just a plus, after all, driving comfort is the core competitiveness of this type of car.
In the comparison, we can find that the basic configuration of the two models of Odyssey and Alexon, Kustu it has, and on this basis there are many more practical functions such as 360 panoramic image, full-speed adaptive cruise, engine start-stop, electric memory/induction rear compartment, Bluetooth key, remote start, multi-function exterior mirrors, front seat heating, Internet of Vehicles and many other practical functions.
In terms of intelligent safety, Kustu's parallel assist, lane departure warning system, lane keeping assist system, active braking system, fatigue driving prompts and other functions are not available under the same version of Odyssey and Alexand. Therefore, there is no doubt that in terms of technology and safety configuration, Kustu is fully ahead of the two Japanese predecessors.
At the same time, the driving experience of an MPV can be most intuitively reflected in the ride space it provides. The length, width and height of Kustu are 4950*1850*1734mm, and the wheelbase is 3055mm, which has reached the level of medium and large MPV, which also has an absolute advantage in space compared with Odyssey (4861*1820*1712mm, wheelbase 2900mm) and Alexon (4951*1842*1711mm, wheelbase 2900mm).
In terms of seats, in addition to the front, rear, left and right, and backrest adjustments, the second row of seat adjustments in Kustu also supports the electric adjustment of height and leg rest, and comes with a small rear table board. The Odyssey and Alexand only have front, rear, left and right, and backrest adjustments, so The Kustur can bring a caring and comfortable travel experience to the driver and occupants
Finally, in terms of power, Kustu uses the latest modern Smartstream power system, of which the 2.0T engine has a maximum power of 173.6 kW and a maximum torque of 353N·m, matching the 8-speed AT hand integrated gearbox, this set of power is still very abundant and smooth.
The power system of Alexand and Odyssey is the same, both equipped with a hybrid system composed of engine and electric motor, the maximum power of the system is 158kW, matching the E-CVT transmission, the power output is extremely smooth, but compared to the Kustu, the power of the two cars will be relatively weak.
In terms of fuel economy, under the blessing of this third-generation i-MMD hybrid technology, which has always been the benchmark of fuel saving, the comprehensive fuel consumption of Odyssey's WLC is 5.88L/100km, the comprehensive fuel consumption of WLTC of Alexand is 6.17L/100km, and the comprehensive fuel consumption of KUSTU's NEDC is 6.9L/100km. In this way, as a pure fuel vehicle, the fuel consumption performance of this powertrain of Kustu is still remarkable.
Write at the end
In a comprehensive comparison, it can be clearly found that while Kustu is more cost-effective, it also has a richer configuration, excellent space performance and excellent driving comfort, which can be described as a little face left for Odyssey and Alexandre.
It is reported that since the listing of Kusitu, the number of orders has exceeded 10,000, which fully proves that under the dual blessing of excellent price and product strength, the Chinese people have fully recognized the Korean MPV "houlang". Therefore, I believe that with the easing of problems such as capacity climbing and lack of core, Kussway should not be too far from the goal of "household MPV popularizer".