Shorter days, lower temperatures: as winter approaches, so does the time to switch your tyres and for winter tyre tests to commence. Premium tyre manufacturer Hankook is represented in all well-known tyre comparisons and consistently performs well. For Hankook, performance in safety-relevant criteria across the entire product portfolio is the top priority. Here are the results in detail:
Top result in the Auto Motor und Sport comparison: Hankook Winter i*cept evo 3 X rated as “very good”
For its in-depth winter tyre test (issue 20/2024), Auto Motor und Sport looked at tyres in the size 235/55 R 18 for the extremely popular compact SUV class. The testers concluded that the Hankook Winter i*cept evo 3 X offers “outstanding aquaplaning resistance”. The detailed results in the relevant categories of “longitudinal aquaplaning” and “lateral aquaplaning” underline the clear verdict – the Hankook tyre outperforms the competition in both categories, which is a significant advantage in view of the increasingly frequent heavy rainfalls also in winter. On top of that, the testers say that the Winter i*cept evo 3 X exhibits “very good performance on snow”, rating it as “dynamic and easy to control”. Even on dry roads, it impresses with “balanced, almost sporty dynamics”. Last but not least, the testers were impressed with the “good price-performance ratio” of the Winter i*cept evo 3 X compared to competitors.
Wide agreement on the Winter i*cept evo 3: solid all-rounder in multiple sizes
The Hankook Winter i*cept evo 3 performs excellently in other comparisons, too. For example, in Auto Bild Sportscars’ big comparison of size 235/35 R 19 tyres (issue 11/2024), it performs well in all categories and comes out with an overall score of 2.3. Here’s what the editorial team had to say: “Convincing driving qualities on wet and dry surfaces, good aquaplaning resistance, short braking distances in the wet, moderate price”. With its balanced qualities, the Hankook tyre is also the right choice in this size if facing a winter accompanied by very changeable weather conditions.”
The Hankook Winter i*cept evo 3 likewise asserts its premium quality in Auto Bild Allrad’s comprehensive winter comparison (issue 41). In the test, the jury evaluated 12 competitors in the size 245/45 R 18. The result? Hankook finished the comparison with a mark of 1.5 and received the top rating of “exemplary”. Among its strengths, the expert jury listed the Winter i*cept evo 3’s “impressively good handling characteristics on snow-covered roads, very good safety reserves during aquaplaning, short braking distances in all weather conditions, low rolling resistance and pleasingly fair price”. H The Hankook premium tyre is one of just five competitors to perform consistently well and once again is the winner when it comes to aquaplaning.
Hankook Winter i*cept RS3: Eco Master in Auto Bild’s giant test
The trade magazine Auto Bild took an even closer look at the winter candidates in the size 205/55 R 16, putting 53 competitor products through a preliminary selection round (issue 40). Of these, only 20 made it to the big final – among them the Hankook Winter i*cept RS3, the only tyre to get the “Eco Master” label. Here are the results from the cost category: “this winter season, Hankook’s low-cost Winter i*cept RS3 claims the special “Eco Master of the Year” award. Its superior mileage, moderate price and low rolling resistance deservedly make it the undisputed winner when it comes to cost.” However, the solid overall placement in the big review, according to the final result, is also due to the “sporty, direct performance in all weather and good reserves during aquaplaning”.
Hankook Winter i*cept RS3 a recommended purchase in the ADAC’s big winter tyre comparison
The ADAC also devoted its big seasonal tyre review to the size 205/55 R 16, and put 12 winter candidates to the test. In the comparison of the popular size for the compact class, only seven competitors managed good or satisfactory results, among them the Hankook Winter i*cept RS3. With an overall mark of 2.6, the premium tyre gets a purchase recommendation from Germany’s biggest car club – this size shows its strengths on ice and snow in particular.
The ADAC also conducted a test in parallel with 16 winter tyres in the size 215/55 R 17, a size often used in lower mid-class compact SUV models. Here too, the same Hankook model but in a different size demonstrated its qualities: the Winter i*cept RS3 in the size 215 also attained a mark of 2.6, gaining the purchase recommendation from the ADAC testers.
Top spot for the Kinergy 4S 2: impressive all-rounder in the comparison of all-season tyres
Hankook’s premium products also impress when it comes to using all-season tyres in tough winter conditions. For example, the Kinergy 4S 2 bagged the top mark of 1.2 in the big Auto Bild Allrad test (issue 42) in the size 245/45 R 18, taking first place with two competitors among the ten tyres tested as well as the “exemplary” label. In their final verdict, the expert testers voted the Kinergy 4S 2 a “convincing all-rounder with top marks for handling in all weather”. The Hankook Kinergy 4S 2 stands out from the crowd when it comes to handling in the dry in particular, and, according to the testers, is “pretty close on the heels” of the reference summer tyre. The “very good aquaplaning reserves and good rolling comfort” also play their part in the excellent result.
SOURCE: Hankook
