Renault Korea Philant begins cold assessment of market 'compared to competitive models'

*This content was translated by AI.

Renault Korea's flagship model Filante has been placed on the cold shoulder of the market ahead of its full-fledged shipment. Although there are positive reviews on overall quietness and driving completion, there are many voices of concern among the public who have encountered actual vehicles and automobile reporters who attended the test drive, focusing on convenience specifications, practicality, and rapidly changing market price competitiveness. In particular, it is analyzed that Philant's unique design and price policy are acting as a clear weakness in the actual use environment, compared to the existing strong players in the semi-large SUV market, Santa Fe and Sorento, as well as Tesla Model Y, which recently made drastic price cuts.

The most representative complaint is the low intuition of infotainment manipulation. The design that integrates most functions into the digital display and minimizes physical buttons is visually neat, but it causes the hassle of having to go through multiple levels of menus to manipulate basic functions such as air conditioner air volume control and seat heating while driving. This is not free from the criticism that it not only contradicts the habits of domestic consumers who prefer immediate manipulation but also causes driver distraction. In particular, consumers who actually encountered XR games in vehicles voiced that they needed to be supplemented because they lacked visibility on the screen and caused motion sickness.

In terms of marketability, the most painful part compared to rival models Santa Fe and Sorento is the difference in loading space and safety specifications. The basic trunk capacity of the pilot is 633L, which is numerically inferior to that of Santa Fe (725L) or Sorento (705L), which exceeds 700L. Due to the design characteristics of the coupe-type line that lowered the overall height and cut the back, the popular evaluation is that storage efficiency is low for family SUVs who load bulky loads or enjoy camping and leisure activities. In addition, the installation of seven basic airbags gives the impression of neglecting safety specifications in light of the recent trend of competitors to base 10 airbags.

Philant also faced fierce challenges in terms of price competitiveness. While the price of Philant's flagship trim, "Iconic," starts at 46.96 million won, Tesla recently cut the price of the model YRWD to 49.99 million won, causing a head-on collision in the actual purchase area. If the electric vehicle subsidy is applied, the actual purchase price of the Model Y will be reduced by 41 million won to 45 million won depending on the region, which is cheaper than the lower trim of the pilot or up to 5 million won cheaper than the main trim. As the popular response that "I will buy an electric car at a similar price" spreads, Philant's position, which emphasized the economic feasibility of hybrid vehicles, has narrowed.

In terms of driving characteristics, the sense of heterogeneity in brake setting is mentioned. It is pointed out that the braking performance itself is strong, but the pedal's pedal power is set considerably harder and more sensitive than popular SUVs, making it easy to cause tantrums for drivers who are accustomed to soft deceleration. Add to this the exclusion of the four-wheel drive (4WD) model from the initial launch lineup, and despite its sophisticated design and quietness, Philant needs to be supplemented in practical value areas such as ease of operation, loading space, and price cost-effectiveness.

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*This content was translated by AI.