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Hankook i*cept RS3 review

The Hankook i*cept RS3 came alive in the dry and wet, but it comes at the expense of grip in the snow

The i*cept RS3 made its test debut last year in 16-inch form and finished third, although there was a gap to the Bridgestone and Continental pacesetters. That margin has reduced a little this time around, with dry and wet performance improved.

Hankook has focused on these elements at the expense of snow grip, where it was the least comfortable. It was fifth in Sweden, although near the pace.

It came alive in the dry, with deft direction changes and high grip levels. The tyre didn’t feel the sharpest, but was the most effective and took a clear win in dry handling. The RS3 was also close to the leaders in dry braking.

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Wet grip was good too, with the i*cept second to the Continental across the tests. But fuel economy remains a weak point.

We say…

Hankook has come up with a well balanced performance for its latest winter tyre, with the only doubt being over fuel economy.

Blackcircles.com says…

Customers have rated the tyre with an overall score of 4.3 out of 5 and compliment good control and grip while driving in icy conditions.

Overall99.3% 
Price£117.40 
Snow braking99.3%3rd
Snow traction97.1%6th
Straight aquaplaning98.9%3rd
Curved aquaplaning97.3%3rd
Wet braking100%1st
Wet handling99.1%3rd
Wet circle99.2%4th
Dry braking96.7%7th
Dry handling100%1st
Rolling resistance88.2%7th
Cabin noise99.6%6th

Buy the Hankook i*cept RS3 from Blackcircles.com...

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Products editor

Kim has worked for Auto Express for more than three decades and all but a year of that time in the Products section. His current role as products editor involves managing the section’s content and team of testers plus doing some of the tests himself. 

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