REVIEW DETAIL PAGE

Will It Suit Me?

There are quite a few large people carriers for car buyers to choose from but when carrying their full complement of people, these vehicles often come up short with regards luggage space. The majority offer an either/or solution to carrying cargo and passengers by providing a rear row of seats that can fold down when unoccupied to increase the space available for baggage. The problems start to arise when you've got a full load of people and their possessions to accommodate. Hyundai's i800 is one of a select group of cars that can manage in this taxing situation. How does it do it? Well, let's just say that size is its secret.

Practicalities

I think it was some American who said there's no substitute for cubic capacity. He was talking about engines but the Hyundai i800 is proof that the maxim also applies to MPVs. There's no trick to the big Korean's ability to carry either adult passengers and still offer a 581-litre boot capacity. The i800 can do it because the i800 is absolutely enormous. At 5,125mm from grille to tailgate, this is a substantial vehicle. It's extremely tall too with the 1,925mm height measurement bringing it perilously close to many car park height restrictors. Inside, it has two front seats and then two rows of three behind and space in all of them is perfectly adequate for adults of average dimensions. The middle row can be shifted to increase legroom when nobody's in the back which is handy but there's none of the flipping or lifting out of seats that goes on in other MPV products to free-up extra luggage space as the i800 back seats are fixed. Hyundai would presumably argue that with this much room on board, there wasn't much point and besides, the back rests of both rows split 60:40 and fold down, should you need to cram in longer items. All of the rear seats are accessed by pair of sliding doors, making access easy wherever the i800 is parked. Once inside, the ambience isn't as car-like as other, pricier super-large MPV rivals, but it's better than you'd get from a van-derived minibus costing a similar amount. There's two-tone interior trim, privacy glass, a six-speaker audio system and ducted air conditioning throughout. Individually-controllable overhead vents in the rear make sure all of the occupants can keep their cool.

Behind the Wheel

As you might well expect, you're not going to see the i800 gracing the cover of evo magazine anytime soon, the i800 not doing a whole lot to hide its commercial vehicle roots. Despite the fact that it never feels anything other than a big, tall bus, the i800 does get a very good diesel engine. There's a 2.5-litre four-cylinder diesel beneath the bonnet and it comes in either 136PS or 170PS auto guises, the latter offering a massive 392Nm of torque; enough to ensure that the i800 never feels sluggish even with a full load. Balancer shafts also mean that the engine remains reasonably smooth and refined. Power in the base model is transmitted via a rather long-throw five-speed manual gearbox, but the engine offers a genuine turn of pace and a triple digit top speed means that you aren't going to be embarrassed on the motorway, even when fully loaded. The engine is the acid test for an MPV. Many manufacturers will fit small diesel or petrol engines to their models and claim sales on the back of impressive looking economy and emissions figures. This all comes to naught if you must then thrash the guts out of the car to make any progress when it's loaded with people and luggage. A much cleverer option is to go for a bigger, less stressed engine and waft along on a fat slug of torque. As is the case here.

Value For Money

Prices start at just under £25,000 and run up to just over £27,000. Whether you think that's strong value rather depends on how you view the i800. It feels less sophisticated and car-like than the leading large MPVs, but none of them can carry what the i800 can. If you want to shift eight and their luggage, you'll need a van-based minibus-type vehicle like Volkswagen's Caravelle, a Citroen SpaceTourer, a Peugeot Traveller or a Mercedes V-Class. These models are hugely more expensive than an i800, making the Hyundai look extremely worthwhile in comparison.

Could I Live With One?

If you're looking to carry eight people and their luggage for under £25,000, there aren't many alternatives to Hyundai's i800. Its strength is its size but it also offers a strong diesel engine and reasonable road manners. It's not the easiest thing to pilot through congested streets but good visibility and the towering driving position help. All in all, it looks like Hyundai have this gap in the market well and truly plugged.