|
By
ALISTAIR KENNEDY
24 March 2008
Hyundai has branched out into the Australian light commercial
field with the release of two new vehicles, one an eight-seat
people-mover the other a three- or six-seat van.
Both the iMax people mover and the iLoad van are
built on the same semi-bonneted body and come with two
four-cylinder engine choices: 2.4-litre petrol or 2.5-litre
common-rail turbo-diesel.
The tall, wide and boxy styling of the vehicles
provides excellent interior space for people, in the case of the
iMax, and a mix of people and goods in the iLoad.
Hyundai is marketing iMax as an ‘executive
shuttle’ and it is indeed capable of carrying eight adults in
reasonable comfort, unlike most current, sleeker family people
movers that cater for a mix of adults and children. Even with a
full complement of eight passengers, there a surprising amount of
space left over in the rear of the iMax for luggage.
iLoad comes with sliding doors on either side as
well as a single-piece tailgate. Our test model had the optional
($550) side-hinged barn doors that can be adjusted to swing more
than 180 degrees to allow fork-lift loading of two fully-loaded
pallets into the three-seat van and one into the six-seater. The
iLoad three-seat van has 10 tie-down hooks, the six-seater has
six.
Front seating in the Hyundai iLoad van is a bucket
seat for the driver and a 60-40 split two-seat bench for
passengers. The backrest of the centre seat backrest can not only
be tipped forward to form a small table with inbuilt drink holders
but also flip backwards to form a seat for work inside the cargo
area. Maximum load capacity in the three-seat iLoad is 1132kg.
The six-seat iLoad crew van has a three-seat rear
bench as well as a partition between the cabin and load area.
With its extra torque the 2.5-litre four-cylinder
CRDi diesel is likely to be the engine of choice for iLoad buyers.
Maximum power is 125 kW at 3800 rpm with an impressive peak torque
of 392 Nm between 2000 and 2500 revs. The 2.4-litre petrol engine,
offered in both models, generates up to 129 kW of power and
reaches 228 Nm of torque 4200 rpm.
The petrol iMax is only available with four-speed
automatic transmission while the diesel only comes with five-speed
manual. Transmission options in the iLoad are five-speed manual
with the petrol engine and a choice of five-speed manual or
five-speed automatic with the diesel.
Standard safety equipment on both iMax and iLoad
include dual front airbags, ABS brakes with Electronic Brakeforce
Distribution, seat belt pre-tensioners and load limiters.
Stability and traction control are fitted to the turbo-diesel
models, and following the development of the appropriate
calibration will be added to the petrol-powered variants.
Other standard features include air conditioning
(dual-zone with rear controls in the iMax), remote central locking
and MP3-compatible CD player with auxiliary input jack.
The Hyundai’s closest competitors are likely to
be the similarly styled Volkswagen Multivan / Transporter and
Mercedes-Benz Viano / Vito. While dimensions and power are similar
the iMax and iLoad win hands down on price, being at least $20,000
cheaper than their German rivals.
We’ve test driven each model for a in their
natural environments. First up, in a diesel iMax, we transported a
carload of supporters from the Central Coast to the Hyundai
A-League grand final in Sydney. There was more than enough
interior space for everyone and their accompanying luggage while
the engine pulled strongly from low revs even with a full load. In
and around the city the iMax was easy to maneuver with the added
benefit of a surprisingly tight turning circle.
The iLoad, again a diesel but this time with
automatic transmission, proved ideal for some medium-scale removal
work. Loading and unloading was a breeze thanks to the two side
doors and rear barn doors. And again the torquey diesel engine
handled even the heaviest load effortlessly.
We’ve yet to drive a petrol iMax or iLoad but
will report on it at a later date.
Hyundai’s generous warranties apply with the
iLoad covered for five years or 160,000 kilometres and the iMax
for the same period but with unlimited kilometres. Both models
also get free roadside assist for one year.
The new Hyundai iMax and iLoad take the Korean
car-maker into uncharted territory, but their combination of
practicality and excellent value should ensure their success.
The complete Hyundai iMax/iLoad range, with prices
(excluding on-road costs) is:
iMax 2.4-litre petrol: $36,990 (automatic)
iMax 2.5-litre CRDi turbo-diesel: $39,990 (manual)
iLoad 2.4-litre petrol three-seater: $29,990 (manual)
iLoad 2.5-litre CRDi turbo-diesel three-seater: $34,490 (manual),
$36,990 (automatic)
iLoad 2.4-litre petrol six-seater: $31,990 (manual)
iLoad 2.5-litre CRDi turbo-diesel six-seater: $36,490 (manual),
$38,990 (automatic)
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
