A Hyundai for every team you're in

Expert Rating:

Introduction

Nobody who saw us in the Hyundai i800 ever referred to it as 'the i800', 'the Hyundai', or even 'the car'. In fact, when my 20-month-old son first clapped his little eyes on it, he pointed at it with glee and said: "aah, it's a bus!" The i800 was invariably referred to as 'the Transit' or, of course, 'the A-Team van'.

And let's be honest, paint it white or paint it black and put a red stripe down it and it is either of those things. But, anyone could take a hollow van, fill it with seats and call it a people carrier; it's the details that will make the i800 a winner or loser for families. Thankfully, Hyundai has clearly put some thought into its people van.

What are its rivals?

All the other van-based people carriers you care to mention, really. Go to a taxi rank if you want to check them out together in more detail, but you're looking at the Peugeot Partner Teepee and VW Caravelle for direct van-based competition, or alternately any number of the bigger MPVs around: Renault Espace, Citroen C8, Peugeot 807, that sort of thing.

The major difference between this and an MPV is that, whereas most MPVs tend to cram as much useable space into the cabin as efficiently as possible (well, the good ones do, anyway) to keep them smallish, the i800 makes no apologies for being absolutely massive. So, if you're not worried about parking a family wagon of such epic proportions in the shopping centre multi storey car park, there's plenty to like about choosing the van route.

How does it drive?

Can you guess what we're going to say? That's right, it drives like a van: lumbering, wallowing and sluggish. Yet, despite that trio of disparaging adjectives, it's still a lot of fun. The particularly high driving position means visibility is good and despite its size and weight the 2.5-litre lump has enough torque to handle a family's worth of people and associated junk.

Obviously, the intricacies of handling and performance are moot points here, but it mostly avoids riding like it has no dampers at all - i.e. like a big bouncy van - so it's comfortable and although the gear change is clunky and hard to negotiate at times - thanks in part to a zig-zag linkage between the shift stick and 'box itself - there's still something car-like about it.

What's impressive?

There are some neat flashes around the cabin that show it's been carefully thought about and the quality is much better than you expect it might be. The plastic stereo surround is woeful, but the dash top is lovely and squidgy and the switchgear feels ok too. Little things like a tray next to the auxiliary MP3 jack to store your iPod in and switches to control both the temperature and blower strength in the back are useful, as are sliding side doors. There's some nice individual lighting for each row, too and loads of cabin storage.

And then there's the price: £19,500. Frankly, that represents brilliant value when you consider the kit and space on offer: parking sensors, alloys, air conditioning and a heated driver's seat, to name but a few things. (Though why the passenger is deemed unfit to have his or her bum warmed is not clear.)

What's not?

The trade-off for the bargain list price is high running costs. They're to be expected with a car so vast, in fairness, but the engine still feels a little archaic compared to most modern oil-burners: it spits out 225g/km of CO₂, just squeezing it into VED band F and its £210 tax bill. Combined economy is 33.2mpg, but you'll be looking at the upper twenties in reality once it's full and doing youth club runs, stag weekends, or whatever it is that these things do. It's slow, too; it takes 14.5 seconds to hit 62mph, but somehow feels slower than that - the opposite sensation of many an oil burner.

Should I buy one?

Few passenger vehicles have a remit as pure as the i800 - it's built for carrying lots of people and lots of things. And on both fronts it does very well indeed. It has also got a five-year warranty for that all-important peace of mind once the novelty factor has worn off and the kids have started picking holes in the upholstery.

If the very thought of driving a car like this makes you feel sick - and we understand why it could - then it doesn't really matter how good it is. On the other hand, if you need a people carrier, few are as suited to that one task alone as this. It's not a brilliant car to drive - it's a massive box, for goodness sake - and it's not the last word in quality or refinement, so we can't give it more than three stars. But, some of us here at Yahoo! Cars would take one of these over a common people-carrier every time. It's big, cheap and inexplicably cool - and there's an even cheaper one coming soon, according to Hyundai.

Mark Nichol