Hyundai Unveils i800 Full-Size Van in Europe
OFFENBACH, Germany — Hyundai has had a full-size van, the Startex, in the home market of South Korea for years. Now Europe will get its own version: the i800, an eight-passenger vehicle. The big Hyundai will even leave plenty of room for luggage with its enormous trunk and 30 cubic feet of space.
It features two captain’s chairs in front of two benches that each seat three passengers. The rear seats are accessed by a pair of sliding doors intended to facilitate entering and exiting for people of all sizes.
Power comes from a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder CRDi diesel engine that is intercooled and equipped with a variable-geometry turbo and mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The engine makes 170 horsepower and 215 pound-feet of torque.
Hyundai says the i800’s capacious fuel tank lets its driver go 560 miles between fill-ups.
“Anyone wanting to carry eight people in carlike comfort currently has to take two cars — or spend a lot more than £20,000 [currently equivalent to about U.S. $39,000]. We think the i800 will prove massively popular with families and businesses who need to move people in style,” says Tony Whitehorn, managing director of Hyundai U.K.
This road-trip monster will go on sale in the U.K. at the end of June. Reportedly a lower-priced, more basic and less powerful version will come out a few months later.
What this means to you: Take a good look at the Hyundai i800, a classy and comfortable way of carrying eight people and luggage. — Mike Lysaght, Correspondent