We challenged the 8-seater with children, adults, visitors, airport pickups, luggage, golf outings and long trips in the country, but the iMax could not be beaten.
It’s a deserving winner in ‘Australia’s Best Cars’ awards as judged by the Automobile Associations (NRMA, RACQ, RACV etc) where the iMax ended the Honda Odyssey’s four-year rein as king of the People Movers.
Our only complaint was the lack of cruise control. This became especially tiresome during the holidays with double demerit points plus Police radar and speed camera crackdowns in operation.
During three weeks we clocked-up plenty of kilometres in our iMax powered by the 2.5-litre CRDi turbo-diesel engine and regularly saw fuel consumption figures better than 9.5l/100kms during long trips on the highway (our iMax was the four-speed automatic and Hyundai quotes fuel consumption for the manual version at 8.5l/100kms).
Performance, even when fully loaded with passengers and luggage, was fine – the four-speed auto kicked-down smoothly for brisk acceleration and even around the city the big Korean was never lacking.
Interior noise was low especially when cruising on new roads like the Hume Highway around Albury – when those last freeway sections around Holbrook and Tarcutta are finished, trips from Sydney to Melbourne will be a breeze.
At first glance, the iMax, with its 5125mm overall length and 3200mm wheelbase, looks imposing but with a turning circle of 11.2m, good steering and plenty of visibility, we were never challenged even in tight city carparks. The iMax is also 1925mm high, however we found only two carparks (one in the Sydney suburb of Cronulla and one in a hotel near Parliament House in Canberra that shaved the roof-mounted radio aerial) – otherwise it was plain sailing, especially with the standard reverse parking sensors to help.
And with so many family and friends on board, it was comforting to know we had 4-channel ABS anti-lock brakes, Electronic Stability Program and Traction Control to help in an emergency.
But – as with all People Movers – it’s the inside that counts most, and that’s where the iMax scores high marks. While it doesn’t set-out to rival the Chrysler Grand Voyager for luxo fitout, the iMax is just right for families (and commercial operators like hotels and airport shuttles) because it’s strong and practical.
Space is massive, even for 8 people (the second seat row slides for great versatility), access is easy (two sliding doors and front seat occupants can easily move rearwards when stopped), storage spaces are plentiful, the six-speaker sound system is MP3 compatible and has an in-dash CD player and the dual zone air-conditioning with separate controls for the rear plus well-placed vents for both rear seat rows is well thought-out.
Same for luggage space (Hyundai says 851l). Unlike many rival People Movers, the Imax’s massive load area behind the third seat row remains unchanged even when 8 people are on-board.
Combine all of that with the starting price of just $39,990 and you get the full picture – great specs, great packaging, versatility and value-for-money – that’s why the Hyundai iMax deserves its accolades.
