Despite its weedy petrol engine, the well-priced Hyundai H1 Wagon could be music to your ears, writes The Wheel Deal.

Just like Fender’s legendary Stratocaster guitar, so too are big vans synonymous with the world of rock ‘n’ roll. And that’s because some of the hottest bands started their touring careers in the back of one. The Police, for instance, toured across the US in an old Ford Ecoline packed with guitars, amps and drums. It may have been a rough, uncomfortable ride but it got the guys to their first all-important gigs and, in doing so, became somewhat instrumental in forging one of the most successful rock groups of the 20th Century. Fortunately, while Britain’s three-piece moved on to private jets, the venerable van kept on developing and today the market is brimming with a new generation that combines extreme comfort and increased gear-hauling capabilities. And one of the latest models too break into the charts is the new Hyundai H1Wagon.

It’s not the prettiest thing to look at but the H1 is functional and, for the price, packs an impressive amount of standard features. Slide open either one if its side doors and you’ll find an interior that can carry nine people with ease thanks to two large, leather wrapped benches. Both fully adjustable, the first one can slide backwards and forwards depending on your passengers’ needs while the second one is fixed in front of the 851-litre rear-loading bay. Free from intruding wheel arch mouldings, this humongous stowing compartment gives the H1 the edge over the more expensive Mercedes-Benz Vito – the current class benchmark.
Another cool feature this Hyundai has is a ventilation system built into the ceiling that can be controlled independently or via a knob situated on the dashboard. The latter, like the rest of this machine, is well built and can easily rival anything currently made in Europe. Wrapped in a soft-touch “slush” insert it houses simple, intuitive switchgear, an excellent six-speaker sound system that includes an auxiliary-in port, and a rather rudimentary trip computer.

Get behind the height-adjustable steering wheel, perch yourself atop the cushy driver’s seat and you’ll find that the driving experience is just as easy going as the rest of the package. It may be a sizeable piece of equipment, but the H1 a breeze to manoeuvre through both town and country. The steering is terminally over-assisted; the pedals are light – acceptable in a vehicle like this – which means even inexperienced drivers won’t have a problem piloting the H1 through congested city streets.
Unfortunately there is one thing, other than the sloppy gearlever action, that mars this otherwise excellent van and that is its 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine. Besides being too peaky and harsh, it’s woefully unsuited to propelling the H1’s sizable bulk. Keeping up with traffic – especially when carrying a load of cargo – becomes difficult and tedious at times, hills often demand frantic downshifts and overtaking becomes neigh impossible. Having to thrash this powerplant to get anywhere also does no favours for the H1’s fuel consumption figures – something that most prospective van owners will carefully consider. No, what Hyundai needs to do is transplant the 2.2 diesel engine from their SantaFe into the H1, keep the price under R300 000 and then they’ll have an absolute cracker on their hands. I think The Police, or any other band for that matter, would agree.

Hyundai H1 Wagon Fast Facts:

Engine: 2359cc, four-cylinder petrol
Power: 126kW at 6000rpm
Torque: 224Nm at 4200rpm
0-100km/h: 16.2 seconds
Top Speed: 175km/h
Fuel Consumption: 10.2l/100km (claimed combined)
Price: R289 900