Road Review: New Hyundai H-1 Bus turbo diesel

The new Hyundai H1 is not a car you’d openly wish for as a mode of transport to be driven mostly alone and in the tight circumference of the city centre. One of Hyundai’s most popular models within the B2B segment and driven outside of warranty with little concern by fleet service owners, the Hyundai H1 is a no frills, hard-working people carrier with a concise game plan. As I found out, it’s actually a great companion for the mundane commutes too.

First thing is that 2.5-litre oil burner up front with a colossal 125kW and 441Nm making the Hyundai H-1 just about the meanest Van on sale, and also the biggest culprit of spewing carbon emissions.  If the Mercedes V Class or Volkswagen Kombi had an engine like this, they’d be far better cars and while the rough clatter does filter its way into the cabin, this Hyundai H-1 moves with a liveliness that sees the H-1 carve up traffic and flatten uphills.

Five automatic gears won’t win any awards for sophistication but the only thunk involved in its operation comes from pulling the lever from Park to Drive. With low down grunt from 2000rpm waiting to be deployed, you need only touch the throttle for it to gear-up smoothly and because there are fewer gears, there’s less confusion when conditions are unpredictable.

Road refinement can’t match that of the Kombi due mostly to some unwanted play in the steering and suspension suited to carrying the weight of a full crew but wind noise is acceptable and the turning circle is tightest in class. Despite not much seat or steering adjustment, getting the Hyundai H-1 to obey your commands with fingertip lightness is quick and easy, although some vagueness does enter the equation.

Fit and finish to the interior works better than the grainy surfaces would have you believe and they’re conceived to survive any abuse. The layout can’t match the plethora of seating configurations as the others, yet this is bittersweet because when it comes to optimised cabin space the Hyundai H-1’s simplicity is also its strength with reasonable space wherever you end up and less faffing around.

While grey hard plastic characterises the sparse cabin and the leather on the seats is pared back to the very thinnest level, there aren’t many complaints from a comfort or ergonomic point of view. Hyundai H-1 comes with steering controls, Bluetooth and USB, all operated through an ordinary interface but it works without studying the instruction booklet and complements the H-1’s philosophy of a structured and functional design.

Sneaking in under R600 000 means you won’t be spoilt with a reverse camera, electric seats, touchscreen or power tailgate but these luxury items are not all certainties in the more expensive competitors either.

We’re happy to admit that our road test disproved our initial unimpressed launch verdict. The Hyundai H-1 proved to be a practical and spirited performer and once you’re used to the convenience of sliding doors and storage bins for items that would normally be shoved intor the boot, it’s hard not to find the positives in the humble Hyundai H-1.