2012 Hyundai Imax Reviews

My friends had spent barely minutes inspecting the massive Hyundai iMax before one decided “Now this is what you take when you go camping.” “No,” another disagreed. ”This is what you camp in when you go camping”.While that may be a bit of a stretch, the eight seater iMax’s carrying capacity certainly makes up for any of its other drawbacks. This barge-like beast isn’t the vehicle in which to nip down to the café strip for lunch, but if you want to transport large – or extended -- families, the iMax can accommodate without a whimper.The girth of this landbound passenger ship may seem intimidating – especially when you think about having to dock it. But if you need to cart extra people around, the iMax has the space and seats. Externally the van looks massive and there’s no disguising that, though the chrome radiator grille and tinted glass are a nice touch at dressing up the large body.Internally passengers in back are well cared for. Access to the back via two sliding doors and a sliding second row, sufficient legroom, cup holders, and roof-mounted adjustable air vents keep everyone happy. The second row seats are reversed, with the single seat on the driver side instead of the passenger, but with two doors, you can still get passengers in from the safety of the curb. A well-appointed dash, and wheel mounted volume controls lets the driver man the helm of cabin comfort. While the iMax is smooth sailing for transporting people, if you’re looking for a van to move precious cargo, you may want to look elsewhere. The seats don’t fold flat, and we couldn’t figure out why, as allowing them to would open the iMax to those seeking a van to move larger freight.The eight-seater could suit a large family on tour, but the height, width and bulk would keep this from being a practical, every day family van. The iMax leans more toward the commercial and small business buyer, rather than the family.The eight seater, automatic iMax diesel we tested is priced from $42,490 (a diesel, six-speed manual, and a petrol four-speed automatic are also available). That price tag gives you dual sliding doors, 16-in alloy wheels, USB audio input with iPod compatibility, Bluetooth, reverse sensing warning system, wheel mounted audio controls, dual zone air conditioning with pollen filter, roof-mounted air vents for passengers in back, and a boatload of luggage space with a cargo capacity of 842L.The four cylinder, five-speed automatic, 2.5-litre CRDi diesel iMax, has 125kW/441Nm, strong enough torque to cart around eight people and their luggage without much whingeing. Our drive around greater Sydney, including a couple heavy trips to the airport, found 13.0L/100km, though the official figure is 9.0L/100km.The iMax’s semi-bonnet design aids in crash protection and the four-channel, four-sensor ABS tries to keep you from needing it. The iMax gets a four-star ANCAP safety rating, with dual front SRS airbags, four-ring body structure with reinforced cross members and floor panels, and impact intrusion bars built into the front doors. Anti-lock brakes with electronic aids, stability and traction plus child safety door locks on sliding doors and child seat anchor points on second row seats all lend a hand in keeping you from harm.You don’t feel the size or weight of the vehicle through the steering wheel, and the turning circle is surprisingly smaller than you expect. The iMax has rear-wheel drive and though there is significant body roll on turns, it’s less noticeable when you have a full load, and the MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension keep guests from getting jostled. The driver’s seat is comfortable and the height of the vehicle (1925mm) will give you a clear view over traffic, but good luck trying to fit inside low parking garages.When you do find a good spot, the reverse sensing warning system is indispensible, as without it, the length of the vehicle would require a telescope – possible the deep space Hubble -- to help you park. The iMax is a limited function van; but as long as you’re not moving large cargo that’s okay. Externally and internally, the iMax stays true to its calling – it’s a people mover that’s great for moving people - go figure.Hyundai’s diesel, automatic iMax shies from carrying large cargo, but for transporting people and luggage the iMax ticks all the boxes.

There’s a lot to be said for designing a people mover that’s based on a cargo van. Hyundai’s iMax is a classic example of this.While the iMax may not have the sleek look of something like a Toyota Tarago or Chrysler Voyager it has so much more interior space that it can almost be seen as a small bus not a people mover.Hyundai’s generous warranty apply of five years or unlimited kilometres is much appreciated in those who are in the mortgage-paying, family-raising stage of their lives.Power and torque figures are a relatively standard 129kW at 6000rpm and 228Nm at 4200rpm. Standard features on the iMax include air conditioning with dual-zones and additional controls in the rear. The audio system has an MP3-compatible CD player with auxiliary input jack.On a practical note, the iMax has a semi-bonneted body, which is the best compromise between crash safety and interior volume.Safety gear includes dual front airbags and ABS brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution. Dual airbags are considered as a bare minimum by many buyers these days so Hyundai may have to up the ante soon.There’s enough toughness in the style of the Hyundai iMax to also make it appeal to those who may otherwise have bought an SUV or even a 4WD. Just look at its prominent bonnet, large mesh grille and big headlights that swoop a long way back. There’s no shortage of chrome in the front end.There are large sliding doors on both sides of the van, making for easy ingress and egress to the second row of seats. Getting into the back is a bit of a squeeze, though the easy sliding of the second row certainly minimises the effort.The first two rows of seats in the Hyundai can slide backwards and forwards to provide numerous combinations of legroom. The split in the second-row seat sees the single seat on the wrong side for Australia. So the easier to move seat is on the traffic side of the iMax rather than on the kerb side. Presumably this has been done as a cost saving design, and at just $39,990 plus on-road costs, the iMax CRDi is certainly light on the wallet.Hyundai iMax is capable of carrying eight adults in spacious comfort - typically, people movers carry four adults and three children unless you want to have crowded interior. When the back seats aren't in use the second-row seats slide right back to give a huge amount of limo-like leg space.Fuel consumption is about seven to nine litres per hundred kilometres on the open road and eight to eleven litres around town. Fill this Hyundai with eight people and motorway cursing means it’s consuming less than a litre of diesel for each person to travel 100 kilometres. Talk about low-cost travel.Even with a full complement of eight passengers, there is a surprising amount of space in the rear of the iMax for luggage. That’s partly thanks to a boot that’s deeper than that of an SUV with a differential under the floor, but also because it’s a boxy van back there, not a sleek people mover.Interior stowage space is good, with not one, but two, deep door pockets in each front door; single pockets in the rear sliding doors and rather shallow oddments areas beside the rearmost seats. There are drink holders beside each of the outboard seats.On the road the big Hyundai iMax people mover rides well and is generally stable. Its shape means it can be affected by strong side winds and the backwash of air from big trucks.The big Hyundai people mover we tested had a 2.5-litre common-rail turbo-diesel.It has a semi-commercial sound to it, not exactly a truck rattle, but there’s no doubt it’s a diesel at idle. Once up and cruising at a steady speed it’s more subdued in its note. Torque is strong and even with seven people in ‘our’ iMax we had no trouble keeping up with traffic or climbing hills.Transmission was by a five-speed automatic with tiptronic-type overrides in our test iMax, it works nicely in conjunction with the engine torque characteristics.Though the emphasis in the suspension setup is on comfort, handling isn’t too bad.There's good turn in and the iMax tracks nicely around corners providing you don’t tackle them at any sort of speed. If you do get cornering wrong understeer will knock the speed back to a sensible level. The Hyundai iMax is surprisingly easy to manoeuvre in tight conditions thanks to a tight turning circle. However, it’s a big vehicle and can be challenging in underground carparks.