The Garage – Hyundai iLoad Van

If you’re a courier driver or tradie then the Van might just be the staple of your daily on-road activity, but are they a vehicle we take for granted?  Doesn’t someone who drives for a living deserve just as many of the mod-cons we get in the most basic vehicles these days?  We think so – and that’s why we’re behind then wheel of the Hyundai iLoad this week.

Make: Hyundai

Model: iLoad

Variant: CRDi Van (3 Seater – also available in “Crew Van” 6 Seater variant)

Engine / Transmission: 2.5 litres Common rail direct injection diesel / 5 speed Automatic

Vital Stats: 125kW @ 3600 rpm / 441 Nm @ 2000-2250 rpm

Hyundai Claimed Fuel Economy: 8.8l / 100km

MRRP Price: $39,685

Options: We’re driving a bare bones iLoad, we’d think many would opt for options such as the “iLoad TRADESMAN ACCESSORIES PACK” which features roof racks, a towbar, towball, wiring, nudge bar, cargo barrier and a few more things for a touch under $4,000

What you get:

• 3 seater
• 16″ steel wheels with full size spare
• MP3 / WMA/ CD player, AM/FM tuner
• Aux and USB audio input with iPod® compatibility
• Bluetooth® media streaming and Handsfree^
• Steering wheel audio controls
• Woven cloth seats
• Air conditioning with pollen filter
• Dual door pockets in front door trims
• Dual glove box compartments
• Retractable twin width-adjustable cup holders in centre dash fascia
• Rubber-lined storage compartment on top of dashboard
• Storage compartment and cup holders on back of fold down front centre seat
• 10 tie down hooks in cargo area
• Vinyl floor covering in cargo area
• 4-channel, 4 sensor Anti-skid Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
• Electronic Stability Control(ESC) with Traction Control System (TCS) (Available on Diesel only)
• Driver and front passenger airbags

Wow Factor: Damn there’s a lot of space back there! I guess when you drive past vans on the road all day, you rarely think about how much space is inside.  The iLoad is a big unit and the capacity is just what you’ll need.

Most Impressive: With such a high seating position the drive is reminiscent of a big 4WD, overall the cabin is bland at best, but as a workspace it’s just what you need and the driving experience isn’t going to test you when you jump out of the family sedan and into your work iLoad.

Least Impressive: For such a big vehicle I’d like to think a reversing camera is an obvious standard feature.  And while the Stereo has Bluetooth for audio and handsfree, there are no steering wheel controls for call pickup and hang up, nor is Bluetooth Audio streaming a standard option alongside FM/AM, CD, AUX, USB – instead you have to press the green call pickup button and scroll to the right setting.

Early Verdict: Hard to benchmark, but if my day-job required a van for deliveries and driving all day, I wouldn’t be unhappy if I was handed the keys to an iLoad.