Hyundai iMax Elite Review: A Big van for a big family

You might think that a family of five can get by easily with a five-seat sedan or wagon right? Wrong.

Firstly, those little kids – they grow up fast, and they get big. Tall, and they take up room. And boy oh boy can three kids fight when crammed together in the back seat.

This is why so many people look to get seven-seaters, throw a kid or two down the back for some peace and quiet.

But then there’s the bigger families or the folks who seem to operate the local sports taxi service. They’re looking for the sliding door seven or eight-seater.

There really aren’t that many mainstream options here – Kia Carnival, Honda Odyssey and the Hyundai iMax. Volkswagen also have a similar passenger van, as do Mercedes.

So, with a little weekend away planned, we jumped into the iMax to see how it went.

The Pros

This is huge, loads and loads of space. Behind the third row is room for luggage, actual proper luggage.

In all the seats there is legroom for days, that can’t be forgotten when you compare to almost anything else in this market.

You sit high and drive from that solid viewpoint which I really grew to love over the few hundred k’s we drove.

Upfront there’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which is a tick for sure.

Under $50,000 – it’s a bloody good price when you look at the space, seats and size.

The Cons

No Autonomous Emergency Braking is really the kind of thing a family should expect in their car, but it is packed with Airbags and has ABS and Traction control.

It’s a van. This isn’t a large family car, it’s a Van with seats – and the ride and handling reflect that. You are entering a new dimension when you choose the iMax over the Carnival or Odyssey.

Should you buy one?

I didn’t. We opted for the Kia Carnival. A way more refined drive for the small daily drives.

But if you have an older group, especially older teenagers and more than 2 of them you’re going to want this. More personal space, and way more space out the back for their gear.

Price wise the Elite model is $48,990 and bang for your buck that’s excellent stuff, worth a test drive if you’re the local go-to “can you pickup my kids” kinda family.