To learn or copy … maybe both

The success — or otherwise — of a new vehicle in the South African marketplace can usually be reliably gauged by the amount of similar wheels seen on our roads.  The H1 bus from Hyundai seems to be a popular choice in all its guises …

Very few vehicles of this calibre can boast the cargo space potential and still carry nine passengers (3 x 3-tier) in a very fair level of comfort — in fact — the with wife and I out for a Sunday morning drive here in the Western Cape, had us almost duty-bound to pick up half-a-dozen or so passengers along the way!

Initially I was a little concerned about the lack of outright acceleration from standstill — this from a 2,5-litre turbodiesel unit (120 kW/392 Nm) … but it’s not the first time I’ve been a little dubious of Korean output figures … obviously I don’t own a dynamometer so will have to accept the given press-pack details.

Apart from that niggle there’s very little not to like about the ‘bus’. Hyundai have certainly done their homework — the driving position attainable is superb — a factor almost certainly learned from Volkswagen Kombis, who were the very first manufacturer more than 60 years ago to realize the need of a true family vehicle.

In the Japanese language the words for learn and copy are the same — could this apply equally to the Korean tongue? I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it was because these guys learn quick!

The Toyota hierarchy in Tokyo were recently asked which manufacturer they feared the most globally — remembering they're the world’s leading automobile manufacturer right now — the answer was not BMW or Mercedes-Benz as you may have thought — but Hyundai Corporation.

I’ve already expressed my thoughts on driving the H1 — wherever one might be seated it doesn’t disappoint because the creature comfort levels remain very good: climatic air-conditioning, power steering, power windows and mirrors and an excellent sound system are all top quality and work well.

To sum up, if you are looking for a capable MPV/bus the Hyundai range shouldn’t be overlooked … with it’s 5-year/150 000 km full manufacturer’s warranty, a 5-year/100 000 km factory paint warranty plus a 5-year/100 000 km service plan it certainly seems to tick all the right boxes.

Factor in 15 000 km service intervals again instills the manufacturer’s confidence in the vehicle … price of the H1 bus pictured is R373 900 — while the range starts at R236 900 for the panel van derivative.