Hyundai i800 - any first hand experiences?

[GI Jnr]

Hi all,

Anybody on here have any first hand experiences of running one as a family meat wagon? GI Jane had our fourth over the weekend and we need a 6 seater now. Had enough of compromising on space and so have discounted the Galaxy/Alhambra/Sharan as well as the combo offerings from Peugeot/Citroen/Fiat. T5s are too common/pricey and I don't really like Merc Vianos.

Will likely be a 12 plate 15k car/van for mid teens Greenwich is a lot of metal for your money. Still in the 5 year warranty as well. Will be a manual with leather.

Especially keen to know real world mileage and what they're like cruising on the motorway as I'm toying with using it for my daily 120 mile commute (30k a year) as a) the warranty is unlimited mileage, a b) I'm giving back my company car (New C-Max) to fund the van.

Thanks in advance.

Tuan (and mahoosive family!)

[Eski1991]

Quite fancy one on just for lugging stuff around/camping in the back of it but no experience of what they're like on the road. Would think van kind of MPG mid 30s on diesel.

Just out of pure nosiness, nothing else - Why are worried about the cost? Your garage has some rather tasty metal so why not get an all singing all dancing Caravelle? Feel free to ignore question if too nosy.

[GI Jnr]

Eski1991 said:

Just out of pure nosiness, nothing else - Why are worried about the cost? Your garage has some rather tasty metal so why not get an all singing all dancing Caravelle? Feel free to ignore question if too nosy.

Wife and children my friend. And me being lazy and not updating my garage. I had a stint in some pretty awesome cars when I had the disposable income but not anymore. Having said that even if I did, I think I'd get a series of modest/great cars and flip them regularly.

Anything close to 40mpg and it's a goer. The 2.0 diesel C-Max only gives me 43mpg...

[Eski1991]

GI Jnr said:

Wife and children my friend. And me being lazy and not updating my garage. I had a stint in some pretty awesome cars when I had the disposable income but not anymore. Having said that even if I did, I think I'd get a series of modest/great cars and flip them regularly.

Anything close to 40mpg and it's a goer. The 2.0 diesel C-Max only gives me 43mpg...

So my options as a childless early 20's are Ferraris and Lamborghinis or children. Hmm.

Anyway back on point, yes I would think that the i800 would certainly be roomier for a family of 6.

[Ossiantoad]

I had the same dilemma as you a couple of years ago and it does come down to the Viano, the Caravelle and the i800. In the end I went for the VW for one reason, depreciation.

Spend £15,000 on a Caravelle and it will still be wort most of that in a couple of years times. The i800 will be worth buttons.

[hairyben]

Id have thought you'd struggle to get 40mpg unless you're feathering it at a constant 50mph or something.

would seriously consider the Hyundai for my next van (vito here)

[infradig]

I looked at one a few years ago and there was an issue with the rear bench that seriously compromised the practicality and put me off, either it doesn't fold or its not removable,can't remember which.
The other thing was it was pretty horrible to drive,worse than the Transit I had at the time,that's something else worth considering as the new model looks a bit more compact and less like something someone living in a lay-by would drive.

[ADJimbo]

Do all the rear seats fold flat (like the Galaxy) to create a large load area?

[cptsideways]

They are RWD & go quite well !!


Very few about & very sought after apparently, they are well regarded as a good bit of kit. Just watch for ex taxi's that have been hidden with clocking.

[GI Jnr]

infradig said:

I looked at one a few years ago and there was an issue with the rear bench that seriously compromised the practicality and put me off, either it doesn't fold or its not removable,can't remember which.
The other thing was it was pretty horrible to drive,worse than the Transit I had at the time,that's something else worth considering as the new model looks a bit more compact and less like something someone living in a lay-by would drive.

Test drove an auto today. Was as you would expect a converted van to drive tbh. not significantly worse than my brother's LWB T5. Could definitely tell it was RWD. The rear bench seats fold 60/40 but not readily removable. You can but it's 6 bolts. Not a huge issue for me because of the need for six seats.

it's a bit tacky/plasticky on the inside, but given its the price of a new Fiesta, you can't dock it too many points. Also from 11 plate cars they added a sixth gear to the manuals which will help motorway cruising.

Thanks for the comments so far. Our eldest (10) came with me;

'what was the best thing about it?'
'The rear has four lights instead of your car which has two'
'...'

Edited by GI Jnr on Saturday 6th July 20:17

[arguti]

We also have 4 and have gone from a a caravelle - fantastic car/ van - to a Toyota Prius + seven seater with a multimac 4 seat arrangement which is not as practical as the caravelle in trams of sheer space by financially a no brainer

[Ossiantoad]

When we 'only' had four kids we ran a Honda FRV. Six seats and a proper boot we managed to holiday in the middle France and the far north of Scotland without needing a roof box, even with all the baby equipment.

When we had our fifth obviously we needed an extra seat but none of the seven-seaters had a boot worthy of the name. That's when we had to go down the Caravelle route.

I realise the FRV is discontinued but there are still plenty of low mileage examples around. If you are looking for a car that will carry a family of six with enough space to take on holiday and also drive to work every day I'd seriously consider it.

[BlueMeganeII]

I know this is thread is a little old now but we've had ours for a year now and are quite pleased with it. I looked at the I800, Caravelle and Viano.

The Viano was worst of all three which was surprising with more cabin noise than the other two and didn't drive as well as the T5 or I800. The I800 has the best steering driving more like a car but I think the VW had the best engine with its bi turbo 2.0.

I settled on the I800 as they do 20% forces discount (you can negotiate similar regardless) and the other two gave some big reliability problems.

The I800 has tons of space for our four kids and the black lab dog loves the size of the boot. It's been a brilliant car but:

MPG isn't great, even in comparison to the other two
None of the seats fold flat (even the seat backs)
No cruise control
I feel a 75 litre tank is a little small for a van this size

I would buy again, I just wish they would bring the premium model I've seen in Germany here.

Also look out for Fords new Toureno custom which is similar sized but weighs less and has more kit but does cost more.

[Fleckers]

when I only had 4 we had a

Shogun
then a Old and then new shape previa
then a Nissan Patrol

Now I have 6 we have 2 cars....