Marketed in Britain with one wheelbase and one roof height, the rear-wheel drive iLoad is powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder 16-valve common rail CRDi diesel engine married to a five-speed manual gearbox. Top power of 114hp kicks in at 3,800rpm, while maximum torque of 343Nm — a not-ungenerous dollop for a van of this size — makes its presence felt across a 1,750rpm - 2,500rpm plateau.

Load Area

Access to the 4.3m³ cargo box is by means of a sliding door on each side plus twin rear doors and iLoad can handle a payload of up to 1,062kg. Gross weight is 3,160kg. Fitted with heated windows — why no wash-wipe system? — the back doors can be swung through 90° and through 180° if you pull out the pins that hold the stays in place. The pins are on chains, but it’s a slightly fiddly arrangement nonetheless and you’re guaranteed to get grease on your fingers.

Maximum load length is 2,375mm. Maximum width is 1,620mm narrowing to 1,260mm between the wheel boxes, while maximum height is 1,350mm.

A full height glazed steel bulkhead comes as standard and the load area’s sides, including the doors but excluding the wheel boxes, are clad with protective panelling to half their height. Half-a-dozen load tie-down points are installed.

Independent suspension with MacPherson struts is fitted at the front while leaf springs help support the rear of the vehicle. Steel 16in wheels shod with 215/70 R16 tyres (Hankooks on the vans we sampled) come as standard. The hydraulically-assisted rack-and-pinion steering offers 3.6 turns lock-to lock. Ventilated disc brakes are fitted all round — 300mm diameter at the front, 324mm at the back — and ABS and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution are included in the deal.

Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) is a £450 option and should really be fitted as standard. Other options include metallic or mica paint (£340), a vinyl cover for the back windows to frustrate prying eyes (£96) and a Trafficmaster Smartnav sat nav system with a touch screen plus three years’ worth of routes and vehicle tracking (£509). All prices exclude VAT.

Aimed at small- to medium-sized businesses, Hyundai’s newcomer will tow a braked trailer grossing at up to 2,300kg and is apparently capable of accepting a digital tachograph. Whereabouts it could be mounted in the cab is another question entirely.

Well Specced

There’s no denying that iLoad is well-equipped. Electric windows and mirrors — the latter are generously-proportioned — come as standard, as do air-conditioning, driver and passenger airbags and a high-quality MP3-compatible stereo radio/CD player. It boasts decent speakers rather than the cheap and nasty offerings that bedevil so many van cabs. There’s also a 3.5mm Aux input socket so that an iPod or the like can be plugged in.

Three seats come as standard, but the middle perch is narrow and of dubious practical value. The occupant is secured by a lap strap — not an acceptable arrangement in this day and age — and suffers from a lack of legroom. The set-up might be OK for a five-minute local trip, but certainly isn’t appropriate for a long-distance run. Good to see that the driver’s seat is height-adjustable, as is the steering column. As a consequence there should be no trouble finding a comfortable driving position.

Nor is there any shortage of in-cab oddment stowage space. Each door sports an upper and a lower bin; the latter features a moulding that will hold a water bottle or a flask. You’ll find two gloveboxes — one fairly small, one reasonably capacious — and the back of the middle seat flips down to reveal two cup-holders and a small working area that can be used when you’re completing paperwork. There’s a tray on top of the dashboard, which also harbours an auxiliary power point, and there’s plenty of space behind the seats for grubby workwear.

The driver’s door plays host to a button that releases the fuel flap while a moulding that bulges out from the front of the dashboard, slightly impeding cross-cab movement, plays host to the gearstick. Chunky heating, ventilation and air con controls make life easier for the driver as do the radio/CD player’s large, clearly marked switches.

The foregoing details apply to the £13,595 Comfort specification iLoad which Hyundai expects to be by far and away the best-selling version in the UK. Shorn of air con, electric mirrors and the passenger air bag, the more basic Classic is being marketed too and iLoad is also up for grabs as a six-seater Crew Van. Both are available to special order, the lead time is about three months and they are £12,995 and £15,595 respectively.