All-new Hyundai i800 eight-seater MPV announced

The all-new Hyundai i800 is a people carrier/MPV with a difference. Well a few actually. But its main one is that it will accommodate eight occupants, plus all their luggage with the minimum of fuss. And that's basically because it's designed and built like a minibus.

Ambitious provincial taxi firms can now add another model to their fleet of airport shuttle service vehicles, as the £19,495 Hyundai i800 is made available in the UK from June 20.

To underline the fact that Hyundai is thinking bigger than ever before, it has upped the bar on its rivals. Or rather the seats. Seven is seen as so yesterday by Hyundai that it's thought outside of the box, and made room in its geometrically-even new i800 for another.

Don't worry though, as more people space, doesn't mean less luggage space, as the i800 boasts some 851-litres of boot accommodation even when wedged to the gunnels with excited holidaymakers - a figure that outstrips the load capacity of some current estate cars.

Rear benches split and fold, whilst the centre row can shimmy forward or backward to free-up more straw donkeys and duty free. Rear seats are accessible by a pair of sliding doors so however suspect the driver's parking is, occupants will always be able to make a civilised departure.

Inside the creature comfort levels re-acclimatise the jet-lagged like no other rivals, courtesy of a restful two-tone interior, a six-speaker sound system, individual air conditioning vents and privacy glass. Electronic reversing sensors, ESP, traction control and dual airbags are standard.

The rear-wheel-driven 2.5-litre, four-cylinder CRDI diesel engine encourages 289 lb-ft of torque which enables a fully-laden i800 to arrive wherever it's destined in plenty of time. Taking the performance into consideration, the fuel returns are first class too, with a combined figure of 33.2mpg, thanks to a 75-litre reservoir, which allows the i800 to travel 560 miles before bothering the pumps.

What's more, you can turn the i800 on a 50 pence piece. Well, metaphorically-speaking you could. A turning circle of 5.61m for a vehicle that measures 5,125mm in length and 1,920 in girth is good going.

As with all Hyundais, the i800 comes complete with the manufacturer's five-year/unlimited-mileage warranty, and for those still in a quandary, a cheaper, lower-specced priced i800 will make its debut later in 2008.