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Carsales Staff1 Jan 2006
REVIEW

Hyundai Terracan (2005-)

Caravan World's Tom Olthoff says it's easy to see why Hyundai's Terracan Diesel 4WD is receiving high industry acclaim

IT'S IN THE CAN: Part I
Among the world's car manufacturers, Hyundai is very much a latecomer. Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) is Korea's biggest and now the world's seventh-largest automotive manufacturer. In 2004 Hyundai sold 3.78 million vehicles, 2.58 million with Hyundai badges and 1.2 million Kia-badged cars, in 190 countries.

As well as the facilities in Korea, which include the world's largest single manufacturing site at Ulsan, HMC has design studios and R&D centres in the USA, Germany and Japan and plants in India, USA, China, Turkey, Malaysia and Slovenia. That's very impressive.

In Australia, where Hyundai began selling cars in 1986, the brand probably became best known for its affordable Excel, the price of which always includes air-conditioning and onroad costs. In 2004 sales increased 37 per cent over the previous year with 42,510 new Hyundai cars leaving the showrooms.

Today the Hyundai range consists of the Getz, Accent, Elantra and Sonata, the sporty Tiburon, Tucson and Santa Fe AWDs, Trajet people mover and the Terracan 4WD.

Recently we had the opportunity to test the latest Terracan with state-of-the-art common rail direct injection (CRDi) turbocharged intercooled diesel engine.

ECONOMICAL MOTORING
The seven-seater, dual range, medium-size 4WD Terracan is targeting serious offroaders, primarily those looking for a capable towing vehicle and the rural sector. Performance is more than adequate with lots of pulling power from low revs, economy is great, emissions are minimal and noise inside the wagon is very low.

The CRDi system, together with the electronically controlled direct injection, offers accurate metering and delivery of fuel. This ensures the right amount of fuel is used at all times, maximising performance, reducing consumption and eliminating the smoke and smells often associated with diesel engines.

ADR 81/01 standardised consumption testing, which combines the city and highway tests previously used but is biased towards city usage, credits the manual Terracan with 10.1L/100km while the auto diesel uses only a whisker more at 10.3L/100km. Based on CW's experience, which saw us getting 11.1L/100km during mainly city/suburban driving, the 2000kg Terracan will provide economical motoring.

At 110km/h cruising along the highway the auto ticks over at a modest 2200rpm. With 345Nm of torque on tap, hills and overtaking manoeuvres present no problems. And the absence of wind noise means conversing with passengers is easy.

Terracan is excellent value, particularly when all its features are taken into account. These include part-time lockable 4WD, ABS, limited slip rear differential, generous ground clearance, driver and passenger airbags and side impact protection.

Inside you'll find air-conditioning with pollen filter, engine immobiliser, power windows, central locking, cruise control, three 12V power outlets, overhead console and an MP3/CD player and radio with six speakers. There are also a variety of storage compartments and cup holders.

TREK 'N' TOW
The clever people at Hyundai realised that the first stop for many 4WD owners is a 4WD store that specialises in suspension modification to enhance certain offroad and other operating conditions.

To cater for the needs of owners who wish to go offroad or tow heavy loads Hyundai's accessory arm, Astrel, has developed an optional heavy duty suspension kit called Trek'n'Tow. Besides the offroad benefits claimed for the kit, it also increases the allowable towball load from 200kg up to 250kg.

Hyundai refers to the Trek'n'Tow kit as the 'Three Es of Excellence'. This stems from the variable-rated springs that are supplied by Eibach, Performer IAS shock absorbers from Edelbrock that automatically adjust to respond to varying terrain and new Elastrogran bump stops that double as a secondary spring.

The Trek'n'Tow kit raises the Terracan 20mm. This not only helps to avoid obstacles when venturing into the rough, but also prevents the Terracan from sagging too much when heavily loaded.

ON THE ROAD
The initial impression was one of firmness, particularly on bumpy, suburban roads, but after a couple of days it felt par for the course. It came into its own at higher speeds and along bush tracks. While I wouldn't go as far as to suggest that the handling was sports car-like, it is certainly superior to other softer-sprung 4WDs or AWDs.

We tested both a new Jayco Freedom caravan and a Cameron camper trailer behind the Terracan and found that, with regard to ride quality, the vehicle appeared happier when loaded than with just the driver onboard. Stability when towing was excellent, proving the Trek'n'Tow development engineers have obviously done their homework.

WHAT DO WE RECKON?
When it comes to towing, a firm suspension is superior to a soft one any day. That doesn't mean that standard smooth riding suspensions can't be modified, but when you can buy a car with all the right bits and pieces supplied by the manufacturer, it will be better than something that has been added afterwards.

While the Trek'n'Tow kit is undoubtedly a worthwhile addition for those into towing and serious offroad work, experienced caravanners will know that stronger springs don't replace the need for a load-distributing hitch if the ball load is such that weight is taken off the front wheels.

If you want value for money, the Terracan 4WD diesel (or for that matter the 3.5 V6 petrol) takes a lot of beating. At the time of preparing this article the 2.9 CRDi manual was selling for $37,490 and the auto version for $39,590.

If you want the Highlander with constant 4WD and other niceties like climate control and leather trim it will set you back $41,490 and $43,590 respectively. The petrol model is even less than this.

Read "It's in the Can Part II": Terracan tow test here.

For the latest caravan and camper trailer news and reviews visit www.rvpoint.com.au

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Written byCarsales Staff
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