Hyundai has come a long way from the days when it was known as 'The Excel Car Company.' The new Terracan is its first effort in the medium-size seven-seater four-wheel-drive wagon market.
Value for money
Pricing
The base model 3.5 litre V6 Terracan costs $36,990, while the Highlander variant is $42,990. A four-speed automatic costs an extra $2,990.
The Terracan's main rivals, Mitsubishi's Pajero and Toyota's Landcruiser Prado, cost up to $20,000 more (depending upon the model) with comparable equipment levels.
Warranty
Hyundai has the longest warranty in the business: five years/130,000 km.
Standard features
Standard equipment in the base model Terracan includes air conditioning, a CD player, cruise control, two front airbags, power widows and mirrors and 16-inch alloy wheels. The Highlander adds leather upholstery, ABS brakes and a more sophisticated 4WD system.
Retained value
Terracan is Hyundai's first entrant in this class, so it has no sales history. As a class, though, medium-sized four-wheel-drive wagons perform quite strongly on the used market because of their popularity.
Design and function
Ergonomics
The driver's seat is big, flat and inadequately bolstered. One of the two cushion height adjusters was broken. Tilt/height adjustable head restraints are fitted to the front seats.
You sit high, with good vision around the car. There's plenty of front seat travel, and a height-adjustable wheel.
The dash has a simple, efficient layout, just like a typical Japanese design. All switches and controls are clearly marked and easy to use.
Innovation
Terracan's high/low range shifting is effected by a switch on the centre console, so there is no extra gear lever to operate. Otherwise, its technology is quite conventional. Hyundai's warranty is the first on the market with such long coverage.
Safety
Terracan has not yet been independently crash tested. Two front airbags are provided, plus ABS brakes on the Highlander. The provision of a lap-only belt and no head restraint in the centre of the middle seat is a serious safety compromise, as is the absence of head restraints for the back seats.
Security
Remote central locking, an immobiliser and an alarm are standard.
Comfort
All seats are comfortable enough, but rather flat and unsupportive. You sit on them rather than in them.
Space and practicality
The middle seat is a well-padded flat bench, wide enough for three and with generous legroom. Behind the seat are three child restraint anchor clips.
The back seats are two very small fold-down items in a confined space, with tight head and legroom. They're suitable only for young kids on a trip of any length. No head restraints are fitted. The middle seats easily double fold for access, but like any 4WD you have to crawl into the back.
The cargo bay is accessed via a single piece roof-hinged tailgate. The fact that the back seats can't be removed compromises carrying capacity. When they're folded away, the usable load area is pretty narrow, though floor length is reasonable. The middle seat is split 60/40; the extended floor is a flat 1.6 metres. Four lugs and a net are provided, as is a full-size spare on an alloy wheel.
Build and finish quality
Hyundai has made great strides recently. The Terracan's build and finish quality is comparable to its Japanese rivals, if still not quite up there with Toyota.
The body sits on a separate steel frame chassis, as per most heavy duty 4WD wagons. It feels tight and solid, while interior fit and finish is good.
On the road
Fuel efficiency
The Terracan's 3.5 litre V6 is thirsty, but like the Prado and Pajero this is a much a result of the vehicle weighing two tonnes as anything else. Expect 13-15 litres/10 km on the open road and 17-19 litres/100 km in town.
Performance
The V6's 145 kW of power and, more importantly in the four wheel drive context, 302 Nm of torque at 3000 rpm, are comparable with the 3.4 Prado and 3.5 Pajero engines.
The base model Terracan's part time 4WD system is rear-wheel drive only on bitumen and a fixed 50/50 front/rear split running on loose surfaces in 4WD.
The Highlander incorporates a magnetic clutch which, in normal conditions, apportions 100 per cent of the drive to the rears but can, if wheel slippage occurs, send up to 50 per cent to the front.
Both have low range gearing.
The Terracan is quick. The 3.5, assisted by lowish ratios in the four-speed auto, launches it smartly off the line, and a strong surge of torque provides rapid acceleration and very easy cruising ability.
The automatic goes early for a lower gear on hills, or when you need maximum overtaking performance.
The variable drive apportioning on the Highlander works with impressive smoothness and speed on dirt roads, where rear wheel slippage is barely noticed before the front wheels are engaged.
This is not the case when low range is selected - the Highlander's arrives with a clunk, and is coarse and noisy in operation, with too much snatch and whine for easy, confident progress.
Ride
The suspension can be noisy on large bumps and potholes, which also occasionally send a hard whack to the cabin. Its lack of tuning finesse is evident in a lumpy, constantly jiggling ride on all but freeway smooth surfaces.
Handling and steering
Terracan's on road handling is reasonably taut and disciplined by the relatively low standards which apply in this class. However the Pajero, which has rack and pinion steering, unitary construction and fully independent suspension, is by far the most dynamically competent of the breed.
The Terracan's crude but effective stiff spring/heavy damping/thick anti roll bar setup minimises body roll and understeer. The back end can get twitchy on a corrugated dirt road, where, again, the Pajero is the best. In rutted, low range country, the torsion bar front suspension will provide limited articulation - here, and in most extreme off-road situations, the Prado is the pick of the group.
The Terracan's ball and nut steering is typically remote in feel, light and indirect compared with a rack and pinion system.
Grip from the 255/65 Kumhos (on 16-inch alloy wheels) is average on bitumen. Their road-oriented tread pattern finds it hard to bite into dirt, sand or mud, and when climbing steep tracks.
Braking
The Highlander now has ABS brakes as standard; they were absent on the initial Terracan shipment, which included the test car. As tested, the brakes were adequate. The rears locked early on dirt, sending the back end slightly sideways.
Smoothness and quietness
Apart from some suspension noise on bumpy roads, the Terrcana's overall refinement is pretty good. Engine noise is minimal in most circumstances, and the V6 is very smooth.
Summary
The Terracan is not the class leader - Pajero remains at the top, while off road the Prado is king - but then again it meets the prevailing standards for the breed in most areas. Given its equipment, space and performance, plus its significant pricing advantage, the Hyundai is good value.
The writer of this report does not necessarily represent the views of the NRMA and this report is provided for you as an alternative to our own NRMA car reviews.
