Pick-up group test
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Basic appeal
HYUNDAI, an offspring of one of the largest industrial groups in South Korea, was formed 15 years ago to assemble Cortinas under an agreement with Ford of Britain. Since then it has opted to build its own "Korean" car using the technical expertise of a former British Leyland executive.
Its 12-model Pony range arrived on the UK market in' February last year and since then the Hyundai dealer network has grown to 150. international Motors, which holds the concession, says that there are a further 350 applications to sell the Pony.
The Hyundai range, which is styled by Giugiaro of Italy, has a plain, uncomplicated body design and the pick-up version priced at E2,780 excluding vat underlines its sales philosophy of providing a smart, economical little workhorse at a price that will suit traders and smallholders operating on a tight budget.
Its all-steel body has a swaged floor and its loading edge, being flat, enables the driver to sweep the dirt out without hindrance, but three bolt heads protrude slightly and could snag on sliding cargo.
Rear-wheel arches intrude into the floor area to reduce the usable width of the body to 1.96m (37in), but it still has a load area of 1.66sqm (17.87sqft). The sides of the body are strengthened by double-skinning which also serves to prevent any inner damage being transmitted to the outer panels. When loading over the side or the tailboard, the top edges are protected by thick rubber strips near maximum payload of 365kg (7cwt lqtr) it gave a very crisp performance. For the 137.1km (85.3-mile) circuit, an average speed of 68.6km/h (42,65mph) would have been improved upon but for the fairly heavy traffic between Westerham, Redhill and Reigate.
The 1,238cc power unit responded quite smoothly along the 65.5km (40.07-mile) stretch of the M25 and M20 motorway although its power surge tended to fall away at speeds of over 88km/h (55mph). With the amount of hgv on this motorwa) stretch, overtaking at the highe speeds required considerabh anticipation.
In the stop-start conditions which were experienced in Red hill and Reigate, the Hyundai': acceleration made light work o it through the lower gears. Thi: is the sort of performance whicl will make it very popular witl local delivery drivers.
A short rear-angled gear leve is well positioned while thl clutch pedal required only ligh pressure to make gear selectior easy. Well spaced gear ratio: will help the driver to cope witi urban congestion and maintair good journey times.
Although the near full loa( was well distributed, the pick up's conventional rear, leaf spring suspension ensured tha the vehicle sat well, its front en( 'remaining stable for most of thr route except when braking o being driven into corners whet it had a tendency to roll.
On the road, the brakes wen very positive, and at MIRA thr footbrake felt quite effective, giv ing a deceleration of 0.78g a 30mph and pulling up straigh on each application.
The park brake, besides beini well positioned and well ad justed, was extremely effectiv■ in holding it on the one in throat gradient, facing uphill.
The cab interior is basicall, simple in style with a very plaii but functional instrument and switching layout. Where it reall, lacks promise is its poor qua lit seats. The foam squab of th: driver's seat quickly lost it shape during the test and fel very flat, it had a distinct forvvan tilt and to make matters worse clearance between my head arm the roof panel was less than on: inch so it was just as well tha the seat cushion collapsed. Ni amount of adjustment of th: seat could reduce my discomfoi in the correct driving position.
The fuel and temperatur: gauges are very clear and th: speedometer, too, although i was found to be 6.5 per cent fas when checked against the mea sured mile at MIRA. Alongside ii the blank dial looks very odi without the clock which is fittel to other models. The lightin! switch is well positioned bu lacks strength and felt ver loose; in fact, during the test
developed a fault where the side lights remained on though the lights were switched off.
Another example of its odd economies is its lack of a warning light for the manual choke control, yet conversely it does include a "door ajar" arid a seat-belt warning light on the panel, both of which had a malfunction. The heater and ventilation controls are not illuminated.
Space behind the driver's seat is limited to a hold-all, which would have' to rest upon the floor-mounted jack, while behind the passenger's seat the spare wheel is mounted against the cab wall.
Its regular shaped parcel shelf is useful for maps or pamphlets and the glove compartment has a reasonable capacity for vehicle documents and the like.
A full-width rear window increases the normal standard of all-round visibility, but its three, vertical guard rails offer no more than token protection from the possibility of damage from a sliding load.
Day to day servicing of the pick-up's 40.4kW (54bhp) ohc engine should .prove fairly straightforward as most of the vital components are readily accessible. Radiator, brake fluid and windscreen washer levels are clearly visible as are the electrical fuses. The engine air filter intake arrangement despite looking rather antiquated is probably as efficient as most modern designs. On its winter setting a sprung flap directs hot air from beneath the exhaust manifold shield to improve combustion during very cold ternperatures.
While simplicity of the under bonnet layout can be an advantage, safety seems to have been omitted where the radiator cooling fan is concerned. A fairly simple shield attached to the radiator would give some protection to a driver carrying out routine checks while the engine is running and also improve the air draught.
For a comparative newcomer to vehicle manufacturing, Hyundai has produced a fairly basic, light pick-up which, at £2,780 excluding vat, will appeal to selfemployed tradesmen and all whose business depends on low-cost transport.