Styling changes include a revised, two-bar chrome grille, clear-look front indicators, chrome-surround taillights and new wheel trims. Inside, new light beige trim and carpet lend an even more light and airy ambience to Trajet’s spacious, walk-thru cabin.

“Trajet has been a quiet achiever in the People Mover segment dominated hitherto by one cut-price model but this upgraded Trajet will now bring a level of sophistication, quality, performance and features to the affordable end of the segment,” said Theo van Doore, Hyundai Motor Co Australia’s Director of Sales & Marketing.

“Trajet is very close in price to Carnival automatic but offers 25Nm more torque from its modern, all-alloy, Hyundai-designed and bigger V6 engine, it reassures with the extra safety protection of ABS and EBD, all-disc brakes and two front airbags rather than one, it turns a telling 1.7 metres tighter between kerbs and rides with the comfort and control of fully independent rear suspension.” Mr van Doore added.

File’n’pile

Trajet’s 2-2-3 seating and centre aisle means people can file and kids pile into the back two seat rows quickly and without having to slide, flip-fold or clamber over a full width middle seat. The new swing-down front seat inner armrests add to front occupants’ comfort while still preserving the ‘parental prerogative’ walk-thru to the rest of the cabin. The driving position is multi-adjustable via seat and steering wheel and its height gives good vision ahead in traffic while step-in height is low enough to be skirt friendly.

The centre seats are separate, fully contoured chairs with plentiful elbow room each side and they adjust fore-aft as well as for backrest rake, offering a superior comfort level than normal for second row passengers. They also have the use of airliner-style flip up trays with cup recesses on the front seat backs.

Centre and rear seat backrests fold forward to make tables with cup recesses and a wipe surface on top. Each seat can be separately snapped out of and back onto Trajet’s completely flat and low floor, maximizing versatility for varying loads. Cradled under the rear floor is a full size spare wheel.

Trajet’s car-type back doors are easier to open and close than heavy van-like sliding doors, especially from inside or when parked on a slope.

Top torque

Trajet V6 boasts the highest maximum torque and the most peak power of any people mover from its price up to $50,000 where, being a V6 in a field of four or five-cylinder models, translates into comparatively smooth and effortless performance. Trajet’s 2.7-litre V6 is a high-tech, compact and lightweight all-alloy Hyundai-designed quad-cam, 24-valve design, developing 245 Nm of torque at 4000rpm and 131kW of power at 6000rpm.

The engine is paired with an electronically adaptive (to driver style) automatic transmission, operated via a steering column-mounted shift lever which frees up floor space for unobstructed access to the cabin behind.

Safety

ABS with EBD is a major primary automotive safety feature and is a crucial advantage in a high-occupancy people mover.

Dual front airbags provide secondary safety assurance for the driver and front passenger, allied with front seatbelt pre-tensioners, load limiters and adjustable height top mounts which optimize occupant restraint kinetics in a frontal impact. Add to this Trajet’s crash safety engineered body with controlled collapse-rate front and rear sections, side impact beams in all doors and reinforced roof crossbars.

Fully independent rear suspension gives more comfortable and controlled ride and handling especially over lumpy roads and/or when the car is lightly loaded than the cheaper, beam axle-connected rear wheels on many other people movers.

Warranty

There’s no better pointer to inbuilt quality than when a maker strongly warrants its product, none more so than Hyundai with its established, industry-leading 5-year /130,000 km new car assurance.

Conceived in Hyundai’s European Design Studio in Germany, Trajet fulfils the demands of European and Australian people mover buyers who prefer sensibly compact exterior dimensions and manoeuvrability in a spacious, high style multi-seater.

At just under 4.7 metres long, Trajet is a tad shorter than Hyundai’s medium sized Sonata sedan yet has plenty of legroom for all three seat rows and generous luggage room aft without feeling unwieldy and van-like. Its long wheelbase provides excellent second and third seat row access.

Prices and equipment

Trajet pricing is typically Hyundai benchmark value for money.

For only $32,990*, Trajet V6 also includes dual-zone air-conditioning to front and rear of the cabin with pollution-sensing switch and pollen filter, power windows and door mirrors, central locking and engine immobilizer.

Storage areas include 10 cup holders, a lit and lockable glovebox, centre front multi-bin sized for CDs, rear seat under-armrest side bins, front door pockets with bottle bulges and book-retaining elastic straps, front seatback pockets and a cargo hammock net in the rear.

Other standard features include, tilt-adjustable steering wheel, driver seat height and tilt adjustment, rear seat centre armrest, front map and rear reading lights, three 12 volt DC power outlets, rear fog lamp, mud spats front and rear and a cam-action left front wiper arm to sweep more of the windscreen.

* recommended retail price (excludes on-road costs)