A car that I will keep for the duration of my loan. It is that reliable. If you do not fuss over fuel consumption too much, then this people mover will satisfy your every need. Good to drive to Malaysia and off-track too. The breaks are good, ABS excellent and the tyres perform admirably on very wet roads. The engine on CVVT does a decent job of pulling along the almost 2-tonne metal. Hell, if not for my conscience, I would have driven it at 180 km/h along the NSH, instead of the usual 160. The spare parts are surprisingly inexpensive, something a middle-income earner like me appreciates to the bone.

The front seats swivel round and although there isn't much room inside (particularly driver's side because the steering wheel gets in the way) the Hyundai Trajet 2.0 GSI Auto is great for family days out and picnics. I love driving this car and it's really practical. The 5 year warranty is still the best on the market, and so far my Hyundai garage have been excellent. (Professional, helpful and reasonably priced) Roof rails corrode early (2 years plus) and paint peels off. Not a big problem but I have heard that Hyundai won't replace them under warranty. Don't know if this is true.

The automatic gearbox is OK and I like having the shift on the dashboard - it means you can get out of the car on the passenger side easily, so it's pretty good for town use too. The angle of the gearstick does however mean it blocks all the hot or cold air from the vent when in "Drive". A bit of an oversight, I think.

The car is quite high so you have good visibility on country roads, but it is a bit wallowy. Then again this is a bus, not a sports car so I don't have a problem with that.

The interior is quite plasticy but given the alternative of plastic or £1000 more cost, I'd go for plastic every time. This is a car for families and you don't want children ruining nice trim. I think Hyundai have saved money in making this car, but they have saved it in the right places. Despite the acres of plastic there are very few rattles. The middle seat of the middle row creaks if nobody is sitting in it, but I just fold it down if it's unoccupied. This means I can see out of the back window better, too.

Little features like a courtesy light per seat, and lights in the doors so when they open at night it warns traffic behind you give a real feeling of, well not luxury, but like it's a nice car to have and to be in.

One minor problem I had: there seemed to be a knock coming from the steering, usually when turning the wheel from right to left under gentle acceleration. This turned out to be the suspension column at the front. (right hand side top mount) The very helpful chap at the Hyundai main dealer in Shrewsbury stripped it all down and put copperslip on the parts which rotate against one another when turning the steering wheel and the noise and knock went away. This was done under warranty. I was really impressed by the garage's professionalism. And it's not often I say that!

Overall, I think this is an excellent car, except for the fuel consumption (I can get 30mpg with aircon off, if very careful, and about 26mpg with aircon, also being careful).
It's a separate issue, but if the road tax does go up significantly, surely it will be in my interest to use this car more to get my money's worth as the road tax is irrespective of the miles covered. It will be a tax for owning the vehicle, not for using it. I use a small car for everyday commuting and the Trajet for when I take the family somewhere, but if I end up being taxed for owning the Trajet what will I do? Pay the tax or sell the car for next to nothing? It won't get the car off the road will it? Anyway, a review is not the place to rant, but please think carefully about the consequences of buying a car like this - even if used responsibly - if the government increases road tax.