Fresh from its victory in the Australian Best Cars awards for Best People Mover, we have just spent a week road testing a Hyundai iMax diesel people mover.

A week that was livened up by a visit by various grandsons, all of whom seem to be a lot larger than they were this time last year.

And even more definite in their tastes in vehicles than they were last Christmas. Though my grandsons would much rather be seen in a macho 4WD than in a ‘boring’ people mover, they did give the Hyundai iMax marks for its styling. Because this South Korean newcomer has a bold, positive shape at the front that gives it the sort of macho appearance young (and not so young!) blokes like.

Just look at that standout bonnet, big front grille and large, shapely headlights. The grille features a big ‘H’ for Hyundai badge, has been done in race-style egg-crate material and is coated in more than its fair share of bright chrome treatment. The effect is excellent.

Both the iMax people mover and the iLoad van on which it is based have a semi-bonneted body, that shape being the best compromise between crash safety and interior volume. Hyundai iMax is capable of carrying eight adults in reasonable comfort, unlike, sleeker family people movers that cater for a mix of adults and children, typically four of the former and three of the little folk.

The first two rows of seats can slide backwards and forwards to provide numerous combinations of legroom. When the back seats aren't in use the centre-row seats receive a huge amount of limo-like space.

Access to the rearmost seats through the sliding doors is easy. However, as is often the way on imported vehicles the smaller of the folding seat sections is on the wrong side for Australia, meaning a fair bit of muscle power is needed to fold/unfold the larger side of the seat.

Even with a full complement of eight passengers, there a surprising amount of space in the rear of the iMax for luggage, partly thanks to a boot that’s deeper than average for its type.

This big Hyundai people mover comes with two four-cylinder engine choices: 2.4-litre petrol or 2.5-litre common-rail turbo-diesel. Our test vehicle had the turbo-diesel. With its big-torque characteristics the 2.5-litre four-cylinder CRDi diesel is likely to be the engine of choice for most buyers. Transmission was by a five-speed automatic with tiptronic-type overrides in our test car, it works nicely in conjunction with the engine characteristics.

Standard features include air conditioning with dual-zones and additional controls in the rear, and MP3-compatible CD player with auxiliary input jack. Safety gear includes dual front airbags and ABS brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution. Stability and traction control are fitted to the turbo-diesel models, though not at this stage to the petrol models, where they are expected to be introduced soon.

On the road the iMax rides well and is generally stable, though it can be affected by strong side winds and by the backwash of air from big trucks. It’s not on its own in this as the van shape is inevitably going to be more prone to aerodynamic disturbance than that of a low-lung sedan.

One jarring note was a fair bit of noise inside on bumpy roads as the front doors moved within their frames. A disappointing feature of an otherwise competent vehicle that’s built to a high standard.

Though the emphasis is on comfort, handling isn’t too bad for this class. There's good turn in and the iMax tracks nicely around corners providing you don’t tackle them at silly speeds. And if you do get an attack of silliness the resulting understeer will knock the speed back to a sensible level.

The Hyundai iMax is surprisingly easy to maneuver in tight conditions thanks to a tight turning circle.

Priced from a pretty reasonable $36,990, which puts it many thousands of dollars under similar vehicles from the big-name Japanese and German marques, the new Hyundai iMax may be just what cash-strapped Australian families are looking for.

Hyundai’s generous warranties apply with the iMax covered for five years or unlimited kilometres, a real load off the mind in the family-raising years. Owners also get free roadside assistance for one year.