Hyundai iLoad & QLD Gemfields.

silver

silver

Forum Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2008
Messages
1,018
Location
Tathra, Far South Coast, NSW
Car Year
2005
Car Model
Forester
Transmission
Manual
Two things here.
Next Tuesday i'm heading off for a couple of months and i am going to the Qld gemfields, (Sapphire,Emerald etc.) and was wondering if anybody has been there or is up that way presently or could give me any tips etc on where to go and what to see.
The second thing is that the car HAS to go soon. I will be back on the Gold Coast around early July and will sell the van and the car and need to set up a campervan/car set up.
The two vans that come into it with me are the Toyota HiAce and the Hyundai iLoad. I looked at the Hyundai yesterday and must say it seemed far ahead of the Toyota in most respects eg..
Much more room in the cabin.
Better seats.
4 wheel discs. ( Toyota has drum rears)
Unbraked towing capacity is higher ( i think it was 750kg) against 400kg for the HiAce.
More modern suspension. Front struts and links at the rear against torsion bar front and leaf rears for the HiAce.
More powerful diesel engine with much more torque and better economy.
Cheaper by some few thousand dollars.
5 year/160,000 klm warranty on new cars (commercial)
APPARENTLY....from the reviews i've read...it drives well.
Bigger cargo space.
5 speed auto against 4 speed for the Toyota.
All up i think it seems the better overall deal.
So... my question is...does anybody use the iLoad or have any experience with them?
By the way...if anybody needs a Subie or knows somebody that wants a nice one feel free to PM me re mine.:raz:
 
If you are going bush much more Toyota service and parts available. Otherwise the Hyundai looks pretty good. Have you looked at the Mercedes Sprinter- or is that too big?
 
Not looked at the Merc......hate to think what the service/parts cost!! I thought about the Toyota angle as far as the dealers go but figure Hyundai are 'fairly' national also and will be buying new or very close to new so hopefully all would be OK.
It appears i was wrong about the rear suspension as the iLoad has leaf springs. It's the iMax people mover that has link rear suspension. Maybe i could get one of these and strip it!!
I'll add that the unbraked towing capacity for the HiAce is a bit of a problem with me. My tinny with stuff in it is probably around 450/500kgs or would be on a trip and the Hiace can only pull 400kg unbraked whereas the Hyundai can do 750kg unbraked. If i got the Hiace i would have to fit a brake controller and get a new tinny trailer that has brakes. Probably cost $1,000 at the least plus a pain in the bum. With the Hyundai it would cost me nix. I think the Hiace would pull the tinny OK but if i had an accident i would risk my insurance which would be a silly thing to do.
 
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I'd be more inclined from afar for the Hyundai, but while they are national, Toyota are kings in the bush. Most mechanics are probably more Toyota centric
 
That's for sure!! Can't escape that fact but figured that what i will be doing is creating a campervan/grey nomad home and not a bush basher so won't/can't do the things that ,say, a Hilux would do. More the idea that i can cruise around with my tinny and stop where i want to.
Also i will have RACQ 'ultimate' roadside assist cover so that could be a backstop for me.
 
Sounds like a safe bet.

I don't have any experience with the iload but I have been converted by hyundai after a friend bought a fantastic turbo diesel I30.
 
I work as a courier and drive an iLoad, as well as an older VW Caddy. The iLoad has got some guts but the ones we have are 4spd Auto. I must say the "sports" shift mode is horrid and not worth my time. I much prefer the one manual van we have and I can report that it spins the wheels quite well ;) Economy is quite impressive for the kind of stop start driving we do and with up to 800kg of freight it still feels quite quick. But the Auto feels like it takes off in 2nd unless you really plant your foot and then it takes a moment.. but then it really hoots! Unfortunately I have only put just over 2,200 km on the new iloads so it's still new to me. Stereo is decent sounding and has USB and 3.5mm aux inputs and Bluetooth connectivity for your phone. I don't use any of those but if it were my personal van I would definitely like that.
The only thing that makes me mad is the Auto lock feature my van has, frustrating for someone who gets in and out of the car a lot. I found the iLoad pretty comfortable too but I don't drive long distances so you'll have to find out the hard way. ;)
 
Personally I would go the iLoad. Hyundai have really moved up in the market the past 5 years.

We in our family have had heaps of Hyundai's but all small cars like the Excel and Accent but for their time they were great little cars and never missed a beat.
Sure you could get the Toyota but you may not be ahppy with it. Plus being a new car there should be minimal to zero issues.
Maybe just search around on the net and see if there are any issues with either like failing brakes or blowing gearboxes or the likes.

I will say though that I have been burnt off by both an iLoad in my L-Series from the lights and from a Hiace in the Foz. The diesel engines they have really have some power!

As you said it's not like you will be going offroad (maybe some gravel tracks or the likes(so there is little you can physically damage then) :)
 
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The Hyundai is ahead on many points at the moment.
Species...you mention a 4 speed auto but the website says the new ones are 5 speed ... how old is the one you drive?
 
silver said:
The Hyundai is ahead on many points at the moment.
Species...you mention a 4 speed auto but the website says the new ones are 5 speed ... how old is the one you drive?
Click to expand...

A month old.. all the iLoads the company bought have less than 3000km on them. Maybe they are last years models... maybe 5pd for petrol and 4spd for the Diesels?
 
Other way in fact. 5 speed diesel and 4 speed petrol. The thing i find really strange is no factory cruise available on ANY model. Need to get an after market one.
The auto 2.5 diesel is more powerful and more torque than the manual diesel and this is the way i will go with the ESC/traction control pack.
 
From whats been said here, it seems the iLoad may be more suitable for you. The Hiace has built a reputation for amazing reliability. Just about any mechanic could work on it blindfold. However, Hyundai has come along in leaps and bounds. A 5 year/160,000 klm warranty on new cars is pretty good.
Dont fall into the trap that there wont be any probs cos its new. The Toyota would be less likely to have early probs than the Hyundai, but any new vehicle can.
I'd suggest you have a look at Hyundai dealership locations as if something goes wrong they would be the better place to have it fixed. However, any mechanic should still be able to work on it and order in parts as required.

The auto 2.5 diesel with the ESC/traction control pack sounds good :)
 
Here is a link to a thread on another forum i am on. Nothing bad turning up yet.

https://www.caravanersforum.com/vie...588e74bedd960e81927322a0aabe&p=392988#p392988

From my looking at them i can say that the cabin in the iLoad is miles ahead of the Hiace. Clear winner.
List new price for auto/diesel....$4,000 cheaper for the iLoad.
Warranty...iLoad 5 years/160,000 (commercial) with 1 years roadside assist if serviced at Hyundai. Hiace...3 years 100,000. Clear winner to iLoad.
Unbraked towing...Hiace...400kgs iLoad....750kgs. Clear winner for me for towing the tinny.
Brakes Hiace F..Discs R...drums Iload...Ventilated discs all round.
Power/torque Hiace...100/300 Hyundai....125/441
Economy...Hiace...8.5 iLoad...8.8
Also no ESC available with Hiace.
The motor reviews i have read ALL say that the iload drives much better than the Hiace.
 
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