Practical Luxury: 2024 Hyundai Custin 1.5 T-GDI Premium 8AT – Review
The market for premium and luxury vans has been steadily growing in the past couple of years. Multiple brands have staked a claim on the segment and have done pretty well, Hyundai is the latest to do so with the Custin, a China-derived unit.
So does the Custin deserve to be on the list for those looking for the luxury van life?
2024 Hyundai Custin Exterior
Table of Contents
I have to commend Hyundai for making the Custin look as sleek as possible without sacrificing the van profile. I like how it takes a more fluid and flowing profile as opposed to just being a big square or rectangular vehicle.
Make no mistake though the Custin adopts the Hyundai design language well, very modern and avant-garde, and I am to say that the almost matte gray color makes it look very very cool.
Overall, If you’re not a fan of tall square and rectangular vans the Custin is the one for you looks-wise.
Interior
Since the Custin is a luxury van we need to inspect the interior properly. At first glance, the Korean automaker wants to elevate the experience by providing a creamy white-colored interior. Which I appreciated as a break from the normal black and tan interior colorways we normally see. However nice the white color palette is though, owners must be careful keeping it clean and pristine.
As a vehicle that primarily focuses on the passengers the Custin is no slouch when it comes to creature comforts and features. The 2nd-row seats for example are power-adjustable ottoman styles for optimal comfort, there are also privacy screens for the 2nd-row windows, a tray for food, and a huge panoramic sunroof just for the passengers. There are even multiple options to charge your device if you’re a rear passenger, including a wireless charging pad and a decent sampling of USB charging ports.
The driver isn’t forgotten though, the front also gets a decent helping of features like comfortable seats, a very driver-centric layout, digital screens for the instrument cluster, and infotainment complete with Apple Carplay and Android Auto.
Space inside the Custin is more than enough for families of 5-7 people, there is no feeling of claustrophobia and the Custin would be a good out-of-town cruiser for families and friends.
Safety and Performance
Moving this luxury family hauler is a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine that makes 170 PS and 253 Nm of torque. The engine is paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission with multiple drive modes Eco, Comfort, Smart, and Sport.
Safety is paramount to Hyundai and as such the Custin gets a healthy helping from the Hyundai SmartSense safety suite. SmartSense is the brand equivalent of ADAS with features like lane following, high beam assist and others.
Driving Impressions
The first thing I’d like to point out about the Custin is that the size isn’t apparent while driving. Yes it’s still a big and long minivan but it doesn’t feel any bigger than an Innova or Fortuner I would say that the Custin feels easier to maneuver around the city.
I appreciated how low the sitting position is for a minivan and how much visibility there is for the driver. I’m not a fan of driving vans but there were times that I enjoyed the Custin because of the ease of operation. It was just so smooth and straightforward, no fuss just get in and go.
What surprised me the most was the performance though, in the city the engine and transmission were A-okay! which is expected since city driving doesn’t expose the vehicle’s weakness. Taking it on the highway though revealed that the Custin is one of the most ideal highway cruisers, the ride is comfortable, and the NVH levels are low enough, but the most impressive is the smoothness of the powertrain. The engine was barely noticeable and the power delivery was unabrupt.
Points for improvement
As wonderful a product as I believe the Custin is, there is one thing I find truly an inconvenience. Most Hyundais in the local lineup still retain physical touch buttons for climate control.
The Custin doesn’t, it is controllable only through the infotainment screen which for me poses a hassle during scorching hot days where it takes about a minute from starting the car to the screen booting up before I can turn on the air conditioning for the front passengers.
Price and Verdict
At PHP 2,140,000 the Custin is much more affordable than its immediate competition in the segment, but that doesn’t mean it’s worth less. In fact, I think bang for the buck the Custin is worth every single penny. Anybody buying the Hyundai Custin would be surprised at how much you get for basically MPV/PPV pricing, which explains the already sizable number of Custins on the road.
Here’s the kicker, I have been borrowing and bringing home numerous vehicles of all types for the past few years. The Hyundai Custin is the only vehicle my wife has raved about constantly, going as far as saying “I still prefer the Custin” now and then. There is no higher praise for me, as they say, happy wife, happy life?
