America’s love affair with the sport utility vehicle has been pretty much “replaced” by a love affair with the crossover. Not all that much has changed, but they offer a more car-like ride, along with improved fuel economy and less capability. Most SUV owners never take their vehicles off road, so they don’t need heavy-off road capability. Throughout history, Americans have always liked big, roomy and spacious vehicles.
In India, Hyundai has launched a new upright minivan/Multi Purpose Vehicle-like concept, called the Hexa Space HND-7. Hyundai’s largest crossover is the Veracruz, and it has a three-row, but a very small one. Hyundai has yet to produce something with a usable third row or a crossover in the full-size segment.
The Hexa Space isn’t a full-size entry, but it shows they are thinking in new ways about interior room and comfort. The Space looks like some kind of a blend between a crossover and a minivan. It rides higher than a minivan, but it has minivan hard points like the front windshield and rear B- and C-pillars. The result is a design that stand out.
We’ll let you decide if that is a good thing or not….the Hexa Space has already taken a lot of flack on the internet. The emphasis with the car isn’t on looks though, it is on practicality. The “Hexa” in the car’s name comes from the seating arrangement in the interior, which is reconfigurable. The seats are organized in a honeycomb-like fashion that Hyundai says increases comfort and space.
If true it is a promising development; third row seating has always been like punishment. Ford probably comes closest to what we’d like to see with the Flex. It has a livable third-row when there is captains chairs in the middle. The Hexa Space doesn’t appear to preview any production model at this point; Hyundai says they have no plans to produce it.
