The Koreans excel at electronics, pop and drama. Why don’t people here believe in their cars, too?

SINGAPORE — If you ask me, Korean cars vs public perception is a more interesting battle than Batman vs Superman (apparently, the movie critics concur).

People here accept that Korean phones and flatscreens are among the world’s best, but somehow imagine that owning a car from the same country is bound to end in more tears than watching an entire season of the soppiest K-drama.

Eye-catching plastic surgery is something else the place is famed for, and some of that has been applied to Hyundai’s i40 wagon.

It was a handsome car to begin with, but the surgeon’s knife has given it redesigned lamps front and rear, and Hyundai’s big, new hexagonal grille. These freshen its looks nicely, and update the car in line with the brand’s latest designs.

Depending on how you see things, it’s either an advantage or a curse that the i40 is sold here as a station wagon. The breed is relatively unpopular in Singapore — last year only one in 33 cars sold by Volvo was a wagon here, in spite of the Swedish brand’s fame for building that kind of car — so the Hyundai isn’t likely to have a huge audience.

But the few wagon-minded people around should give the Hyundai a serious look. For $116,999 (with COE), the i40 has more real estate in the back than European rivals like the Mini Cooper Clubman ($147,300) or Volkswagen Golf Variant ($131,300).

In fact, the Hyundai’s ability to swallow 1,719 litres of cargo with its rear seats folded makes it more capacious in the back than Volvo’s V90, the Swedish brand’s upcoming flagship wagon.

Add $10,000 for the better-equipped Sunroof version, however, and the i40 becomes positively luxurious.

READ MORE > The new Hyundai Elantra takes Korean cars to a whole new level

Open the door and the driver’s seat glides back to welcome you, Lexus-style. Opening and closing the tailgate are a simple matter of pressing a button, or even hands-free: stand near the back with the key in your pocket, and after three seconds the Hyundai heaves the boot open automatically, in case you were standing there with your arms full of groceries.

There’s a panoramic glass roof to give the cabin ambience a boost, and it’s one of the few cars around with nine airbags.

The dashboard is made of expensive-feeling, soft-touch material, and the cabin is so solidly assembled that it makes some European cars’ interiors feel flimsy in comparison.

Yet, it isn’t all kudos for the i40. Most of the time, the engine runs in near-silence and has lots of ready muscle for town speeds, but once you rev it hard it starts to get noisy and buzzy.

The handling is predictable and tidy enough, but there’s little feedback through the steering wheel.

Perhaps the i40’s biggest sin, though, is the fact that it lacks a proper three-point seatbelt for the middle rear passenger.

Still, if you’re eyeing one for the cargo carrying ability, the Hyundai is a winner. The boot is nicely carpeted, and it comes with a nifty adjustable jig for strapping loose items. There’s a removable net for cordoning off the boot area (something dog lovers will find handy), and fiddling with that and the luggage cover is far easier than in other station wagons we’ve driven.

It all adds up to a car that offers the best wagon experience at its price point – although the impressive Golf Variant isn’t far off in price terms.

For all that, the Hyundai is probably going to remain rare. It has to overcome both Singaporeans’ reticence about wagons and their stubborn belief in the misconception that Korean cars are inferior.

Before people embrace it for its cargo hauling talents, they have some baggage to get rid of.

NEED TO KNOW Hyundai i40 Wagon (Sunroof)
Engine 1,999cc, 16V, inline 4
Power 162hp at 6200rpm
Torque 203Nm at 4700rpm
Gearbox 6-speed automatic
Top Speed 205km/h 
0-100km/h 10.8 seconds 
Fuel efficiency 7.5L/100km 
CO₂ 176g/km
Price $126,999 with COE
Availability Now