Seoul show: Hyundai Enduro goes out there

HYUNDAI is exploring the edges of compact crossover design with this concept baby hatch, the Enduro, revealed at the Seoul motor show today.

And while the little three-door urban warrior weapon might look fetching, prospective buyers in Australia might be better served looking to Europe where South Korea’s biggest car-maker unveiled the more logical Intrado concept at the Geneva motor show last year.

The five-door Intrado is likely to go in to production in Europe as a rival for Nissan’s Juke and Mazda’s CX-3 at some point, and if so will be on the prospective shopping list for Hyundai Motor Co Australia.

The coupe-like Enduro, on the other hand, is thought to be more of a design exercise, pushing the envelope of Hyundai’s current design language.

Like the Intrado, the Enduro – as in motorcycle enduro – is probably based on the Chinese-market ix25 compact SUV that is likely to also go into production in India soon.

At 4271mm long, the Enduro is almost exactly the same length as the ix25, even though the latter is a five-door wagon.

Powered by Hyundai Group’s 2.0-litre turbocharged T-GDT engine linked with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the four-seat Enduro adopts Hyundai’s trademark hexagonal grille, but with a low black splitter and big side scoops – presumably brake-cooling ducts – in front of each front wheel.

The vehicle’s nod to off-road pretensions comes in the form of a slightly raised ride height and black plastic wheelarch flares.

In its press release announcing the concept, Hyundai describes the Enduro as “the professional gear for drivers wanting to escape the ordinary”.

In a typical concept flight of fancy, conventional exterior rearview mirrors make way for cameras connected to an overhead screen.

Interestingly, designers of the car have included a new remote control system for infotainment, sat-nav and the like, with a two-knob remote control offering dual operation via a “top knob” and “bottom knob”.

The system is said to offer more intuitive and comfortable operation than existing systems.