Hyundai Nexo
FIRST UK DRIVE Stylish fuel cell SUV is a convincing package
Beh Behind the wheel of fuel cell SUV in the UK
HYUNDAI is ploughing on with hydrogen fuel cells, convinced that they will play a big part in the future of the car. The Nexo is the firm’s latest offering, and we’ve tried a preproduction version on UK roads.
As SUVS go, the South Korean brand’s new model is a looker, boasting sleek lines and stylish pop-out door handles.
It’s even smarter inside, with a central 12.3-inch infotainment screen and a seven-inch display ahead of the driver. There’s some cool metallic switchgear on the floating centre console and highquality eco-friendly plastics throughout.
There’s plenty of space, too. The Nexo is nearly 200mm longer than the Hyundai Tucson SUV; that translates into excellent leg, head and shoulder room in the front and rear. And it gets a proper boot, with 461 litres of space.
Driving the Nexo is much like driving a ‘regular’ electric car: quiet and relaxed. It’s much more hushed than the ix35 FCV it replaces, thanks to the slippery shape and a more efficient drive system.
It still feels quite heavy on the road and the ride isn’t as settled as a Tucson’s. The steering is alert enough, but this is a hydrogen-powered SUV, not a sports car.
As such, the Nexo is not that quick; 0-62mph takes a genteel 9.2 seconds. A 1.6-litre petrol Tucson is faster, but that car emits 165g/km of CO2, whereas the Nexo actually cleans the air as it drives.
No matter how good the new Nexo is – and it is good – there will always be two Achilles’ heels: price and where you can fill it up. The latter is a political subject that Hyundai can only lobby on.
We expect the final price to sit around the £55,000 mark after the Government grant has been deducted. That’s still expensive, but the Nexo is a much more enticing proposition than the ix35 ever was. The new Hyundai feels like a genuinely premium product.
“As SUVS go, the new model is a looker, with sleek lines and pop-out door handles”