BIG families, small businesses and anyone with lots of friends can rejoice - at last there is a classy way to carry eight people and luggage in a car that costs less than £20,000.

Unlike most MPVs, which only have room for seven people, the i800 can comfortably accommodate eight. In addition the big Hyundai will still have room for all their luggage. In fact the i800 has 851 litres of space in the boot even when loaded with passengers; that's twice as much as some estate cars.

The Hyundai i800 features a pair of seats in front and two benches behind, each accommodating three adults.

Both rear benches feature a 60:40 split-fold and recline while the centre row also slides forwards or backwards to tailor space as required. All of the rear seats are accessed by pair of sliding doors, making access easy wherever the i800 is parked.

Once inside, the ambience is far more car-like than other minibus'-style rivals, with two-tone interior trim, privacy glass, a six-speaker audio system and ducted air conditioning throughout. Individually-controllable overhead vents in the rear make sure all of the occupants can keep their cool. It is not just the luxury inside that makes the i800 comfortable. Rather than using the same chassis as a commercial vehicle, the new people carrier has a purpose-made coil sprung rear suspension system to ensure optimum ride quality and manoeuvrability. Alloy wheels are also standard.

Bringing power to the people carrier is a new 2.5-litre four-cylinder diesel engine. Peak power output is 170 horsepower. Despite the impressive performance, this engine is also capable of a combined figure of 33.2 mpg. The i800 will go on sale on June 20 costing £19,495. It will be joined later in the year by a lower power, lower specification version.