HYUNDAI Trajet 2004-2008 Photos, engines & full specs

Inspired by the American MPVs, Hyundai dared to throw a seven-seat minivan on the market. But it was too late for it.

Sometimes a carmaker should wait and properly develop a new vehicle rather than jump in with something it has in the yard and adapt it to the market's needs. But if it waits too long, the market trend might shift, and the carmaker will lose. Hyundai came late to the party in that segment. First, it came with a licensed-based Mitsubishi, and then, in 1999, it introduced the Trajet. A vehicle which was refreshed in 2004.

The Trajet was built on the same platform as the Hyundai Sonata, but thankfully it showed a different front fascia. Its horizontal, slim headlights and the grille with horizontal slats were specific to that Korean minivan. Unlike the U.S. carmakers, which offered sliding doors, Hyundai chose Honda's way to build the car with regular ones, like on the Honda Shuttle.

The interior was fit for up to seven passengers. It was a good choice, especially for the European and Asian markets. For the dashboard, Hyundai took its inspiration from the American carmakers. It installed the gear selector on the steering column and placed a shorter center stack eliminating the center console. For specific markets and engines, the Korean carmaker installed a 5-speed manual gear-stick between the front seats.

Under the hood, Hyundai installed a choice of diesel and gasoline engines fit for most of the markets. The most fuel-efficient versions were powered by a 2.0-diesel unit, while the top performer featured a 2.7-liter V6.