The Hyundai Casper Van Is The Little Load Lugger That Could

When Hyundai revealed the Casper last year, we reckoned it was the cutest little crossover ever made. Looking like a downsized Toyota FJ Cruiser and taking its name from a skateboard trick, we were left with unusual levels of want for something from a segment CT isn’t generally very interested in.

Now, there’s an equally adorable commercial version that is vying with the Citroen Ami Cargo for the unofficial title of World’s Cutest Van that we’ve just made up.

Despite having a diminutive footprint similar to a Ford Fiesta, you can fit more in the Casper Van than you might imagine. As there’s a partition to protect the driver and passenger, you can load right up to the roof, filling the Casper with up to 940 litres of cargo. There are also metal bars on the rear windscreen to stop proceedings from taking a smashy turn if you accelerate too hard.

Not that you’re likely to be leaving the traffic lights with too much enthusiasm. The entry-level version uses a 1.0-litre naturally-aspirated inline-three pushing out all of 74bhp and 70lb ft of torque. If you need a little more go, there’s a 98bhp, 127lb ft turbo version of the triple. Both are hooked up to the same four-speed automatic gearbox.

Despite the low price of 13,750,000 won (about £8500), the Casper Van is well equipped. There’s cruise control, electric mirrors, LED DRLs and rear parking sensors, but no alloy wheels. And that’s just fine by us - steelies are a good look for a car like this. In terms of safety gear, you get six airbags, a front collision warning and lane assistance.

As you might have gathered from us quoting the South Korean price, the Casper Van - like its passenger counterpart - isn’t destined for Europe, which seems like an awful shame. In its home market, the tiny commercial vehicle is on sale now.