As a new nameplate, the Custin isn’t weighed down by expectation. Instead, Hyundai came up with a clean slate design—one that helps bridge the obvious gap between small people carriers and full-sized vans. The resulting MPV is mid-sized—sized to comfortably seat seven, but still small enough to fit in a typical garage. For those who have a hard time picturing it, think Toyota Innova or GAC GN6. However, in the truest sense, it’s closest to the departed Honda Odyssey.

With a function over form design, there’s only so much one can do to style an MPV, so Hyundai designers had their work cut out for them. Still, they rose to the occasion as the Custin comes across as a stylish, head-turning MPV. Not only is it peppered with the brand’s trademark cues such as the Parametric Jewel headlights and chiseled, angular shape, but they’ve managed to consistently integrate these elements all throughout the car. If anything, the odd man out there is the badging—particularly the “Custin” and “1.5T.” They look and feel as if they were plucked straight out of a Lazada catalogue.

Despite the advertised 174 mm ground clearance, getting in and out of the Custin is easy. The dual power sliding doors (also operable via the remote) removes the need for muscleman operation making it senior and kid friendly. The tailgate, albeit slow, is also power actuated.

As for the interior itself, Hyundai says it was designed to emulate the best in first-class travel: a private jet. To some degree, they did get it right. A combination of three things: the dashboard’s low cowl, the careful integration of certain elements, and the use of light-colored materials gives it an airy feel. Unfortunately, the choice of materials here could be better. There are some positives like the switchgear (all nicked from the Hyundai parts bin) and the supple leather upholstery, but there are far more negatives like the hallow, hard plastics which feel on the same level as the Accent or Reina. And these dot the entire dashboard and cabin.

Clearly, Hyundai has designed the Custin to be a chauffeur-first MPV and with that, the front occupants don’t have access to some of the luxury accoutrements. There are no seat ventilation or warmers here, and while they do offer power adjustment, they don’t have any memory presets. The same goes for the driver which must contend with a steering wheel that only adjusts for tilt. Thankfully, the resulting driving position is comfortable enough. The basic controls are easy enough to understand, but they are not without their quirks. For example, the gauges—which had to be crammed into a thin, horizontal space—has oddly-spaced increments that start with 10 km/h intervals then move to 20 km/h, and finally to 30 km/h. Thankfully, there’s a permanent digital speedometer to help drivers make sense of it all. The Tucson’s controversial push-button shifter also makes its way here, but thanks to the tall center console, operating it here feels much more intuitive than it ever did on Hyundai’s compact SUV.

If there’s one area where the Custin needs a lot of work, it’s with the infotainment system. On paper, the 10.4-inch screen is a great piece of work and the interface should make anyone, particularly those who own a smartphone, feel right at home with its icon-based menus and (limited) swipe functionality. Detailed screens like vehicle settings or climate control are no more than one or two menus deep making it easy to navigate. Unfortunately, the experience is laggy. During vehicle start-ups, for example, it takes anywhere between five to 10 seconds for the system to boot up and while all that’s happening, nothing is usable; you can’t turn on the climate control or even connect Apple CarPlay. And speaking of CarPlay, it’s buggy. Despite using a fool-proof wired connection, it works half the time at best.

Without a doubt, the second row is the best seats in the house. Not only do both seats offer power adjustment and both ventilation and heating, but they have pre-programmed settings to offer what Hyundai calls, “Relaxation Seats.” According to the brand, this achieves the feel of zero gravity by spreading pressure points across the body, reducing overall stress and fatigue. Now, its pretty hard to compare the experience to people who’ve actually been to space, but regardless, it does work as advertised for the weary executive stuck on EDSA. The second-row also has its own dedicated wireless charger, side sun blinds, and get this, sunroof. Not bad for an MPV that costs P 2,080,000.

Getting into the third row is a bit of a challenge as it requires squeezing between the second-row seat aisle (there’s no tumble mechanism here). Once that hurdle’s cleared, the third-row’s pretty habitable. It’s not as luxurious as the second-row, but long drives won’t pose as a problem. These seats also fold flat in a 60/40 split creating a huge load bay able to swallow three check-in sized suitcases and one carry-on trolley side-by-side.

Sourced from China, the Custin stays par for the course when it comes to its powertrain. Still, the turbocharged and direct-injected 1.5-liter does have a technical edge in the form of CVVD or Continuously Variable Valve Duration. As the first Hyundai model locally to have it, CVVD regulates the duration of valve opening and closing according to driving conditions. In theory, it’s supposed to boost both performance and lower fuel consumption. In reality, it’s done in by its small displacement and heavy curb weight.

Even with just two people aboard, the Custin feels merely adequate. The power delivery is quite peaky, underscoring its reliance on the turbocharger for grunt. It's a shame because the 8-speed automatic finds its rhythm pretty quickly. There are changeable drive modes here, including one so-called “Smart” mode. Unfortunately, this only exacerbates the situation, so best leave everything in Comfort. The powertrain combination also heavily dents the Custin’s fuel economy. Even in lightest city traffic, it barely reaches 10 km/L, and this drops precipitously to about 6 km/L during the Christmas Holiday rush. Oh, and in terms of fuel requirements, Hyundai says it can load up on 91 octane, but subjectively, it smoothens out when opting for 95 octane fuel like Petron XCS.

Onto its ride and handling, the Custin won’t be mistaken for anything remotely sporty. It’ll understeer through just about any bend, but at least this softly-sprung MPV is still ingrained with stability. Never once does it feel overbearing or wieldy to drive. On that note, shorter drivers will find the deep dash to be an issue during tight maneuvering as it’s hard to judge the front overhang. Thankfully, front sensors and a 360-degree are standard. Its plush, well-tailored ride is, without a doubt, a great ally especially since nothing in Metro Manila can upset it. The cossetting ride is also backed up by the impressive levels of NVH.

By and large, the Hyundai Custin accomplishes what it was set out to do. It’s not perfect, but as a bridge between small people carriers and large vans, this mid-sized MPV is cleverly-engineered, right-sized, and well-priced. It also happens to tap into an interesting demographic: the constantly tired and overworked mid-level executive. The packaging and features found in the Custin are typically found in more luxurious MPVs and vans, and these are typically out of reach for anyone less than a CEO, CFO, or COO (Child of Owner). For its quirks, with the Custin, the upper middle class can also enjoy some additional luxury without necessarily going over their budget.