2019 Hyundai Reina Interior and Cargo Space Review

With an affordable price tag comes the expectation of a cheap interior. But it’s delightful to see brands exerting effort to mask the plastics with textures that won’t make the plastics look cheap. One of these brands is Hyundai Philippines and that stays true with the newest car in its lineup, the 2019 Reina. At P598,000 for the base MT variant (P638,000 by April 2019), the Reina is now the most affordable car in Hyundai’s lineup.

Here’s a close look at what you’ll expect inside the 2019 Reina.

Just like its technology and safety features, the Reina’s interior quality is quite expected with its affordable price tag. Textured hard plastics populate the cabin, while some satin silver plastics accentuate the whole design. It’s neither good or bad – it’s just right but definitely functional plus the steering wheel material feels nice to the touch.

I would like to point a few things that I like (and a few that grinds my gears). First off, don’t expect the Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design language inside the smallest Hyundai. It has a straightforward, horizontal layout. The good thing about it is that it’s easy to understand and operate, thanks largely to the clustered and idiot-free controls.

This applies to the whole cabin save one – the window controls. They’re located under the air-conditioning controls, which is a bit odd at first but give and take two days, you’ll be good with it in no time. What this unusual feature provides, however, are bigger door pockets that could accommodate even the biggest smartphones.

Four average-sized Filipinos would fit nicely inside the Reina but adding another passenger at the back is a bit of a stretch, albeit, a bit of a bias on the positive side since the car doesn’t have a transmission tunnel. After all, it’s a subcompact car, so space isn’t really expected from it. Ride comfort is on the firm side, which could absorb reasonable city road imperfections.

NVH insulation needs some improvement as noises would start to creep in at around 60 km/h, while air conditioning works well during cold hours. At high noon, however, the A/C needs to work harder because of the huge windows, so make sure to get your car tinted – but not so heavy, mind you.

The biggest surprise in the Reina isn’t found inside the car – it’s at its rear cargo. Upon opening the light trunk lid, you’ll notice that Hyundai’s subcompact has a competitive trunk space in its class. It can fit a standard-sized child stroller with a bit of a room for maybe a month’s worth of groceries. It isn’t expandable, though, as the rear backrests don't fold. The trunk also has a light that’s pretty handy at night.

What isn’t handy, however, is the lack of trunk opener button from the outside. So, you’ll have to pretty much go through the old school way of opening the trunk – unlock the car, open the driver’s door, and pull the lever. Not that it’s really a huge problem, but hey, it’s 2019.