By Clive Funizwe

If there was ever proof that beauty is in the eye of the beholder – you would find it from the people you might be standing next to while looking at the new 2.8 GL Quantum LWB. The opinions range from high praises to very low and everything in-between. However, the good thing is that the Quantum is aimed at the type of buyer who seeks more from a practicality stand point than sheer aesthetics. As this Quantum derivative is aimed at families and shuttle businesses – we had our various hats on in assessing how well these different types of practicalities were met.

Interior

The first thing you notice when you get inside is how open and spacious it is. The beige interior also adds to the sense of space but will inevitably not be the choice/option we recommend as it gets dirty very quickly – particularly with the seats as you cannot give these a quick clean compared to the plastics used elsewhere on the dash and plenty cup-holders found throughout the cabin. The seats are however very comfortable but a bit on the narrow side for bigger passengers. The vehicle has one sliding door compared to the now ubiquitous double sliding door found in the competition. Another concern is that the only two windows that open are the front ones – which may be a problem if this is used more for recreational purposes in our sunny South Africa even though the improved A/C does a great job at ventilating the cabin.

Space

As mentioned earlier, this LWB GL is a spacious vehicle but luggage compartments are at a premium. Average luggage does not fit well under the seats. This means if eleven passengers are going to be in transit, one will have to be very good with Tetris in packing the luggage. Even if you fold the last row of seats – and place your luggage on top, there is no tethering points to clamp down the luggage so it doesn’t move around during commute.

Engine and drive

All of the above doesn’t mean that it’s all gloomy with the GL LWB Quantum. The driver and passenger comfort from a ride point of view is superbly comfortable. The engine feels like a 140kW/420Nm power plant and we managed to keep the consumption below 8.0L/100km from its 2.8L Turbo diesel. The vehicle is easy to pilot with its soft biased steering feel and easy to change gears. Visibility is great around the cabin with the big windows and the turning circle is very good and borderline rivals smaller hatch backs. We also loved the driver assistance features like the TSC (Trailer Sway Control), Hill-Assist-Control, ABS, EBD and Vehicle Stability Control.

So from our assessments – the GL LWB Quantum is more of a shuttle business vehicle than a family one. It will definitely excel in former application and provide a reliable long term service to its owners.

The GL LWB Quantum is priced from R597, 700 which we think is great value.