The good Galloper was a bit dusty, but that is normal in Beijing. The SUV was otherwise in great shape; painted in dark green with the original wheel covers and spare wheel cover. Even the stickers and badges looked great. The design is brilliant, and superbly utilitarian, with straight lines and without any redundant details.
The Hyundai Galloper II Exceed was a full-size SUV, produced from 1997 until 2004. The car that I met is a very early example, with the old Hyundai logo on the grille, and without the plastic cladding of later cars.
There was also local production of the Galloper II Exceed in China, by Chinese car maker Huatai. However, the car in the photos is an import and was manufactured in South Korea. I also saw the Huatai version, more on that car in a later post.
Interior
A form-follows-function interior. Note the truck-like angle of the steering wheel. It has an extra instrument pod atop the center stack, with a compass in the middle. The gear lever is very tall. On the right side of the lever is the controller for the AWD system. The owner added beige seat covers to protect the original seats.
Engine
The cool V6 WAGON stickers on the rear fenders. Amazing that they are still on the car and in such good shape. The engine of the Hyundai Galloper II Exeed V6 Wagon was, as the name implies, a V6 petrol unit. Another engine option was a 2.5-liter four-cylinder diesel. The ‘G6AT’ V6 had an output of 139 hp (104 kW) and 220 Nm. The gearbox was a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. It was a 4-wheel drive car. The top speed was 160 km/h and 0-100 took 12.3 seconds.
The South Korean factory stamp in the window. The China-made Galloper II has China-made windows and thus Chinese window stamps.
The cover of the spare wheel cover is missing. The rear running boards are extremely dusty. Like nobody ever stepped on them. Sadly, it seems that dogs quite liked the right-rear wheel of the poor car, it was loaded with dog pee; that kind of dog should be shot dead on sight!
Chinese authorities issued the famous black license plates to foreign-owned companies from the 1980s to the mid-2000s. These companies could either buy a car locally or import one, with no restrictions on quantity, price, or engine type. The numbering started at 京A·00001 and increased sequentially, meaning lower numbers indicate older vehicles. Any black plate beginning with 京A·0 or 京A·1 is considered ultra-rare. I know because I had one too! This Hyundai has 京A·37679, making it a medium-old black-license plate car.