The 2011 Hyundai Portico will compete in the midsize SUV class. The Hyundai Portico concept is shown here.

Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2011 Hyundai Portico

It's all set to go, but Hyundai's fourth SUV could be derailed by the credit crisis and other economic woes. And does a distressed U.S. market really want a "new Chrysler Pacifica?"

What We Know About the 2011 Hyundai Portico

There's as much uncertainty about this long-rumored Hyundai as there is about the global economy. South Korea's largest automaker signaled its plan to offer another crossover SUV with the 2005 Portico concept, but has been slow to develop the production version. Now the "touring" wagon is ready--it's lately been spied testing in the desert Southwest--but the market isn't, not with new-vehicle loans increasingly hard to obtain and so many consumers reluctant to buy much of anything amid fears of losing jobs, homes, and retirement nest eggs. And the Portico might be a tough sell even in good times, as it follows the less-than-successful design outline of the late Chrysler Pacifica.

Small wonder, then, that available intel here is contradictory. While some sources expect Portico to launch in late 2009 as a 2010 model, trade weekly Automotive News reported in early September that Hyundai was still debating whether to proceed--and that was before the financial crisis really hit. With the economy now so much worse and recovery seemingly months or even years away, the Portico could well be delayed to model-year 2011, which is our bet, or 2012, at least for the U.S. Heck, it might even be cancelled altogether. Automotive News says any of these scenarios would allow Hyundai to give priority to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles, which are about the only ones moving off dealer lots these days.

Interestingly enough, one key change has already occurred. The Portico will now apparently be sourced from South Korea rather than Hyundai's plant in Alabama, which would have been the logical point for a product aimed mainly at the American market.

Assuming it does reach showrooms, the 2011 Hyundai Portico will be a low-rise midsize 4-door wagon with two-row seating for up to six passengers, V6 power, and a choice of front-wheel drive or full-time all-wheel drive without low-range gears. It's said to share a unibody structure and underskin components with Hyundai's Santa Fe SUV, but will split the size and price difference between Santa Fe and Hyundai's larger Veracruz midsize SUV.

Judging from spy photos we've seen, the 2011 Hyundai Portico resembles a lower, sleeker rendition of the Chevrolet Traverse midsize SUV. Distinctions include a wedgy profile with a downsloped nose; large triangular side windows behind fairly long rear doors; and a roofline tapering to a rear liftgate, finishing with a jaunty spoiler. Test prototypes look to be wearing 18-inch wheels. Those would likely be standard, with 19s and possibly 20s available, depending on Hyundai's marketing strategy.

For more inside information on hundreds of new cars of today and tomorrow, check out:

• C­onsumer Guide New Car Reviews and Prices: Road test results, photos, specifications, and prices for hundreds of new cars, trucks, minivans, and SUVs from the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide.
• Hyundai: Read Consumer Guide's full reports, including ratings, prices, specifications, and fuel economy.
• Midsize SUVs: The 2011 Hyundai Portico will compete in the midsize SUV class. Here's Consumer Guide's roundup of all the midsize SUVs on sale today.
• 2008 Consumer Guide Best Buy and Recommended Award Winners:
  Check out which cars won our Best Buy and Recommended awards for 2008.
• Future Cars: Step into the automotive showroom of tomorrow with reviews, analysis, pictures, prices, and preliminary specifications on scores of vehicles that will be appearing next year and beyond.