A few weeks after its global debut, Hyundai has released more details regarding their all-new Staria, including engine choices and variants. The question now is, is the all-new Hyundai Staria a worthy successor to the Starex?
As mentioned in our previous article, the Hyundai Staria is the first Hyundai vehicle to be designed from the inside out, which puts people’s comfort above everything else. This is reflected in its extremely low window line, providing occupants huge expanses of glass. There’s also a complete lack of any form of character lines, making it look unlike any other car out there on the road. Upfront, the Premium variant shown here gets a unique mesh grille, LED headlamps, an LED daytime running light strip that runs across the car’s face, and various tinted bronze elements. The rear looks more conventional with its vertical LED taillights.
Unlike the Hyundai Starex (or Grand Starex) before it, the Staria ditches the body-on-frame construction for a more comfortable and people-friendly unibody structure. This should make the Staria significantly more comfortable than the Starex. In addition, the unibody construction should also lead to a much lower floor height, providing easier access and a taller interior height.
According to Hyundai, the Staria is a Purpose Built Vehicle (PBV) and in this case, its purpose-built to transport people (or cargo). That philosophy is evident in the interior, with the design being inspired by the lounge of a cruise ship according to the company.
As expected, lower variants meant for businesses and fleets will feature a more utilitarian and higher density interior, with cargo versions featuring two front seats and enough space to swallow three European pallets. On the other hand, family-friendly versions will feature plush materials, leather upholstery and more premium features.
The flagship Hyundai Staria Premium will come with a 10.25-inch infotainment system, a fully-digital gauge cluster, 64-color LED ambient lighting and seating for seven or nine. The nine-seater version’s second-row seats have the ability to swivel while the seven-seater version’s captain’s chairs have a one-touch “relaxation” function that can recline the seat and raise the footrest simultaneously. There will also be a high-density 11-seater configuration that’s mainly meant for commercial use.
Two engine choices will be available in the all-new Hyundai Staria, a 2.2-liter diesel with 174 hp and 431 Nm of torque and a Smartstream-G 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine with 268 hp. and 331 Nm of torque. A 6-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic can be equipped in the diesel variant while the flagship V6 is only available with an 8-speed automatic. Lastly, while the Starex was rear-wheel-drive (RWD), the all-new Staria is now front-wheel-drive (FWD).
The all-new Hyundai Staria will go on sale in the second half of 2021 in Asia and Australia. Is the Philippines one of those markets? Well, Hyundai Philippines did tease that four new cars are coming to this year. We can officially confirm that three of those will be the all-new Tucson, refreshed Kona, and refreshed Santa Fe, with the fourth vehicle being a silhouette of a large MPV. Could it be the Staria? We’ll definitely let you know once we have more information.
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