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| 2022 Hyundai Staria |
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| 2022 Hyundai Staria Lounge |
Welcome to the Hyundai Staria, the worthy successor to the successful Starex minivan. It starts at 25,160,000 Korean Won, which is pricey compared to the Starex but there's something unique about this new minivan offering from Hyundai.
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| 2022 Hyundai Staria Lounge |
First, let's take a close look at its exterior, and at first glance, it can be utterly mistaken for a concept car of some sort but this is not a concept car. This is a fully functional minivan you can buy and you don't buy this minivan for its looks. You buy it for the convenience and comfort of it and such characteristics are what the Staria is built for.
Come to think of it, the normal Staria's design is about as slim as the first-generation Toyota Estima while the Staria Lounge's design is too much to bear because of its massive front grille not suitable for those with trypophobia.
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| 2022 Hyundai Staria interior |
While the concept car-inspired design is either futuristic or questionable, the interior is what the Staria champions the most, nearly. On the driver's side, you will notice that it's got two screens on the dashboard with the first that proudly displays its speedo and other vehicle info around it while the massive one is where the sat-nav and the climate control on it. Speaking of the latter, it's a touch panel screen that is about as fancy as an LG Signature appliance you bought at the appliance store. Normal Staria variants have a normal gear shifter while the more expensive Lounge variants get gear buttons in place of a lever like the most expensive Hyundais had today as well as paddle shifters on the steering wheel because why not?
The passenger side is where the real story begins. On the normal variants, you can have a choice of a nine-seater, or in the hopes of bringing the best out of the Staria, an eleven-seater. The Lounge, meanwhile, has a choice of either a seven-seater or a nine-seater and they do come with swiveling second-row seats that its main rival, the Toyota GranAce, doesn't have.
Whether if it's a family trip to Ilocos, a school service, a taxi for those who are done shopping at the mall, a limousine to escort VIPs, or for making deliveries, looks like the Staria almost ticks all the boxes rather well just like the Starex it replaces.
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| 2022 Hyundai Staria |
Under the hood, the Staria is fitted with a choice of a 2.2 VGT diesel engine or a Smartstresm LPG 3.5L engine. The diesel engine produces 177PS of power, 44kgf-m of torque, and a combined fuel economy of 10.8kmpl. The 3.5L LPG, meanwhile, produces 240PS of power and 32kgf-m of torque. They're all mated with an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
Unlike the Starex, the Staria is a front-wheel-drive minivan that prefers to go on a smooth route rather than being dynamic, which is a bit of a shame for those who've owned the Starex because of the drivetrain but dynamics wasn't on the Staria's agenda like most minivans. It's all about stability and subtleness that makes minivans work all the time and the Staria is no exception.
Of course, if you're not happy with the FF layout, you can opt-in for the HTRAC All-Wheel-Drive system that makes it capable of handling a rainy day scenario.
In the topic of safety, the Staria is prepared for the worst thanks to Hyundai's Smartsense range of safety tech.
The Hyundai Staria may have the most questionable looks that can be easily mistaken for a concept car and the Lounge's grille not suitable for people with trypophobia but the convenience is the real trump card for this Starex replacement. It really is the minivan you've been waiting for and looks like someone's itching to buy one because one believes this is a decent GranAce rival that will give it a run for its money.
Photo: Hyundai Motor Company
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