Hyundai Staria Lounge Limousine

The long-awaited arrival of the Hyundai Staria Lounge Limousine promises to pick up where the old Grand Starex Limousine left off in a major way by delivering first-class comfort for wealthy clients from Seoul to Busan while offering the same experiences as its normal equivalent.

2023 Hyundai Staria Lounge Limousine

2023 Hyundai Staria Lounge Limousine

Starting at 57,920,000 Korean Won plus additional costs, the Staria Lounge Limousine is the replacement for the aging but ultra-luxurious Grand Starex Limousine that promises to pick up where its predecessor left off. Like the normal Staria, it's front-wheel-drive, meaning it's less enjoyable to drive than the old Grand Starex Limousine but who cares. While the normal Staria is built for family use, the Limousine variant is all about catering to celebrities, VIPs, and influencers like a true professional. Whether it's a Blue House politician or a K-celebrity, the Staria Lounge Limousine fits the bill.

For starters, it looks like the Staria Lounge but the Limousine features a high roof, sidestep, and 18-inch wheels, making it easier to differentiate it from the normal Staria Lounge, although it still looks regular when parked in fancy hotels. As for the interior...

2023 Hyundai Staria Lounge Limousine interior

2023 Hyundai Staria Lounge Limousine interior

...it still packs the same minimalist dashboard as the normal Staria Lounge but the Limousine is loaded with luxurious features that will keep them occupied such as a movable console positioned between the second-row ottoman seats, a starry sky lamp above, and a rear entertainment system where you can screen mirroring stuff with your smartphone and others. It is offered in a choice of either a seven or a nine-seater.

The Staria Lounge Limousine is available only with a 2.2L VGT diesel engine that produces 177PS of power and 44kgf-m of torque. Mated to an 8-speed automatic, it has a combined fuel economy of a questionable 10km/L.

As expected, the Staria Lounge Limousine is prepared for the worst thanks to Hyundai's Smartsense range of safety tech.

The Staria Lounge Limousine is the ideal alternative for the now-defunct Toyota Alphard Royal Lounge because even though the Alphard trumps the Staria Lounge Limousine, it's going to be the next favorite for those who are looking for luxury minivans.

Before you ask, no. As of now, the official Hyundai distributor in the Philippines, HARI, has no plans to introduce the Staria range at the moment, although smugglers managed to smuggle the Staria without HARI's consent, giving headaches to the Bureau of Customs trying to catch the smuggled luxury cars scattered across Philippine roads. Unless HARI decides to bring the Staria to the Philippines to replace the Grand Starex, don't even try smuggling this Staria to the Philippines or the Bureau of Customs will crush it for sure.

Photo: Hyundai

Hyundai Staria

A long time ago, there was a Korean-made minivan that withstood the test of time since it was first launched in the '90s. That minivan is known as the Starex and after 24 years of being together with families and the establishment, the time has come to say goodbye to such a wonderful minivan, which is rather a bittersweet moment for loyalists, and the turn of this decade welcomes its worthy successor.

2022 Hyundai Staria

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.

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.

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.

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