If you’ve been driving around in a small car (think Hyundai i30) or even a medium SUV ( Hyundai Tucson) then jumping into a Hyundai Staria will be a big shock

At least that’s been my experience in the week with the new Hyundai people-mover. Hyundai loaned me a new Staria – Highlander, Diesel, AWD and I loved it

What does Hyundai have to say?

STARIA.

Discover the wonder of space.

Introducing Hyundai’s all-new people mover, the elegantly spacious Hyundai STARIA. Imagine having comfortable seating for 8, the latest safety and next-gen technology combined with a strikingly futuristic exterior design and optional AWD. The STARIA seamlessly turns any routine commute into an enjoyable drive with the whole family. With the Hyundai STARIA, your family can enjoy an effortless experience of mobility like you’ve never imagined it before.

Competitors

Not many in this segment. Think about Kia Carnival ($70.900 for a Platinum Diesel), and Toyota Granvia ($82,218 for the VX 8 Seater Diesel) and perhaps Volkswagen Caravelle ($64,364) and Volkswagen Multivan (Highline Version $94,748)

Price This Hyundai Staria Highlander is top of the range for Staria models. Price at $72,089 drive away

Interior

There’s space and then there’s Hyundai Staria space. The front seats are fantastic – plenty of room for both with a massive centre console. (My only complaint is that the console lid, where a lot of things like phones, keys and stuff will go needs to be some sort of non-slip material, rather than hard plastic) And yes, the actual storage area is massive, but who wants to open and close the console lid. My little dog found it a bit disconcerting until she found her way to the floor between the dash and said console.

The room in the second row is sufficient for 3 adults, while the 3rd row, a market first is capable of carrying 3 adults as well. Entry to the rear seats is by way of electric doors (remote opening from the key fob or overhead console buttons). Flip the centre seat and in you get to the third row. One thing to worry about is the ‘arguments’ from small people as to who gets the third row

Dual sunroofs are featured – a smaller one opening to the fresh air for the front passengers, while the rear is a large panoramic fixed version.

And with Hyundai Staria, you’re not sacrificing rear cargo room. Even with the three rows in play, there are about 800 litres of cargo space in the rear.

On The Road

Comfortably passenger-wise, you really don’t notice the size of the Hyundai Staria when you’re driving, but you do start to wonder when it’s ready to park. And you’ll really start looking at those height signs – 2.0-metre entrances to underground car parks are tested with the Hyundai Staria’s height at 1.99 Metres. And yes, I ducked my head as I went in and breathed a sigh of relief.

Hyundai Staria Features

I’ve listed below the major safety features for the Hyundai Staria Highlander. If you’d like to research yourself, visit HYUNDAI STARIA. Here you can look at the full specification list, colours, models and prices

Active Safety
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) includes:
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) ● ● ●
Brake Assist System (BAS) ● ● ●
Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) ● ● ●
Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) ● ● ●
Multi-Collision Braking (MCB) ● ● ●
Traction Control System (TCS) ● ● ●
Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) ● ● ●
Hyundai SmartSense™ includes:
Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist – Rear (BCA-R) ● ● ●
Blind-Spot View Monitor (BVM) – – ●
Driver Attention Warning (DAW) ● ● ●
Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) – camera and radar type, including Car/Pedestrian/Cyclist detection

City/Urban/Interurban operational speeds

Junction Turning (FCA-JT) functionality
Haptic warning function ● ● ●
High Beam Assist (HBA) ● ● ●
Lane Following Assist (LFA) ● ● ●
Lane Keeping Assist – Line/Road-Edge (LKA-L/R) ● ● ●
Leading Vehicle Departure Alert (LVDA) ● ● ●
Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA) ● ● ●
Rear Occupant Alert (ROA) ● ● ●
Safe Exit Assist (SEA) – ● ●
Safe Exit Warning (SEW) ● – –
Smart Cruise Control (SCC) with Stop & Go ● ● ●
Surround View Monitor (SVM) ● ● ●
Other features
Parking Distance Warning-Front (PDW-F) – 4 sensors, with guidance
display ● ● ●
Parking Distance Warning-Reverse (PDW-R) – 4 sensors, with guidance
display ● ● ●
Surround View Monitor (SVM) – 3D view – ● ●
Front view camera ● ● ●
Rearview camera with dynamic guidelines ● ● ●
Intelligent Speed Limit Assist (ISLA) ● ● ●
Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) ● ● ●
Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) – individual tyre pressure
readout ● ● ●
Passive Safety
Airbags 7x
Front airbags – driver & front passenger ● ● ●
Side (thorax) airbags – driver & front passenger ● ● ●
Front centre airbag ● ● ●
Side curtain airbags – B & C pillars ● ● ●
Doors
Impact sensing auto door unlock ● ● ●
Roll-over Sensor ● ● ●
Rear door child safety locks ● ● ●

MY VERDICT

At A Glance     

Price:                             Hyundai Staria starts off at $53,960 for the ‘base’ model climbing through $62,240 for the Elite version up to $72,088 for this diesel  Highlander. The V6 petrol version is a snick under $70,000             

Engine/Transmission  This Staria Highlander comes with a 2.2 Litre Diesel Engine and 8-Speed Automatic Transmission. A V6 Petrol engine is available too. Towing capacity is very good at 2,500kg braked.. The diesel engine produces 130kW of power while the petrol engine’s output is 200kW

Fuel Economy           For such a large vehicle, the fuel economy is pretty damn good. On the highway expect to get 7 litres per 100 klm, 10.4 litres per 100 klm around the suburbs and school runs with 8.2 litres per 100klm combined. Economy figures are determined by lab tests. You could expect to use somewhere between 5% and 20% more than published depending on your driving style, number of passengers carried and cargo  

Warranty/Service         All Hyundai models come with a 5-year unlimited kilometre warranty. Service plans are available for up to 5-years and 75,000klm at $2,409. My recommendation is to always use a Hyundai dealer for routine service. Dealers are compelled to charge the published cap priced services and one more important aspect is that at the moment, diagnostic machines are only available from Hyundai dealers

Insurance                      I use the RACQ online calculator to provide an estimate on insurance costs. And when I do, i use my personal details to determine that price. In all cases, you should use your own details to determine your own price.

For this Hyundai Staria Diesel Highlander the estimate was $643.98 with a $750 excess

Which Dealer?

If I’m looking for a Hyundai dealer to speak to about a new car, I only choose dealers who have a minimum four star rating with Google. I’d search for Hyundai Dealers (and then my own city – Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast etc). From there you’ll see a list offered. Choose as many as you’d like to discuss your needs with but my firmest advice is to only speak to dealers who have a minimum 4 star Google rating.

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Hello. I’m Bob Aldons, the owner and editor of The Car Guy. The Car Guy is an independently owned car review website. I’m currently reviewing cars for Mazda, Nissan, Kia, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Renault, Haval, Hyundai, and Genesis.

Through Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport I’m also writing about the 2021 Formula 1 season.

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