Specs to expect from the upcoming Hyundai Staria

Hyundai will undergo a brand renaissance here in the Philippines, so to speak. Hyundai Motor Philippines (HMPH) will replace Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. as the Korean carmaker's local passenger car distributor — and has expressed intent to bring in a slew of the freshest models from the global Hyundai lineup. 

Among these models is the Staria, which HMPH plans to launch this July.  

If the Staria name rings a bell, then it's because the MPV is positioned as a replacement of the Starex van that's been in the Hyundai lineup for so long. Like the van it's bound to replace, the Staria's brief is to bring passengers and cargo in a practical cabin — but with sleek and classy styling inside and out. 

In international markets, the Staria comes in Premium, Wagon, and Van flavors, with each packing nine and seven seats, 11 and nine, and five to three seats, respectively. The Van variants are tailored as cargo-hauling commercial vehicles, while the Wagon and Premium are poised for families and the upscale set. 

And given that HMPH would likely want to recoup the sales the brand has admittedly lost in recent years, we'll make quite a bold prediction: The company will introduce to the market most, if not all, Staria variants. That's to give buyers the widest possible choices of Staria according to their needs and budget. 

With that said, let's focus on the Staria Premium variant, which, after all, is the top-trim model of the Staria group. 

Outside, the Staria retains the tall and boxy stance of a van, but stylizes this with various accoutrements. In the Staria Premium, the front end is gifted with an LED light bar that runs across the width of the vehicle, while below this, LED headlights are bordered by the imposing chrome brass grille. 

At the rear, the Staria Premium's high-end vertical tail lamps highlight the tall body, and are applied with Hyundai’s unique Parametric Pixel LED design.

Entering the cabin of Staria by way of its power sliding doors is one indication that this new model is indeed more upscale than its predecessor. In the Staria Premium's nine and seven seats and captains chairs, these feature ottomans and even swiveling function to allow passengers to face each other. Upping classy ambience inside is the 64-color mood lighting for these mentioned variants. 

All Staria MPVs get expansive windows to allow a good view out, and a generous cargo area for various objects as standard. And thanks to expanded exterior dimensions, there's more cabin space over the outgoing model, too. 

Moving this stylish and classy MPV is a pair of 2.2-liter diesel and 3.5-liter gasoline engines. The lower Staria variants get the four-cylinder oil-burner, while the upscale Staria versions get the six-cylinder gasoline with 272hp. There's a pair of six-speed manual and eight-speed automatics on offer, with the Staria Premium making do with two pedals. 

Lastly, the Staria keeps up with the modern times yet again with its Hyundai SmartSense suite of safety technologies. Among other functions, the SmartSense packs autonomous braking, lane keep assist, and blind spot monitoring. We're hoping local Staria units come with this safety kit. 

We also have our fingers crossed that the new Hyundai distributor would bring in the Staria range, which we predict will retail from the upper reaches of P1 million to just above P3 million for the top-of-the-line variant. 

And if the Staria Premium does reach our shores in July, you already have an idea what to expect from the MPV. A speculative spec sheet of the model is available below. 

SPECIFICATIONS	Hyundai Staria Premium Smartstream Gasoline 3.5 MPI 8 Speed Automatic FWD (7 Seater)
Vehicle Type	MPV
Length	5,253mm
Width	1,997mm
Height	1,990mm
Wheelbase	3,273mm
Engine displacement	3,470cc
Engine Type	Smartstream 3.5 Gasoline Six-Cylinder
Maximum torque/rpm	400Nm/ 5,000
Maximum power output/rpm	272ps/6,400
Cargo Volume	431 liters
Transmission	8-Speed Automatic
Drive	Front-Wheel Drive
Suspension	(Front)McPherson Strut  (Rear) Multi-Link
Brakes	(Front) Ventilated Discs (Rear) Ventilated Discs
Tires/Wheels	235/55 R28 Alloy Wheels
Front Grille	Tinted Brass
Headlamp	LED Type
Front fog and driving lamp	LED
Daytime running lights	LED
Taillights	LED
Outside Rearview mirror	Electric-Folding & Heated with Puddle Lamps and Side Turn Signal Lamps
Front windshield wiper	Rain-sensing
Room lamp	LED Center Lamp & Luggage Lamp
Seating Capacity	7
Seat Material	Leather
Steering Wheel and Column	4-Spoke Leather / Power Tilt and Telescopic Adjustable
Instrument Panel  Center Cluster	Leather
Sunvisors	(Driver) Suede With Vanity Mirror and Lamp (Passenger) Suede With Vanity Mirror and Lamp
Door trim	Suede with Door Pockets
Power features	Window, Doorlock, Outside Rear View Mirror + Retract
Multi-information display	4.2" Audio Display with Radio Data System
Infotainment	8" Display Audio
Back monitor	With (Around View Monitor)
Clearance and back sonar	With
Air conditioning system	Three-Zone Automatic Temperature Control
Vehicle security system	With Immobilizer and Alarm
Push start system	With
Wireless door lock	With Smart Entry
Power Sliding Doors	With
Cruise control	With
SRS Airbags	9 Airbags
Brake control systems	Anti-lock brake system (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC),
Seatbelts	3Pt. ELR x7 with Force Limiter & Pretensioner
Child Proof Lock	With
Light control system	With
High mount stop lamp	With
Emergency stop lamp	With
Sidedoor Impact Beams	With
Available Exterior Colors	Creamy White, Graphite Gray Metallic, Moonlight Blue Pearl, Abyss Black Pearl, Shimmering Silver Metallic, Olivine Gray Metallic, Gala Brown Pearl imeless Black, White Cream, Steel Graphite, Sierra Burgundy, Moonlight Cloud
Available Interior Colors with Nappa Leather	Black Monotone, Blue Two-Tone, Brown Two-Tone, Gray Two-Tone,
PRICE	P3 to P3.5 million est.

 

Photos from Hyundai