Hyundai Staria (2021) first drive impression - the future is now

The MPV segment of the market may be a small one with love volume sales, but the advances in recent years have ensured that the offerings are every bit as considered and agreeable as an SUV. Much emphasis has been placed on ensuring that these people movers are not only suited to the year-end holiday run, but perfectly practical for daily use.

Related: Best Practical Cars to Buy

Hyundai has played in this segment for several years with its H-1 offering. For more than 10-years, many have enjoyed what the H-1 had to offer but now it's time for it to be replaced and its successor appears to be out of this world!

 

Styling

There's no two ways about it, the Staria looks like a concept car, an initial rendering that would never see the light of day. And for that reason, I love it! While the smooth lines have been seen before in the likes of the Toyota Previa and VW Sharan, the way that it is executed in the Staria is sublime. It's then fair to say that those were well ahead of their time then.

Three trim levels are available, Executive, Elite, and Luxury, each offering a slightly different take on the theme. What remains true is the overall shape, a sleek, smooth and uncluttered approach to motoring. Some may say it's bland, devoid of detail while others will be captivated by the proportions. Both will stare at it though.

 

Simplistic is the best way to describe the Staria. Clean lines and subtle details will have you mesmerized by the low-set headlights, bulb type on the Executive and Elite, and LED on the Luxury, by the garnish that runs the width of the bonnet edge which, on Elite and Luxury models, includes the LED DRL strips, creating a futuristic look.

Hexagonal cutouts for the grille element echo the leading edge of the side windows and can be found on both the Executive and Elite trims while the Luxury gets a reverse diamond grille. The Luxury trim is further enhanced by the inclusion of a bronze finish to the grille. While it sounds ostentatious, it's executed in the most subtle way. This bronze treatment is carried through the grille, headlamp surrounds, badging and wheels for an elegant, uniform look.

The two lower-spec trims, Executive and Elite, roll on 17-inch alloy wheels in two different designs while the Luxury is blessed with a set of 18-inch alloy wheels. At the rear, all the models carry the same, tall taillights, spread wide and creating the impression of height. The Luxury spec has these in LED format with the other two sporting bulbs type lights.

 

Drivetrain

All Staria models are powered by a smooth, quiet running 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine that produces 130 kW and 430 Nm torque. This power is sent to the wheels through an 8-speed automatic gearbox that in its own right is silky smooth. While this is a familiar powerplant, Hyundai has improved the response and reduced vibrations by fitting a new variable geometry turbocharger with electronic controls and employing double ball bearing bearings.

 

Practicality

Practicality is the name of the game with the Staria. Available as 9-seater in all trims and as an 11-seater in Executive trim, there's no shortage of space for your occupants. The drop from 12- to 11-seater also means that one doesn't have to have a PDP in order to drive the 11-seater option.

These seating arrangements are flexible with the 9-seater Executive and Elite offering three rows in a 3-3-2 configuration and the 11-seater Executive housing four rows in a 3-3-2-3 format. The 2-seater third row makes space for a walkthrough passage, making access to the fourth row even easier than it has been before. 

 

The Luxury version presents 4 rows with a 2-2-2-4 seating arrangement. This split seating setup allows for individual seats for first, second, and third-row seats with the first two rows featuring heating and ventilation. The second-row seats can swivel 180-degrees to create a more conversational layout.

Despite the number of seats, the Staria still offers respectable storage space, especially when the last rows are folded forward. You'll get 1 303-litres of space in the 9-seaters and up to 1 024-litres in the 11-seater. The Luxury version gives you 882-litres with the last row shifted forward.

Dual electric sliding doors require just a single pull on the handle to open and feature a push-button on the B-pillar for a simple, one-touch closing option. Ventilation is plumbed through the cabin via roof vents and separate controls allow the rear passengers to travel in comfort.

 

Features

Drivers not only get a customisable digital display ahead of them but will also benefit from a host of driver assistance systems. On the Luxury trim, these include pre-collision braking, lane departure warning and active assist, adaptive cruise control and a surround-view monitor. I was particularly impressed with the digital camera system that assists with turning and overtaking. Activating the indicator via the attractive stalks, a wing mirror camera is activated and shows the blind spot on the selected side.

Rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring also prevent the doors from being opened if there is traffic inbound, be it a vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist. This is a boon for those with small kids that may be tempted to jump out without checking first.

An 8-inch touchscreen provides entertainment with the Luxury and Elite trims seeing the inclusion of wireless charging and a Bose audio system in the Luxury model, replete with a 'quiet' mode that disables the rear speaker for when the little ones are sleeping. All units are equipped with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

 

The drive

I wasn't expecting the Staria to drive as well as it looks, I'll be honest. What I was met with though is a simply sublime chassis, suspension and drivetrain. It will give you a ride as smooth as the bodywork, absorbing undulations with consummate ease. Both primary and secondary rides are exceptional and the Staria deals with even the most pockmarked roads in astounding fashion.

Hyundai revised the suspension geometry, added additional insulation and bolstered the mountings to create a quiet, compliant ride that can rival the best out there. The Staria simply glides over the road, all the while providing adequate feedback to the driver with well-weighted controls.

 

The engine powers along nicely and the gearbox is unintrusive, which is the way that an automatic gearbox should be. The chassis certainly feels like it could handle a lot more power and the road-holding suggests that there's a somewhat sporty nature to this MPV. While acceleration is nothing that will excite the boy racer, it's brisk enough to get the traction control excited when you boot it off the line. 

Hammer it though, as you do when you're testing a car, and you're still going to return no more than 11 l/100km. Hyundai claims consumption figures of 8.7 l/100km and we believe that with a sensible right foot, you could very well get it below that.

 

Pricing

Staria R2.2 Executive 9 Seater AT	R789 900
Staria R2.2 Executive 11 Seater AT	R799 900
Staria R2.2 Elite 9 Seater AT	R959 900
Staria R2.2 Luxury 9 Seater AT	R1 099 900

Models are covered by a 7 years / 200 000km manufacturer warranty, 7 year / 105 000km service plan (Luxury) or 6 year / 90 000km service plan (Executive & Elite) and a 7 Year / 150 000km roadside assistance plan.

 

Verdict

While the MPV segment is only contested by a few players, the Staria offers great value for money, especially in the 9-seater Elite trim which we believe will be their biggest seller. The 11-seater will no doubt prove popular with fleet and shuttle services while the Luxury version will find its way into the garages of those who may have been considering a Mercedes-Benz V-Class.

The head-turning styling combined with the impressive standard features list and exemplary drive has us convinced that the MPV segment is every bit as agreeable as other offerings in different segments in the same price range. The days of boring people movers is truly behind us.