Over 200 units of the Hyundai Staria 10-seater have been sold within the first month of its launch, Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) announced. The 10-seater version of the Staria made its local debut on October 5, joining the seven-seater Premium that was launched in October 2021.
“With more than 200 units sold since its launch in early October, we are encouraged that the Malaysian public recognises the features of Hyundai Staria 10-seater as a dynamic MPV which offers the best of both worlds, in terms of practicality and performance. We expect demand to only continue to rise in the remaining months and into the new year,” said Jeffrey Gan, MD of retail and distribution at Sime Darby Motors Malaysia.
“Hyundai is leading the pack in terms of innovation coupled with its strikingly futuristic design. This is the driving force of the Hyundai-Staria’s attractiveness. We are heartened by the amazing and positive feedback from the first batch of owners, which is a testament to the experience that Hyundai offers. Given the limited supply and with the next batch expected in early 2023, now is the best time for MPV enthusiasts to lock in their orders while stocks last.” said Low Yuan Lung, MD of HSDM.
A people carrier designed for big families and businesses, the 10-seat version of the Staria is the true replacement for the Grand Starex, which has finally been retired. Three variants are available. The entry-level Lite starts at RM179,888 on-the road without insurance, but these days, HSDM prices its cars in BMW fashion, which means that the base price comes with a two-year/50,000 km warranty. If you want the five-year/300,000 km warranty plus three-year/50,000 km free service, add RM10,000 to the price. That’s RM189,999 for most people then.
The mid-spec Plus is yours for RM196,888 and the range-topping Max is priced at RM209,888. Go for the “extended” warranty and service package and it will be RM206,888 and RM219,888 respectively.
The Starex is one of the largest passenger vehicles on our roads, but the Staria dwarfs it. At 5,253 mm long, 1,997 mm wide and 1,990 mm tall, the Staria is 103 mm longer, 77 mm wider and 55 mm taller than the Starex, and its 3,273 mm wheelbase is 73 mm longer than the old van. Both the Premium and this 10-seater share the same body.
The Lite and Plus ride on 17-inch alloys (215/65 tyres) while Max tyres are sized like the Premium – 235/55 – with star-shaped two-tone 18-inch rims. Spot the subtle bodykit? It’s standard on all three variants, exclusive to the 10-seater.
HSDM says that the Staria’s height allows for passengers to conveniently enter and exit the vehicle and is high enough for an average school-aged child to stand upright and move inside the vehicle with ease. The 10-seater’s seat layout is 2-3-2-3 and all three rows of rear seats can be folded flat – when this is done, you can fit in a bed. By the way, this is not possible in the 7-seater, as the individual Premium Relaxation chairs can’t be folded.
Face aside, one of the biggest design points that make the Staria stand out is the super low beltline, which gives the MPV some of the biggest window panels I’ve ever seen on a passenger vehicle. Hyundai says that this is inspired by traditional Korean hanok architecture and “creates a feeling of openness”. That’s an understatement – this could well be the best vehicle to be sightseeing in.
The LED headlamps are matched by the unique tetris-style pixel tail lamps on all variants except for the Lite, although the Lite’s bulbs are very well disguised with a pixel-patterned cover. LED daytime running lights are standard across the board.
Roof air con vents for all rows are standard across the range, while Plus and Max variants get power sliding doors. The Max adds on a powered tailgate. The seats of the Lite are in fabric, while the Plus gets part-Nappa leather seats. It’s black Nappa leather for the Max variant, which is the the only one here to get a powered driver seat (eight-way adjustment with four-way lumbar).
Up front, the driver looks at a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster (analogue dials with LCD MID for Lite), and the head unit touchscreen is an 8.0-inch item with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and steering buttons. The Max adds on a 360-degree parking camera, two additional tweeters (six speakers in total), dual-zone air con and a wireless charger. Speaking of charging, this big van has eight USB ports, seven of which are for charging.
The button gear selector in the Premium has been swapped for a regular shift lever, but all 10-seater variants get an electronic parking brake with auto hold, which is nice.
Safety wise, it’s six airbags across the board, along with ABS/EBD/ESC/VSM/TCS and hill start assist. Isofix child seat anchors are available on the second row (two outer seats). Hyundai Smartsense is reserved for the Max. The active safety and driver assist suite includes Blind-Spot Collision Avoidance Assist with Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Following Assist and Smart Cruise Control with Stop and Go.
Like the Premium, the engine here is a 2.2 litre turbodiesel with 177 PS and 431 Nm of torque from 1,500 to 2,500 rpm. The CRDi is mated to an eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission. Drive is sent to the front wheels, not the rear like in the Starex. With rear multi-link suspension instead of the Starex’s live axle, Hyundai promises a more comfortable ride with its latest big MPV.
As for colours, Abyss Black Pearl and Creamy White are options for all three variants, with the Lite adding on a Shimmering Silver metallic option and the Max getting additional Graphite Grey metallic and Moonlight Blue Pearl choices (the latter is shown here). HSDM has an option list that includes side steps (standard or electronic), rear roof-mounted infotainment and Alcantara interior trim.
The huge gap in price between this 10-seater and the seven-seat Premium is because of Malaysia’s vehicle tax structure, which gives a commercial vehicle loophole of sorts to four-row MPVs. Once again, the Staria 10-seater is priced from RM179,888 to RM209,888, on the road excluding insurance. Add RM10k for the five-year/300,000 km warranty plus three-year/50,000 km free service package. Not VIP enough? Check out the Staria Premium.
GALLERY: Hyundai Staria 10-seater Max
GALLERY: Hyundai Staria 10-seater Lite
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Its 2022 and this Staria still looks ugly. Kia Carnival looks better, IMHO. Carnival also cheaper than this (the top variant), and have more isofix.
Ugly or not, it is shocking that our Proton did not manage to build a big MPV like this Staria or the Alphard. We could have been the first and beat Toyota but i dont know what our people in Proton were thinking back then
Exora also is too small lah. Businessmen want to ride in a big comfortable MPV like Vellfire or Staria
I heard half the bookings are from funeral parlours..cos at around 200 grand,it is much cheaper than to order Merc Benz.
Make no mistake..this MPV is the UGLIEST in its class.
Dead corpses in coffins do not mind how beautiful or ugly,the MPV looks.A final comfortable and decent journey is all that matters ,to the crematorium or graveyard.
Kipidap,Sime Darby..u have created a niche market.
Awd is standard on all diesel staria sold in Australia. Is there a awd option since its fully imported? And how much of the selling price is the cost of Import AP if staria is tax free?
good job Hyundai. keep it going and make ppl mover vehicle more affordable and give Velfire/Alphard some pressure. they have been dominating the market for a while now and asking for gold and silver for it.
Wow, looks good. Hyundai used to be the butt joke 20 years ago. Everyone used to laugh at it.
Look where they are today. They easily only sell 8 million cars globally. Their cars improved a LOT in quality and design.
I am shy of our car industry. Just 10 years younger than Hyundai and still cannot compete in the global market. Claim to be the BMW of Asia but in the end….kena sold to China car brand
I thought the car is only ugly on the outside. It turn out that the interior looks like it is designed 20 years ago. No way in hell this ugly van going to outsell Kia Grand Carnival.
Hyundai has a very good car but the main problem here in Malaysia is the after sales service. Their after sale service are really really bad or i should call it “After Sale DAMAGE”