/ Featured Article

The Brightest of Them All?: The Hyundai Staria Premium+

One of the more memorable vans we’ve driven, the Staria in its Premium+ trim is a winner for Hyundai.

Earl Lee on Aug 23, 2023

Ever since the Staria broke cover when Hyundai Motor Philippines relaunched, even before we got a chance to drive the car and get it out on the road and testing, the van was already finding its way into the garages of many Filipinos. It’s not out there to consider that the Hyundai brand has had an impression on many car buyers here in the country and fond memories of the Starex

Related: 2023 Hyundai Staria Premium+ AWD Review

Back in the day, the main comparos that we considered (even before AutoDeal’s time) were the Toyota Hiace and the Hyundai Grand Starex. While the Hiace has remained the best-selling passenger van in the market right now, the Staria took to its own niche, shedding its former identity as the Starex and playing in a totally different space, and it’s all the better for it.

Hyundai has forced its van to evolve in the Philippine market, and while some may say that it’s not the Starex that we once knew, we argue that it is better and all the more worthwhile because of all the evolution it’s gone through.

It’s not just a new design

It’s a totally new platform in a van format. The Hyundai Starex stood on a ladder-frame chassis back in the day. Hyundai, in a move to modernize its offerings, changed the construction method and moved over to a unibody. The result is better handling, better comfort, and better overall refinement for the van, something that would have been harder to achieve had the brand stayed with the ladder frame in the old Staria.

The results are clear to us. When we reviewed the van, it was definitely one of the more comfortable ones out there, and the comparison versus other rivals is somewhat invalid. Truth be told, the Staria isn’t a full-sized van anymore, as it has now “graduated” into minivan territory where popular nameplates like the Toyota Alphard, Kia Carnival , and formerly the Honda Odyssey reigned.

All of that chassis refinement has resulted in an uber-comfortable ride. The Staria is one of the best vans out there for the purpose of getting ferried around the city or going out of town. It’s definitely a family vehicle as well, and a darned comfortable one at that.

Yes it’s a van, and no it’s not boring to drive

The frame of the Staria wasn’t the only thing that we found to be interesting. More exciting times abound with the addition of all-wheel-drive (AWD). It’s surprising to see a van come with an AWD system. You can get all four wheels driving with the Premium trim that we tested, and the lower models will be 2WD, but when will you ever use all four wheels to drive the car? It doesn’t make sense until you actually find yourself needing it.

There are certain situations on the road that AWD helps with, but there are others where you never knew you needed it. Take a standard rainy drive, for example. Road conditions are slippery, and with a big and heavy car, there is a chance that a slip may occur and the car may break traction on its driven wheels. To compensate, another wheel could spin up and help compensate for the traction loss. Or perhaps if you’re going up a slippery parking lot, again, if one wheel happens to break traction, then you have three others waiting to help. However, the most compelling reason that AWD helps you with this car is the fact that you never know what kind of road conditions you may encounter, if there is even a road to travel on. During our trips with the car, the AWD system was there just in case things were getting hairy, and also a safety net and assurance that we wouldn’t have to get out of the car and push.

With that, it’s also important to mention that the Staria has 177 hp and 430 Nm of torque, about the same if not a bit better than some pickup trucks and SUVs out in the market today. While you do have more weight to contend with, it’s still a 2.2-liter diesel mill that produces good amounts of power and torque, enough for highway stretches and low-speed peppiness.

Now, we know that you won’t be going off the beaten path often, but picture underdeveloped parking lots out of town in more rural restaurants, resorts, or hotels. If the entrance to the establishment isn’t paved, all-wheel-drive is a sure-fire way to ensure a bit of safety for you and your family and it’s a feature that we found to make sense if you’re very willing to go on out-of-town adventures with your family and friends in tow.

Lounge in and out of town

One of the key features of the Premium+ variant of the Staria is the absolute five-star, first-class, and lounge-like interior and seating. Not to take anything away from the drive of the car, but you definitely want to find yourself in the back half of this van. In fact, we usually argue about who would drive, but with the Staria around, we argued about who would be sitting at the back. The car’s owner is likely to be the one driving around and not doing the driving.

Furthermore, the seats themselves offer a wide range of adjustability, comfort, and also copious amounts of legroom. In fact, the seats trump the ones found in the Hiace Super Grandia. The ottoman functions are about the same, the recline is a recline, and the seats are supportive, but the chairs in the Staria actually tilt. If you’ve never experienced this type of setting, we recommend that you get out and try it. It’s like sitting in a La-z-Boy chair. You’ll definitely find yourself napping on it for miles and miles.

Other than that, the chairs also have a nifty memory function. If you’ve ever struggled to get out of a van quickly because the chair is reclined, then this will be one of the features that help along with that. With a touch of a button, you can go from relaxing all the way to sitting up without having to fiddle with anything. On top of that, you will also get the true VIP experience of getting out of the car with the power doors.

Does it even compare anymore?

The last thing we mentioned in the introduction of this article was that the Staria in its previous life compared to the likes of the Toyota Hiace, Nissan Urvan, and everything else in the full-sized van category. Now, however, it’s not so clear-cut. You can’t really compare the Super Grandia to the Premium+ because they’re both too different.

Different in the sense that the Staria is actually in another league altogether and it’s all the better for it. Now, Hyundai’s playing in a space that is actually more premium than the Hiace, and in a space that actually needs a hero.

We’d even venture to say that the Staria is a bargain for what it offers, given that it is now going up against the likes of the Alphard. While we cannot say that it is better than the Alphard outright (you do still have to contend with the prestige of the nameplate), it’s a worthy competitor, and probably one of the best values in the segment currently.