Hyundai enters luxury MPV segment with new Staria
The Hyundai Motor Company has launched its new Staria multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) lineup via a digital world premiere, establishing a model for its future purpose-built vehicles (PBVs).
The Staria’s debut furthers Hyundai Motor’s transformation as a smart mobility solution provider and embodies the company’s “inside-out” design methodology that emphasizes interior spaciousness and usability. The Staria is Hyundai’s response to shifting consumer needs by offering them purposeful, innovative features and redefining in-car travel experiences in line with the company’s vision of “Progress for Humanity”.
The Staria is available in 2- to 11-seat configurations and in two variants: The Staria and Staria Premium, the latter elevating mobility to the next level with upgraded features and variant-exclusive finishes for a more luxurious look and feel.
“We are thrilled to introduce the Staria, which represents our latest effort to spearhead the evolution of mobility, and to address emerging lifestyle needs as we adapt to new ways of living,”
says Thomas Schemera, executive vice president and global chief marketing officer.
“The Staria is a step forward in connecting us more closely with our environments so that we can get more out of our everyday lives and do more for ourselves in transit.”
Hyundai Automotive South Africa aims at a local launch date of the Staria towards the end of the year.
“We are examining all configurations of the Staria – from the luxury 7-seater to the panel van version – to determine what the range in South Africa will consist of. With the luxury derivative, Hyundai will enter a segment for multi-purpose vehicles in the country where the brand did not compete before,”
says Stanley Anderson, sales and operations director of Hyundai Automotive SA.
“Further good news is that we shall still have a large people-carrier to offer in the range as a replacement for the popular H-1 9-seater bus that has served many families and businesses well over the years.”
Premium and Futuristic Exterior Styling
Evoking the streamlined form of a spaceship, the Staria’s sleek exterior is defined by a single stroke running from front to rear – inspired by the curve of light that illuminates the Earth’s horizon at sunrise when viewed from space.
The Staria’s front is embellished with horizontal daytime running lights (DRLs) and a positioning lamp, together running across the width of the vehicle, complemented by a bold, wide radiator grille with a unique pattern. Its clean silhouette is further accented by a pair of low-set headlamps. Hyundai uses the same body colour for all frontal parts to maximize the vehicle’s modern and pure style.
The Staria Premium model features a variant-exclusive tinted brass chrome treatment, applied to the Hyundai emblem, grille, headlamp bezels, front and rear bumpers, wheels, side mirrors and door handles to emphasize the vehicle’s premium and modern look.
Lowered beltlines and panoramic side windows improve overall visibility and create a feeling of openness. This sense of spaciousness — inspired by traditional Korean ‘hanok’ architecture — allows passengers to feel as if the outside scenes are an extension of the vehicle interior.
The design theme carries over to the rear, featuring a wide window framed by elongated vertical tail lamps, with the Staria Premium models receiving Hyundai’s unique Parametric Pixel lamp design and garnish on top. The rear bumper is lowered so passengers can easily load and unload cargo.
The Staria models are available in eight exterior colours: Abyss Black Pearl, Creamy White, Graphite Gray Metallic, Moonlight Blue Pearl, Shimmering Silver Metallic, Dynamic Yellow, Olivine Gray Metallic and Gaia Brown Pearl (the choice of colours may vary depending on the region or country of sale).
Transforming mobility by providing more quality time in transit
The Staria interior applies a simple and modest layout to highlight driver’s convenience and passengers’ comfort, while staying faithful to its original value as an MPV. The cruise-ship-inspired interior delivers an open and unique atmosphere through its innovative design architecture. The vehicle’s lower beltlines and panoramic windows create a spacious, stimulating environment for all passengers.
The driver and passenger seats in the first row are designed to offer a feeling of space and comfort. The Staria’s simple interior layout focuses only on the essentials to provide more room and flexibility to passengers. A glove compartment in the first-row passenger’s seat is moved forward to provide extra legroom space.
The driver’s seat has a futuristic high-tech look with an advanced 10,25-inch front display screen, touch-based center fascia and a button-type electronic shift lever. The digital cluster is located on top of the dashboard for an unobstructed driver view.
Storage space is on top of the overhead console, bottom of the cluster, and top and bottom of the center fascia. Both driver and passengers also have access to a center console equipped with cup holders, USB ports and additional storage space.
The Staria Premium offers various additional interior features that will transform the passenger’s mobility experience. The 7-seat Premium model is equipped with Premium Relaxation Seats in the second row that recline electronically and also have sliding capabilities for easy reach or to maximize cargo space. The one-touch relaxation mode makes the seats recline automatically to a posture that comfortably disperses the passenger’s weight and improves overall body balance. Even when the seats are reclined by this mode, there is enough room for an adult passenger to sit comfortably in the third row, thanks to the Staria’s spacious interior layout.
The 9-seat Premium model’s individual seats in the second row can swivel 180 degrees to face passengers in the third row. This makes the Staria Premium ideal for corporate vehicles or mobile offices as passengers can turn their seats around and conduct meetings face to face. Families will also find these swiveling seats convenient as rear-facing passengers will have easy access to those seated in the third row.
A 64-color ambient mood lamp, available in all Staria Premium variants, provides a lush interior atmosphere. The harmonious direct and indirect lighting can selectively illuminate the cockpit, console, doors and cargo areas. The premium feeling is further enhanced by the Bose sound system.
Additionally, the Staria’s generous legroom is among the best in its segment and can be converted into expansive additional cargo space when all seats are pushed together – made possible by the versatile long sliding seat function. Moreover, the full-flat mode applied to rear passenger seats of the Staria standard model makes this vehicle the perfect choice for activities that require a lot of room and interior flexibility, such as camping and equipment-intensive sports.
“The Staria is not just reinterpreting spatiality, but also reimagining time spent in transit for the future. Designing for mobility isn’t about vehicle design. It’s about designing to accommodate a variety of lifestyles,”
said SangYup Lee, senior vice president and head of global Hyundai design.
“The Staria’s interior space and functionalities aim to transform how people experience in-car travel, optimizing journeys by making the most of time in transit.”
The Staria’s interior is available in these colours: black, black-and-beige two-tone, black-and-blue two-tone. The Premium variant offers additional options of grey-and-brown two-tone as well as grey-and-light-gray two-tone (interior colour options may vary according to the model and region, or country of sale).
Maximizing platform and performance
Staria’s innovative interior space utilization is made possible by the MPV’s 3 273-mm wheelbase with an overall length of 5 253 mm and width of 1 997 mm. Its overall height of 1 990 mm is optimized for passengers to conveniently enter and exit the vehicle and is high enough for an average school-aged child to stand upright and move with ease.
The cargo space availability varies depending on how the seating configurations are arranged. The 2- and 3-seater, optimized for business use, offers maximum cargo space of almost 5 000 liters.
The Staria will be offered in South Africa with a 2.2-liter VGT turbodiesel engine, the same source of power used in the new Santa Fe which is to be launched locally this month. The diesel engine is newly improved and mated in the Staria with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Its high-efficiency, air-cooled turbocharger has an improved compressor and turbine wheel performance for better low speed torque performance.
Hyundai Motor optimized each powertrain for low noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), better shift sensation for high torque performance and improved acceleration.
Mechanical upgrades also resulted in improved ride comfort thanks to the application of a multi-link suspension at the rear axle. The Staria’s upright inclination angle and lever ratio of shock absorbers also contribute to improved ride comfort. Likewise, upgrades in brake calipers and discs provide stable stopping power even with the model’s large size.
On top of mechanical upgrades, aerodynamic upper body design and under body improvements result in improved drag coefficient for better fuel economy.
Smart features for safety and convenience
The Staria has secured the highest level of vehicle safety. Staria offers an option to add as many as six airbags, and all seats come with three-point seat belts and headrests. Safety is further bolstered by smart options such as Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (FCA) and Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA).
The Staria also offers other safety features. Wireless Module Seat Belt Reminder (WM-SBR), the world’s first seat belt reminder system using wireless communications technology, enables passengers to enjoy the benefits of seat belt reminder and long sliding capabilities at the same time.
In a situation where a passenger attempts to open the power sliding door while a rear-side vehicle is passing by, Safe Exit Assist (SEA) prevents the door from opening. Rear Occupant Alert (ROA), available in select markets, uses a radar sensor to detect and alert the driver if a rear passenger is left in the car after exiting the vehicle.
The Staria also comes with Hyundai’s smart infotainment system and is equipped with a wide-angle camera that enables the driver and front passenger to view rear passengers in the back seat on display screen. Families can use this feature to conveniently monitor children and pets, while business users such as ride-hailing services also will benefit from this feature.
The infotainment system enables the driver and front passenger to communicate with rear passengers using a unique speaker function that allows all occupants to clearly hear one another.
