By Paul Gover.
A birthday party loaded with 12-year-old boys is a challenge for anything on wheels.
They are noisy, boisterous, taller than you think, and keen to explore.
Fans of SUVs will tell you they are perfect for a party trip.
But many are short for real space, have poor visibility and no air vents. And the boot space evaporates when you fill the seats.
That’s when you need a Hyundai Staria.
It has all the space you need with comfy seats, and more, and the top-level Highlander model on test even comes with electric sliding doors, lovely seat trim, a giant infotainment screen and punchy sound.
If you believe the blanket advertising on national television, the Hyundai Staria is a spaceship.
Jump into the new people mover and the promised is delivered. But, even with space for eight to stretch out, the Staria is not perfect.
For a start, very few families want to be seen in a giant van. They are more likely to do VIP duties for hotels.
And the dynamics are ordinary, the performance is only acceptable, and the Staria is too long – as well as too wide – for the parking spaces at the local shopping centre.
But let’s not get too negative, because Hyundai has at least been thinking outside the box – let’s call it the Toyota Granvia – with its approach to the Staria.
There is design flair in the frontal design and the way the front-door glass is cut down for extra visibility, the seats are comfortable and flexible, and nothing beats being able to open the side doors with a long push on the remote central locking button.
But the Staria is still based on a Hyundai delivery wagon, as the iMax it replaces was spawned from the iLoad, and that sets the basic shape and size.
Hyundai has done a good job on spreading the appeal of the Staria, with a front-drive, petrol-engined starter at an affordable $48,500 for big families and a flagship with diesel engine, all-wheel drive and all the fruit at $66,500.
Not surprisingly, it’s the flagship Highlander that is on test, although there is zero need for all-wheel drive and the diesel engine – although punchy – makes the Staria sound like it’s on delivery duties.
It goes well enough, the ride is smooth enough and there are plenty of trinkets and aircon outlets and – once again – space. The instrument layout is good, there is great visibility and you can carry almost anything without a worry.
But all my time with the Staria is spent comparing it with rivals.
The Granvia is obvious and so, although it’s smaller inside, is the Kia Carnival.
Compared with the Toyota, the Hyundai is a clear winner on style and value. Compared with the Kia, for me, it loses because the Carnival is so much more car-like to drive and live with.
It has even more style than the Staria, despite the advertising splurge on its spacey front-end design.
So the Staria definitely gets people talking, but if I was shopping for a big family van I’d take the Kia Carnival every time.
THE BASICS
Hyundai Staria
Price: from $48,500 to $66,500
Power:
Transmission:
Position: giant family bus
Plus: looks good, lots of space
Minus: it’s a bug
THE TICK: not this time
Score: 8/10
