Hyundai is replacing its long-serving H1 with the Staria, which, compared with other commercial vehicle-based MPVs, resembles an alien spaceship. Busesare big business in South Africa, however, so how well does this all-new Staria stack up against the competition? We drove it at its local launch in the Western Cape.

What is a Hyundai Staria?

The Luxury model gets a full LED strip across the front end.

Who would have thought it would be a bus, of all vehicles, thatwould showcase the most futuristic design that we’ve seen on a production model in a long, long time?The traditionally utilitarian segment has been turned on its head by the Staria, whichappears to have set down on our Blue Marble. When stood next to the likes of the Caravelle, V-Class or Quantum, the Hyundai seems to have teleported here.

The Staria officially replaces the H1, which was a competent shuttle and mover of things rather than a vehicle that could be considered a classy hotel VIP transporter or luxury family vehicle in the way a Caravelle or V-Class could be. The Staria is clearly both of those vehicles (depending on the derivative you choose)and could be“great holiday wheels”; it comes fitted with loads of safety and in-car tech.

The Staria measures 5 253 mm in length, 1 997 mm in width, 1 990 mm in heightand has a lengthy wheelbase of 3 273 mm.

What’s on offer?

The Staria is slightly longer than its Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz counterparts and hasa longer wheelbase too.

There are 3 derivatives to choose from in the Staria line-up, including 9-to 11-seater versions. The range starts with the Executive,which would be the pure people carrier model. It’s only available as in 11- seater configuration, but still packs a long list of safety and tech features, which I’ll go into a bit later.

The Elite derivative features slightly different LED lights atthe front and different wheels to the Executive,but slotsinto the middle of the range (it is available as both a 9 and 11-seater), replete with a few more passive safety features and exterior styling details than the entry-level Staria. The Luxury, finally, sits atop the range and is adorned with a full-beam LED strip across the front of the vehicle –as you see in the images above. It’s inside where the functionality is ramped up appreciably with more seating functionality, dual sunroofs, a surround camera system and a 12-speaker Bose audio setup.

What’s it like inside the Staria?

Individual 3-point seat belts for every seat and leather as standard across the range.

We started our day in the top-spec Luxury derivative, which virtually exhibits everything that Hyundai can offer in terms of in-car technology. Not only does a digital instrument cluster panel substitutea conventional binnacle, thedigital infotainment system supports wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, is complemented by a wireless chargerandUSB ports are availed in every row.

TheLuxury derivative is further equipped with a surround-view camera setup, which has a neat trick of bringing up the side-camera viewwithin the instrument dial whenever you flick the indicator stalk to signal a lane change. If you indicate left, the left dial displays the left-side camera to showyou any obstacles, obstructions or kerbs that may be in your path (vice-versa happens when you indicate right).

All the seats are trimmed incomfortable, upmarketleather with the front seats offering electrical adjustment, while the first couple of rows offer heating and cooling functions for the seats.

When you indicate, the corresponding side camera displays on the instrument cluster (Luxury model only).

Stepping into the rear for a second, the dual doors are electrically operated, but will remain shut if it detects a vehicle approaching quickly from behind;it will only openwhen it’s safe to do so. The first row in the back has a swivel function where the seats can spin round and face the rear-most row. The seats are all on rails (so can slide back and forth easily) and can be folded to free up generous utility space.

Up front, there are storage bins and pockets in the doors and a selection of cubby holes on the dash to store smaller items away from the sun – and prying eyes. The Staria’s designis so deliberately spacey that the newcomer’s infotainment system seems a little chunky (less slick of design than it could have been). The exterior promises something from the future, while the cabin design is more workmanlike (practically-minded) and obvious than I was maybe expecting. After all, the point of a bus is to be as functional as possible inside, isn’t it?

What powers the Hyundai Staria?

The familiar 2.2-litre turbodiesel is employed in the Staria. No petrol model is available.

Hyundai’s 2.2-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel gets another runin the Staria (it’s also available in the Palisade and Santa Fe), but this time it delivers 130 kW and 430 Nm. The turbodiesel also uses the same 8-speed automatic transmission as the aforementioned models, which is absolutely fine in this application. Shifts are executed quickly and smoothly with a decently quick kickdown speed when overtaking.

As a premium people-mover, it arguably lacks a little oomph under load or when overtaking. The V300 diesel is certainly the performance benchmark,it does come at quite a large price premium. I would say the Staria’s engine performance feels very similar to the Volkswagen Caravelle in terms of punch, although the Caravelle has all-wheel drive, whereas the Staria is only available in front-wheel-drive.

The Staria’s fuel economy was quite decent during our 200-km round trip. We averaged 9.1 L/100 km, but considering much of a bus’life is likely to be spent on freeways, you should be able to achieve lower consumption figures than ours.

Hyundai Staria any good to drive?

The doors open electrically on both sides with an electric tailgate too.

The Staria’s new platform is a vast improvement over that of the H1. Body roll is relatively well controlled, even when traversing the twisty coastal road from Gordon’s Bay to Rooi Els, it felt relatively poised.

The position of the driver’s seatis far less commercial vehicle-like than before, but it’s not quite what you would get in an SUV;there’s no denying the cab-forward position, but at least the steering wheel is positionedmore towards the driver (the column is rake- and reach-adjustable too) rather than pointing up at you like it does in a truck (or a Kombi, bless it). The steering action is on the light side, which makes the Hyundai easy to park in tight confines, but when the newcomer is buffeted by a hefty crosswind at freeway speeds, you mightbe caught off guard by the lack of feedback through the ‘wheel.

There are 4 drivemodes to choose from (Eco, Comfort, Smart and Sport) although, why you would want a Sport mode in a diesel bus remains a mystery. Smart mode seems the best for every situation as it’s a set-and-forget mode that will adapt to your driving style at that particular moment.

The Elite and Luxury derivatives, meanwhile,come with a selection of semi-autonomous driving assists that even their Palisade premium SUV siblings can’t match. Features such as adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist are standard in both versions and the above-mentioned surround-view camera system puts the Staria in a league of its own in the bus segment. Standard safety features include ABS, EBD, stability- and traction control, as well as 3-point seatbelts for every seat. Seven airbags are fitted as standard too.

Hyundai Staria Pricing

The Hyundai Staria is very competitively priced against its rivals, undercutting both the equivalent Mercedes-Benz V-Class and Volkswagen Caravelle.

Staria Executive R789 900

Staria Elite R959 900

Staria Luxury R1 099 900

Summary

Staria makes a compelling case as a shuttle and a family vehicle.

The Staria poses a real threat to the bus market, and even possibly the medium-SUV market. The Executive versionis particularly well priced at the rest of the derivatives retail for just under or aboveR1 million (November 2021). Those asking prices might make those who are looking for a large kerb-hopper think twice about how much more Hyundai’s newcomer offers for the price.

The Staria offers a lot of (comfortable) passenger space, as well as an impressive combination of body-rollcontrol, notable ride comfort and a lot of in-car technology. The latter trulyincorporatesa wide range of connectivity options. Furthermore, a commendable suite of safety- and semi-autonomous driving features are fitted to the Elite and Luxury derivatives. While the Hyundai’s exterior looks appear to have been extracted directly from Tom Cruise’s Minority Report movie, the interior doesn’t have the same sort of wow factor, but meets all the functionality needs a bus owner is ever likely to have.