Hyundai Staria ‘Spaceship-like’ People’s Mover

Hyundai Motor Company has launched its new Staria multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) lineup and established a model for its future Purpose Built Vehicles (PBVs). 

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.’

“We are thrilled to introduce Staria and represent our latest effort to evolve mobility, and to address emerging lifestyle needs as we adapt to new ways of living. It is a step forward connecting us more closely with environments so that we can get more out of our everyday lives and do more for transit,” said Hyundai Global executive vice president and chief marketing officer Thomas Schemera. 

Staria’s sleek exterior is defined by a single stroke running from front to rear. It was inspired by the curve of light that illuminates the Earth’s horizon at sunrise. 

Hyundai uses the same body colour for the frontal design elements, to maximize the vehicle’s modern and pure style. The beltlines and panoramic windows on the sides improve overall visibility and provide a sense of openness. It was inspired by the traditional Korean architectural style known as ‘hanok’ - the sense of spaciousness that makes its passengers feel as if the outer scenes an extension of the vehicle interior.

The Staria body dimensions are 5,253 mm in length, 1,997 mm in width, 1,990 mm in height and 3,273 mm wheelbase.

For the Staria standard variant, the exterior resembles a ‘spaceship’. It has horizontal daytime running lights (DRLs) and a positioning lamp. The rear has a bold and wide radiator grille with a unique pattern. Its clean silhouette is further accented by a pair of low-set headlamps. Apart from that, it also has a wide window framed by elongated vertical tail lamps. 

As for the Staria Premium variant, it features an exclusive tinted brass chrome on the Hyundai emblem, grille, headlamps bezels, front and rear bumpers, wheels, side mirrors and door handles that have a premium and modern look. Apart from that, it has Hyundai’s unique Parametric Pixel lamp design and garnish on top. The rear bumper is lowered to help passengers can easily load and unload cargo. 

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.

For the interior features, it applies a simple and modest layout for driver’s convenience and passengers’ comfort. This cruise-ship inspired interior delivers an open and unique atmosphere through its innovative design elements. 

“Staria is not designing for mobility, it isn't about vehicle design. It’s about designing to accommodate a variety of lifestyles. Staria’s interior space and functionalities transform how people experience in-car travel. It optimizes journeys by making the most of the time in transit.” said Global Hyundai Design senior vice president and head SangYup Lee. 

Both variants have a digital instrument cluster and it is located on top of the dashboard. Also, it has a futuristic high-tech look with an advanced 10.25-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system and a button-type electronic shift lever for the driver’s seat. Additionally, Staria Premium variants have Bose sound system to enjoy the premium feeling. 

Apart from the infotainment system, it is equipped with a wide-angle camera that enables driver and front passenger to view rear passengers in the back seat on the display screen. It also has a unique speaker function that allows all occupants to clearly hear one to another. This feature is suitable for families to monitor their children and pets while business users such as ride-hailing services also will benefit from this feature.

There are 4 storage spaces available, which are located on top of the overhead console, bottom of the instrument cluster, top and bottom of the center fascia. Apart from that, there are cup holders, USB ports and additional storage space on the center console box. The Staria will be offered from two-seater to 11 seater seating arrangements.

For the Staria’s variant, the first row seats are designed to offer a feeling of space and comfort. The layout is to provide more room and flexibility for passengers. A glove compartment in the first-row passenger’s seat moves forward to provide extra legroom space. 

Additionally, the Staria Premium model has a series of interior features including the 64-colour ambient mood lamp and direct and indirect lighting on the cockpit, floor console, door and luggage trims. As for its seating arrangements, it is available in 7-seaters, 9-seaters and 11-seaters arrangements.

The 7-seaters has the one-touch relaxation mode on its second-row premium relaxation seats, automatic seat posture and improves overall body balance. For the 9-seaters, it has the ability to swivel 180 degrees on the second-row seats. It offers a new mobility experience where passengers can communicate while looking at each other. 

Staria has the best legroom in its segment. It can be converted into additional boot space when all seats are pushed together. It is made possible by the versatility of long sliding seat function. Moreover, the full-flat mode applied to rear passenger seats of the Staria standard model makes this vehicle ideal for activities that require a lot of room and flexibility such as camping and equipment-intensive sports. 

The boot space is available depending on the seating arrangement. The 2 and 3 seaters offer a maximum boot space of 5,000-litres. It can increase to carry Euro pallets at once and it is optimized for business purposes. 

Staria’s interior colours are Black, two-tone Black with Beige and two-tone Black with Blue while Staria Premium variant offers additional options are two-tone Gray with Brown and two-tone Gray with Light Gray. 

As for the performance, Staria has two powertrains. The options are a  diesel-powered 2.2-litre VGT engine and a gasoline-powered Smartstream G6DIII 3.5-litre MPI engine.

For the diesel engine, it can deliver 177 hp and 431 Nm    of torque with either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission while for the gasoline-powered G6DIII 3.5-litre MPI can deliver 272 hp and 331 Nm    of torque with an eight-speed automatic transmission. 

Staria has the highest level of vehicle safety. It offers six airbags but Hyundai Australia has seven airbags. All seats come with three-point seat belts and headrests. The smart safety features are Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (FCA) and Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA). 

Added other safety features are Wireless Module Seat Belt Reminder (WM-SBR). It was the world’s first seat belt reminder system using wireless communication technology. Safe Exit Assist (SEA) prevents the door from opening. Rear Occupant Alert (ROA) is available in selected markets. It uses a radar sensor to detect and alert the driver if a rear passenger is left in the car after exiting the vehicle.

STARIA will go on sale in select markets starting from the second half of 2021.

Moving forward, Hyundai plans launch Special Vehicle Lineups of Staria such as limousines, ambulances and camping cars. Additionally, Staria has eco-friendly variants to be added in upcoming years.