Hyundai will undergo a brand renaissance here in the Philippines, so to speak. Hyundai Motor Philippines (HMPH) will replace Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. as the Korean carmaker's local passenger car distributor — and has expressed intent to bring in a slew of the freshest models from the global Hyundai lineup. 

Among these models is the Staria, which HMPH plans to launch this July.  

If the Staria name rings a bell, then it's because the MPV is positioned as a replacement of the Starex van that's been in the Hyundai lineup for so long. Like the van it's bound to replace, the Staria's brief is to bring passengers and cargo in a practical cabin — but with sleek and classy styling inside and out. 

In international markets, the Staria comes in Premium, Wagon, and Van flavors, with each packing nine and seven seats, 11 and nine, and five to three seats, respectively. The Van variants are tailored as cargo-hauling commercial vehicles, while the Wagon and Premium are poised for families and the upscale set. 

And given that HMPH would likely want to recoup the sales the brand has admittedly lost in recent years, we'll make quite a bold prediction: The company will introduce to the market most, if not all, Staria variants. That's to give buyers the widest possible choices of Staria according to their needs and budget. 

With that said, let's focus on the Staria Premium variant, which, after all, is the top-trim model of the Staria group. 

Outside, the Staria retains the tall and boxy stance of a van, but stylizes this with various accoutrements. In the Staria Premium, the front end is gifted with an LED light bar that runs across the width of the vehicle, while below this, LED headlights are bordered by the imposing chrome brass grille. 

At the rear, the Staria Premium's high-end vertical tail lamps highlight the tall body, and are applied with Hyundai’s unique Parametric Pixel LED design.

Entering the cabin of Staria by way of its power sliding doors is one indication that this new model is indeed more upscale than its predecessor. In the Staria Premium's nine and seven seats and captains chairs, these feature ottomans and even swiveling function to allow passengers to face each other. Upping classy ambience inside is the 64-color mood lighting for these mentioned variants. 

All Staria MPVs get expansive windows to allow a good view out, and a generous cargo area for various objects as standard. And thanks to expanded exterior dimensions, there's more cabin space over the outgoing model, too. 

Moving this stylish and classy MPV is a pair of 2.2-liter diesel and 3.5-liter gasoline engines. The lower Staria variants get the four-cylinder oil-burner, while the upscale Staria versions get the six-cylinder gasoline with 272hp. There's a pair of six-speed manual and eight-speed automatics on offer, with the Staria Premium making do with two pedals. 

Lastly, the Staria keeps up with the modern times yet again with its Hyundai SmartSense suite of safety technologies. Among other functions, the SmartSense packs autonomous braking, lane keep assist, and blind spot monitoring. We're hoping local Staria units come with this safety kit. 

We also have our fingers crossed that the new Hyundai distributor would bring in the Staria range, which we predict will retail from the upper reaches of P1 million to just above P3 million for the top-of-the-line variant. 

And if the Staria Premium does reach our shores in July, you already have an idea what to expect from the MPV. A speculative spec sheet of the model is available below. 

Hyundai Staria Premium Smartstream Gasoline 3.5 MPI 8 Speed Automatic FWD (7 Seater)

Front fog and driving lamp

 Electric-Folding & Heated with Puddle Lamps and Side Turn Signal Lamps

 LED Center Lamp & Luggage Lamp

 4-Spoke Leather / Power Tilt and Telescopic Adjustable

Instrument Panel  Center Cluster

(Driver) Suede With Vanity Mirror and Lamp

(Passenger) Suede With Vanity Mirror and Lamp

 Suede with Door Pockets 

 Window, Doorlock, Outside Rear View Mirror + Retract

 4.2" Audio Display with Radio Data System

 With (Around View Monitor)

 Three-Zone Automatic Temperature Control

 Anti-lock brake system (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC),

3Pt. ELR x7 with Force Limiter & Pretensioner

Creamy White, Graphite Gray Metallic, Moonlight Blue Pearl, Abyss Black Pearl, Shimmering Silver Metallic, Olivine Gray Metallic, Gala Brown Pearl imeless Black, White Cream, Steel Graphite, Sierra Burgundy, Moonlight Cloud

Available Interior Colors with Nappa Leather

Black Monotone, Blue Two-Tone, Brown Two-Tone, Gray Two-Tone, 

P3 to P3.5 million est. 

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By continuing to browse this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy