HYUNDAI STARIA PEOPLE-MOVER TAKES GREAT LEAP FORWARD

THE Hyundai iMax had a showroom lifespan as wide as the film screens with which it shares its name; 14 years of longevity that may have reflected the Korean brand’s interest level in the people-mover segment.

- JEZ SPINKS

Yet its belated replacement, the Staria, has arrived as a futuristically styled 3D van experience that jettisons any notion of apathy into deep space.

With its dramatic, single-curve silhouette, deep panoramic windows, horizontal LED front lighting strip, and vertical, grid-style LED tail-lights, Hyundai’s human transporter is guaranteed to stand out.

Hyundai’s sales projections aren’t quite as bold. The company is merely aiming to slot in behind the segment dominant Kia Carnival with which it now shares its platform, even if this would still involve overtaking the likes of the Volkswagen Multivan, LDV G10, and Honda Odyssey.

A simple range comprises three trim grades – Staria, Elite, and Highlander. Each is available as front-drive V6 petrol or, for a $3000 premium, an all-wheel-drive four-cylinder turbo-diesel.

Starting from $48,500, prices are slightly higher than the iMax, though a significantly higher level of standard equipment, including far superior safety features, provides an agreeable offset.

The Staria also expands in all measurements. It gains more than 100mm in length (making it almost as long as the 5.3-meter long-wheelbase Multivan), nearly 80mm in width, and adding 65mm in height to stand almost two meters tall.

An extra 73mm for the wheelbase promises some extra space for a cabin that retains its layout of eight seats across three rows.