Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors Launches the 2022 Hyundai Staria Premium, Priced at RM 358,888

Hyundai has been slowly introducing its array of futuristic cars to Malaysia over the past year, and has just launched 2022 Hyundai Staria! 

Price

The 2022 Hyundai Staria is priced at RM358,888. Only one variant is available for the Malaysian market, called the Staria Premium seven seater, which comes with a set of those lovely Nappa individual Premium Relaxation Seats in the middle row.

Engine

The 2022 Hyundai Staria is powered by the familiar CRDi 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder, VGT diesel engine as found on the Santa Fe. It is paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission, also just like the Santa Fe. The highest power generated from this engine is 176 hp at 3,800 rpm, which also has a maximum torque of 430 Nm at 1,500 to 2,500 rpm. 

For those who are keen-eyed, you would have noticed that the Staria's performance figures are slightly lower than the Santa Fe's, and according to Hyundai, the engine has been detuned to provide the Staria with more of a relaxing manner compared's to the Santa Fe's brute force.

Safety

The 2022 Staria comes with six airbags and a host of Hyundai's latest SmartSense advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) including:

• Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA)
• Lane Keeping Assist (LKA)
• Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA) 
• Smart Cruise Control (SCC) 
• Lane Following Assist (LFA)
• Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA)
• Safe Exit Assist (SEA) 

The SEA works when the occupant opens the door to exit the vehicle after a stop. If an approaching vehicle from the rear side is detected, the function provides a warning. The function also helps keep the rear door closed through the operation of the power sliding doors.

Exterior

The 2022 Staria has an exterior that looks futuristic, inspired by spaceships, according to Hyundai. 

At the front, there is a trapezoidal grille flanked by two headlights. These headlights are unconventional as it houses eight LED cube looking things which are actually the MPV's lamps. The top two cubes are the indicators, and the ones below are responsible for illuminating the roads.

Just above the grille and headlights are these wraparound the front end day-time-running lights (DRL) which really does give the Staria this menacing look, especially when it's dark.

The appearance of the MPV has been given an elegant touch through the customisation of surface colours with shades of either tinted brass chrome or dark grey chrome, which you can choose when you buy the MPV (we'll get to it later on why you have the option to choose either colour trims). These chrome finishings are not only pinned to the front grille but also on the headlight frame, outer mirror covers, and car door handles.

There are futuristic-looking 18-inch alloy wheels at the four corners of the MPV that give the Staria a rugged yet elegant look, while at the rear, there are vertical combination tail lights compromised of again many little cubes, continuing the front end's cube theme.

If you purely look at the exterior of the 2022 Hyundai Staria, you will notice that this MPV has a big footprint on the road. Hyundai claims that their luxury MPV has the largest size among the cars in its class. The Staria has a length of 5,253 mm, a width of 1,997 mm, a height of 1,990 mm, and a ground clearance of 186 mm. In every way, the body of the 2022 Staria is more significant than the Alphard, staying true to its claims.

Interior

The futuristic and strong exterior design is matched with a luxurious interior, starting with its big panoramic windows. 

The 2022 Staria has been designed with a low shoulder line to give the MPV big windows. The outside view is wide thanks to the combination of panoramic windows, and they're a lovely feature. However, one of the drawbacks of these big windows is that they are more significant than the body, which doesn't allow it to have the conventional tuck inside the body windows if you wish to get some fresh air. 

Instead, the middle row windows are simple non-powered windows that you slide back if you want to get some fresh air, while the rear ones are pop-out ones like you would find in coupes. While we consider this a drawback, we understand why Hyundai insisted on these panoramic windows. It gives the passengers a fantastic view of the outside world, but most importantly, makes the cabin feel amazingly spacious.

One of the stars of the interior is the middle row's Premium Relaxation Seats. The seat features a couple of one-touch buttons that automatically recline the seat into a relaxed and comfortable position. One does the auto reclining, and the other one does the auto rewind to put it back into an upright position. In addition, the powered ottoman can be adjusted manually to get you in the best possible comfortable position.

Interestingly, when the seat is reclined, Hyundai claims that adult passengers sitting in the third row can still sit comfortably. All seats are laced with Nappa leather which is soft and durable.

The driver’s seat has a futuristic high-tech look with an advanced 10.25-inch front display screen, touch-based centre fascia and a button-type electronic shift lever. The digital cluster is located on top of the dashboard, providing an unobstructed view for the driver. Hyundai’s smart infotainment system that is equipped with a wide-angle camera also enables the driver and front passenger to view rear passengers in the back seat on display screen. 

A 64-color ambient mood lamp provides a lush interior atmosphere. The harmonious direct and indirect lighting can selectively illuminate the cockpit, console, doors and cargo areas

Entertainment

The 2022 Staria comes with an 8-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. But the star of the entertainment system are its 12-speaker sound system made by BOSE, focused on pampering the ears of the driver and passengers in the cabin. Being typically BOSE, it doesn't just automatically alter the volume of the music as speed increases, but it also automatically alters the tone of the sound to provide the best audio clarity possible.

Colours 

There are seven colours to choose from, including Creamy White, Graphite Gray Metallic, Moonlight Blue Pearl, Abyss Black Pearl, Shimmering Silver Metallic, Olivine Gray Metallic and Gala Brown Pearl.

Warranty

The Staria comes with a two-year/50,000 km warranty. If you want the five-year/300,000 km warranty plus three-year/50,000 km free service package, you will need to top up the price with another RM10k.

Caveat

The 2022 Hyundai Staria in Malaysia is only available on an order basis, which is why you can choose to have either the tinted bronze chrome or dark grey chrome trim we mentioned earlier. According to Hyundai Malaysia, it'll take at a minimum of three months for the car to arrive when everything is confirmed. 

So if you want it, you've got to order it through Hyundai's official distributor in Malaysia, Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM). You may also view the Staria at HSDM’s Ara Damansara showroom.