Hyundai Reveals New Carnival-rivalling Staria MPV

Hyundai’s Staria is an attempt to blend luxury with the practicality of an MPV, much like the Kia Carnival

• Staria is available in two variants: Staria and Staria Premium.

• Gets futuristic design.

• It has a panoramic sunroof and large panoramic windows.

• It comes in multiple seating configurations, ranging from 2 to 11 occupants.

• It borrows the Carnival’s petrol and diesel engine.

• Both motors get automatic transmissions, but the diesel engine comes with a manual as well

• Hyundai Staria won’t be coming to India anytime soon.

Hyundai has revealed the Staria, a luxury MPV, that can offer customised seating for anywhere between 2 and 11 people. The MPV, which will go on sale in the second half of 2021, will be available in two variants -- Staria and Staria Premium. The latter gets new features and more premium touches. 

From the front, the Staria looks like a vehicle from the future. It has a typical old school van-like face, in the way the roof descends to meet the front of the car. The thin LED strip running across its face, the huge grille which pretty much occupies the whole face, and the stack of lights in both corners that look like the camera module of new- age smartphones, all lend the Staria a cutting-edge vibe. The front end changes depending on which variant you pick, but all in all, both versions look pretty premium. The most significant difference between the two is the tinted brass and chrome used on the Staria Premium. 

Not only does this MPV come with a panoramic sunroof, but its windows feel panoramic as well. They are so huge that the landscape outside feels like it is a part of the car. The rear looks like that of a typical van, with a huge glass area and long vertical tail lamps along the sides.

As we mentioned earlier, the Staria comes in multiple seating configurations. The Premium variant can be had in a 7-seater configuration, with two ‘Relaxation’ seats, which can recline electronically and can also be moved forward to free up more cargo space.The 9-seater model, on the other hand, has second-row seats that can swivel to face other passengers. This creates a board room-like feeling, and is excellent for meetings on the go. 

The Staria packs features, including 64-colour ambient lighting, a Bose sound system, a digital instrument cluster and USB ports for charging. Passenger safety is taken care of by six airbags ( although in Austria, you can even have seven).

The Staria will share the Kia Carnival’s powertrains -- a 3.5-litre petrol unit that churns out 272PS and 331Nm and a 2.2-litre diesel unit generating 177PS and 431Nm of torque. While both motors are paired with an 8-speed automatic, the diesel unit comes with an optional 6-speed manual as well. 

We are not sure if Hyundai would bring the Staria to India. That said, considering the Carnival has done reasonably well here, the carmaker could bring the luxury MPV in the future. But we can only speculate (and hope) as of now.