Hyundai Staria Lounge After Months of Riding... "Just the Car My Family Needed"
‘It's been 3 months since Hyundai's latest MPV Staria first launched in the Philippines. This review article was written with the actual comments from Staria owners. Readers can expect honest advantages and disadvantages shared by real life users.
10/10 for Mobile Office
‘One reason why Hyundai Staria is good for mobile office is its fuel efficiency. There is no doubt Hyundai Staria boasts higher fuel efficiency than its competition; 13km/l fuel economy is almost on par with budget sedan. Diesel-based engine contributes a plus point to the fuel cost. Though Hyundai did an excellent job managing NVH (Noise Vibration Harshness) to a low level, diesel vehicle can unfortunately only do so much. Satisfying fuel cost as well as less noise allows you to enjoy resting or working inside the car. Moreover, spacious interior eliminates the element of stuffiness.
*Flexible seat position and spacious interior reduces the element of stuffiness
The number of storage areas located around the driver's seat surprised most of the new owners. The position of the cup holders, hidden storage space and how they are designed so handy for the comfort of the driver deserves all the compliment. Some even commented they prefer to work inside their Staria than their room because it just allows them to focus better.
We know, however, long hours of stay inside the car becomes unavoidably inconvenient. Recreating the space with the swivel-type seat on the 2nd row with Lazada-bought vehicle table can help overcome it. You can have take-out meal or you can decline the seat to the full to take a short nap.
*Swivel-seat is only applied to Lounge Inspiration 9 Seater model.
10/10 for Mobile Office
On weekend, parents become busier and more creative. They have to think outside the box to keep their children excited despite the pandemic lockdown. If you have travelled with young children who still need baby car seat, you may have experienced the anxiety of having to constantly check whether the baby is alright. Now, turn around the 2nd row seat and your family can sit face to face during the entire trip. Let the children play in your sight, not with their Ipad, until they fall asleep. When you get to the destination, all of your arrive with good condition. There can be no better relief than this for all the parents out there, don't you agree?
If dine-in is not permitted in restaurants or your baby falls asleep, you don't have to wake her up to go inside. Bring out the vehicle table and recreate the rear seats into an exclusive dining area for your family. Simple swivel feature can make this much difference for your family!
The big windows play an important role in overall travelling experience! Kids don't tend to ask for Ipad to watch Youtube because they enjoy looking out the windows. When the sunlight is too strong, you can open the sun shades to avoid direct exposure. The automatic sliding door at a touch of a button makes your life so much more convenient especially when you have to carry loads.
*Noise Vibration and Harshness improved dramatically
The combination of a 2.2 diesel 8-speed automatic transmission with multi-link rear suspension gives a whole new riding comfort at the rear. It is true though that cornering performance is poor due to its height, but who would drive a van for a family and expect high-speed cornering? Rather, its height is a great advantage from driver's viewpoint. The wider and farther view on the road reduces sudden braking by securing your front view. Less sudden braking of course leads to better passenger experience for your family at the back.
One of the questions we've received often times is "Is Staria better than Toyota Elite?" We don't know how to say in a courteous way so as not to give the readers an impression that we are trying to bring down the brand itself. Toyota Elite, however, has been in the local market for so long that it lacks so many new features that Staria has. The price itself says that Staria should be better. It would be rather a question of who can afford Hyundai Staria than which is better.
7/10 for Flooring
Staria Lounge is offered in 2 variants - 7 seater and 9 seater. Their difference is quite notable in terms of its rear seats. The 7-seater variant provides power Ottoman seats with 2-2-3 configuration whereas the 9-seater gives 4 non-power swivel-type 4 captain seats with 2-2-2-3 seating configuration. Another comparison is the railing. The 9-seater variant is installed with longer railing on the last row so it gives more flexibility when it comes to space usage.
The reason why we had to give relatively low score on the flooring is due to its floor matting. Staria Lounge is the higher model (the lower model is called Tourer) but Lounge comes with fabric-type flooring which is so impractical (when you come back with muddy shoes on rainy days, you are done). If Hyundai chose to install linoleum-type flooring on the Lounge model as it did on Tourer model or at least provide decent floor matting, we could have given higher score.
If you are a new owner of Staria Lounge, it seems reasonable for you to purchase some after-market flooring mat or re-do the entire flooring with some dust-resistant material.
Summary