Filipinos sure like vans, and that’s a given. We are after all, a family-oriented society. Plus, we enjoy the occasional road trip and that wouldn’t be complete with friends and family, right?
The 2024 Hyundai Staria Premium+
To this end, MPVs, vans, and minivans have proven to be a common sight on Philippine roads. Hyundai knows this of course, and that’s why it has recently launched the all-new Staria.
Of note, the Hyundai Staria has five different trims for the local market. There’s the Cargo variant, the Commuter, the GLS+, and the Premium+ seven-seater, and the Premium+ nine-seater. So which one of these might be the right variant for you? Let’s find out.
Hyundai Staria Variants: Exterior
To begin, let’s compare the dimensions of the Staria’s five different trims. For the Commuter, GLS+, and Premium+ trims, all four are 5,253mm long, 1,970mm wide, and 1,990mm in height. The Cargo version does come with the same length and width, but it is slightly taller at 2,000mm.
All five also have a wheelbase length of 3,273mm, and all come with a ground clearance of 186mm.
The top-spec Premium+ from the rear
Concerning exterior lighting, both versions of the top-spec Premium+ gets Dual LED headlamps. The GLS+ in turn has LED Multi MFR lights, whereas the Commuter and Cargo trims both use Halogen headlamps. Then again, only the Premium+ has LED taillights, while the others have halogen taillights.
Furthermore, only the Staria Cargo doesn’t have autolight control and daytime running lamps. The GLS+, Commuter, and Cargo do come with rear fog lamps, but the Premium+ is the sole variant that has LED rear fog lamps.
For easier access, the Premium+ versions then come with power sliding doors and a power tailgate. Both of these aren’t present in the rest of the variant lineup. Only the seven-seater version gets a sunroof.
The Cargo doing its thing
The Premium+ variants also get extra points for style, as it is equipped with a glossy black front grille decorated with copper trims. The rest either get a body-color grille or a black and silver grille.
Moreover, only the Premium+ seven-seater, Premium+ nine-seater, and GLS+ come standard with power folding side mirrors. The rest then come with power-adjustable, manual-folding side mirrors.
For wheels, the top-spec Premium+ variants ride on a set of 18-inch alloys. The GLS+ meanwhile, uses 17-inch alloy wheels, while the Commuter and Cargo variants come standard with 17-inch steel wheels.
Hyundai Staria Variants: Interior
In terms of passenger capacity, both the GLS+ and the Commuter can seat up to 11 occupants. The Cargo, as per its name, is optimized for carrying stuff, so it can only seat three people including the driver.
Inside the Hyundai Staria Premium+
The top-spec Premium+ in turn, has two versions: one can seat up to nine, while the other more expensive one can seat up to seven. Both of these versions get reclining and sliding captain seats, but only the seven-seater version's captain seats have ventilation.
For utmost hauling capacity, the Staria Cargo has the most capacity at 4,935 liters. The GLS+ and Commuter trims meanwhile, are capable of fitting up to 1,024 liters of cargo.
For the seats themselves, these are clad in Nappa Leather for the Premium+ trims, and regular leather for the GLS+. The Commuter and Cargo meanwhile, both have fabric seats.
The top-spec model has captain seats
The Premium+ trims also come with power-adjustable front passenger and driver seats. The rest, in turn, get manually adjustable driver’s seats.
For the driver, both the Premium+ variants and GLS+ provide a push-to-start button, an electrochromic rear-view mirror, and a 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster. The other two have turn-key ignition systems, a basic night and day rear-view mirror, and an analog gauge cluster.
Only the Premium+ versions, comes with automatic air-conditioning, while the rest gets a manual air-conditioning system.
The Staria Premium+ seven and nine-seater versions also have the best interior lighting out of the five. That’s because these are the only variants that have an LED overhead console lamp, a mood and console lamp, and a room lamp. The other trims also have an overhead console lamp, but those aren’t LEDs.
Both the GLS+ and the Commuter can seat a total of 11 occupants
Hyundai Staria Variants: Tech & safety
For entertainment, the Hyundai Staria Premium+ trims, and the GLS+ are kitted out with an eight-inch headunit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It is also capable of playing AM/FM radio, and it has voice control as well as Bluetooth connectivity.
For the top-spec Premium+ variants, the said headunit is then linked to a set of Bose speakers with surround sound. The GLS+ in turn, gets four speakers plus 2 tweeters.
Meanwhile, the Commuter and Cargo variants both come with a mono LCD audio system with USB and Bluetooth connectivity. On the Commuter, it is linked to four speakers. The Cargo then gets two speakers.
Only the top-spec Premium+ has adaptive cruise control
For safety, only the top-spec Premium+ variants are equipped with lane-keeping assist, forward collision-avoidance assist (autonomous emergency braking), and forward collision avoidance assist junction. Both the said variant and the GLS+ do come with tire pressure monitoring, parking distance warning, a 360-degree monitor, and manual speed limit assist.
For airbags, the Premium+ versions and GLS+ are the only ones equipped with side and curtain airbags. All variants do have dual front airbags. Standard on all Staria variants is anti-lock braking, hill-start assist, and stability control.
Lastly, only the Staria Premium+ has adaptive cruise control. The GLS+, on the other hand, uses a conventional cruise control system. The other two trims lack cruise control entirely.
Hyundai Staria Variants: Engine
Powering all Staria variants available in the Philippines is a 2.2-liter CRDi (turbodiesel) inline-4 engine. At the most, this mill can make up to 173 horsepower and 430 Nm of torque.
For the Premium+ trims and GLS+, both use an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The Commuter and Cargo trims meanwhile both use a six-speed manual transmission. Only the Premium+ variants are available with all-wheel-drive model. The rest meanwhile, are front-wheel-drive.
All four Philippine-spec Staria variants are propelled by a 2.2-liter CRDi engine
When it comes to suspensions, all four use a MacPherson strut for the front. For the rear, the Cargo stands out as the sole variant that uses leaf springs. The rest meanwhile, uses a multi-link rear end.
For braking, all four come with disc brakes for all four wheels. Both the Premium+ and GLS+ come with electronic parking brakes, whereas the Commuter and Cargo variants use a manual, hand-operated parking brake.
Hyundai Staria Variants: Price
| Hyundai Staria Variants | Price |
| Staria Cargo CRDi 2.2 MT | Php 1,560,000 |
| Staria Commuter CRDi 2.2 MT | Php 1,850,000 |
| Staria GLS+ CRDi 2.2 AT | Php 2,320,000 |
| Staria Premium+ CRDi 2.2 AT 9-seater | Php 2,830,000 |
| Staria Premium+ CRDi 2.2 AT 7-seater | Php 3,030,000 |
Hyundai Staria Variants: Conclusion
Choosing a 2024 Hyundai Staria variant clearly depends on your needs. For small, medium, and even large business owners who would like a secure logistics solution, the Staria Cargo is your bet.
For those who just want to fit as many people as they can, whilst providing a decent amount of comfort. Then there’s the Commuter trim.
There's a Staria for everyone
If you want to fit the most occupants but at the same time provide them with more niceties and safety, there’s the GLS+.
The Premium+ in turn is the variant to get if what you’re after is something that can provide optimal comfort and safety. For the ultimate luxury Staria though, one should get the seven-seater Premium+. The top-spec seven-seater trim will, however, cost you a pretty penny.
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