Everyone that jumped in noticed the space. People reacted like they were walking into a waterfront mansion. They gazed around the cabin in awe of the size. “It should be called the Space-ia,” commented one acquaintance. And it’s true, the Hyundai Staria people mover is big inside, even when filled with eight adults.
That’s probably the great thing about the Staria in a novated lease, it’s designed to carry people and it does this well. I drove the Hyundai Staria base model with the 2.2L diesel engine which comes in AWD and the Staria Elite with the V6 petrol engine that is 2WD.
If your desire is to carry people (and luggage), the base model Staria will do the job without any fuss. For a family looking at a novated lease, I would recommend the Elite or Highlander depending on your budget.
It’s a people mover; so the luxury Highlander is never going to match the comfort or finish of a similar level SUV or sedan. The keyless entry remote is the secret sauce for parents trying to wrangle multiple kids into the car. There’s buttons to open the side doors as you approach the car. And the button closes the door as well to seal the noise and mayhem inside.
Another thing to consider for parents (or older buyers) is the vehicle height. Getting in and out of the driver’s seat does take some effort. You need to climb up into the vehicle without the help of a handle on the windscreen pillar. If you approach the car from the right angle and concentrate, there’s an ergonomic way to get in. But in a rush, you’ll find yourself jumping in awkwardly.
Hyundai’s HTRAC all-wheel drive system (only available with the diesel engine) is a new feature in the Staria which wasn’t available in the outgoing i-Max model range. It adds a spark of possibility for adventurous families and travellers chasing the sun.
I wasn’t game to test it out in the sand dunes without a rescue crew on standby, though the folk at Hyundai told me stories of beach camping and mild off-road explorations that the suggested the HTRAC system was capable of more than city roads.
On the inside, the centre console catches your attention immediately. It fills the space between the two front seats and its size suggests a mountain of internal storage. Unfortunately this is not the case. The design accommodates storage and cup holders for the rear passengers which robs the space. There’s still enough room for a tissue box, a large bottle of hand sanitiser and spare COVID masks.
The top deck of the centre console did become very useful. I found myself using it as a table several times when parked or when disembarking with no spare hands.
Due to the vehicle’s size, changing the settings on the centre screen is a stretch which make the steering wheel controls more important. In front of the main instrument cluster there’s a storage area signalling the delivery van pedigree and the screen looks out of place, almost an after thought in the design process.
Hyundai launched lots of new vehicles in 2021 and after driving several I’ve found an annoying feature in the top of the range models – there’s no wireless Apple CarPlay. It’s available in the base model Staria, but not in the Elite. Most new car buyers looking at a novated lease won’t notice unless they drive all variants so it’s really a pet peeve of mine. Hopefully it will be available with the mid-life updates to complete the package.
What I do love about every new Hyundai is SmartSense. It’s the safety technology that is as close to Level 2 autonomous driving as you’ll get. It takes the stress out of driving because it catches all the little errors in concentration so you don’t have an accident. It’s intuitive and doesn’t take over the car like a good assistant.
So, if space is what you need to carry kids, pets or sports equipment, the Hyundai Staria makes a great novated lease vehicle.
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