The Hyundai Staria has always made a bold statement when it comes to styling and it's never been one to run with the pack. Regardless of whether you like its polarising design, the practical family features it has (including eight seats) can't be denied.
My little family of three have been testing out those features this week and assessing whether the minor updates to the top-spec 2025 Highlander AWD model pass the bar when it comes to family hauling. Especially considering the heavy-weight competition the Staria faces from the likes of the Kia Carnival, Toyota Granvia and the Volkswagen Multivan.
Note that I drove the model year 2024 version but I will refer to the model year 2025 version that has a few modest spec changes.
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Hyundai Staria 2024: Highlander
| Engine Type | Diesel Turbo 4, 2.2L |
|---|---|
| Fuel Type | Diesel |
| Fuel Efficiency | 8.2L/100km (combined) |
| Seating | 8 |
| Price From | $67,500 |
| Safety Rating |
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Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with? 8/10
The 2025 Staria is offered in three variants, each with a choice of petrol and turbo-diesel powertrains. The model on test is the top-spec Highlander AWD model and it's priced from $67,500 before on-road costs, which makes it the most affordable competitor.
The closest people-mover in price is the Kia Carnival GT-Line at $72,910 MSRP, then the Toyota Granvia VX 8 Seat at $77,355 MSRP and the VW Multivan Highline TDI450 at a hefty $98,690 MSRP.
For the 2025 model year, the Staria has seen some updates with rain-sensing wipers added to the long list of standard equipment, while the USB-A ports have been swapped out for future-proof USB-C items. Better yet, BlueLink smartphone connectivity has been introduced, too, allowing owners to remote control some vehicle functionality. The Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mirroring apps also get wireless functionality.
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Other standard equipment for the Highlander includes a powered driver’s seat, manual passenger seats, heated and cooled front seats, a heated steering wheel, dual-sunroofs, electrically sliding rear doors, powered tailgate, full-size spare wheel, and leather-accented upholstery.
Technology is rounded out with a new keyfob design, two 10.25-inch technology screens, rear-passenger camera, three-zone climate control, satellite navigation, wireless charging pad, and a 360-degree view camera system with front and rear parking sensors.
The rivals do sport similar features lists but both the Carnival and Granvia enjoy digital rear-view mirrors, heated rear outboard seats, and upgraded sound systems.
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Design – Is there anything interesting about its design? 5/10
As my dad said, it's a face only a mother could love.
The design hasn’t seen any upgrades and the Staria still looks like a cross between a spaceship and a commercial van with its shape and size.
Unlike its cousin, the Carnival, which looks more like a stretched SUV, the beauty of the Staria may be hard to find for some but it suits the ‘people mover’ tag because it’s massive and sits at 5253mm long, 1997mm wide and 1990mm tall.
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The suite of LED external lights really highlights the spaceship look with the long strip light at the front and the mega-pixel panels at the rear. The snub nose is easy to see over and the flat bum means that, while large, you have a sense of where the car starts and ends.
The interior is much the same and the design memo seems to be ‘repurposed work van’. Space between occupants and the roof makes this anything but cosy and while that space is a big win for functionality, it doesn’t invoke a typical family cruiser-vibe.
Overall, the cabin lacks personality, despite being the top-spec grade.
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Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside? 7/10
You are not hurting for space and the Staria is a people mover that can comfortably fit eight adults. Yep, even in the third row.
However, access to the cabin for the first and second rows is awkward because the ground clearance is 186mm, but the seats sit a lot higher. It truly can be an effort to climb in, especially on the driver's side as it lacks grab handles.
My seven-year-old is fine with access and finds it hilarious to do some parkour through the open sliding doors (kids are weird) but my grandmother couldn't manage getting in and out, and needed assistance. This is important to note if you're transporting a multi-generational family.
Access to the third row, however, is fantastic. You can position the middle row to still fit a six foot-plus adult and get into the third row without having to fold/slide the middle seat forward. Not an easy feat.
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The front row offers the most seat comfort but it takes a while to get used to the lack of an armrest. It's surprising for a top model that only the driver's side is powered too but the heating/cooling functions for both seats softens the blow.
Fatigue can set in a little earlier than you might like due to the high driving position (my ankles were sore after a longer trip). The rear rows are bench-style seating that offer no side bolstering, armrests or anything really to hold you into position other than your cabin mate. Expect a lot of passenger movement because of this.
Families may be a bit bummed to learn that the Staria maintains its two ISOFIX and three top tethers. That means you're only getting three child seats in this one, despite being able to easily fit six.
Amenities throughout the car aren't too shabby but the front definitely benefits the most with storage. However, some thought has gone into passenger comfort for each row.
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The 2025 update sees the older USB-A ports upgraded to USB-C ports and each row gets two. The front also gets a wireless charging pad and a 12-volt socket.
There are some good practical family features up front, like being able to control and lock the rear climate control and open the sliding doors and boot without having to leave your seat. You can also turn on a rear camera to referee any sibling squabbles, which is both cool and a little bit Truman Show.
There are a total of 10 cupholders, four drink bottle holders, and two map pockets. The front gets an enormous middle console, two dashboard cubbies, a glove box that can fit a manual and long, if shallow, storage bins in each door.
The rear rows get climate control, directional air vents (ceiling mounted), retractable sun blinds and electric sliding doors.
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The bug bear this week is the manually sliding windows in the middle row. My kid struggled at first to open them but got the hang of it. The annoying bit is that the driver can't close them unless you climb into the back seat and that could be a problem if you want them closed but your kids aren’t cooperating, or are too young to help.
The technology is rounded out by a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch touchscreen multimedia system that could do with an upgrade in terms of looks and positioning as it catches the light a lot. The graphics are still good and it's easy to get your head around all the menus but it would have been better if it was slightly tilted towards the driver.
This system has satellite navigation and my phone maintained a steady connection this week to the wireless Apple CarPlay.
The middle row has a 60/40 split but both the Carnival and Granvia have the option for ‘walk-thru’ access with the removal of the middle seat and that would have been a great feature for the cabin.
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You can lift the third-row seat up (towards the back) and slide the whole row forward to create more depth for the boot but when the whole seat folds, it doesn’t fold flat and you’re left with a big chunky ledge when it comes time to packing the boot.
The boot is both practical and odd to use. It’s really big with a whopping 831 litres of capacity available with all rows in use but most of that space is vertical and that can create a Tetris-like game for packing on road trips.
The boot is large enough for an impromptu picnic spot and the huge boot lid provides excellent rain cover… but the lid is just too big for practicality. You can’t back into a spot and open it in a shopping centre and even if you drive into a spot, the tailgate juts out so much that anything larger than a hatchback might become a convertible.
A two-door scenario might have been better but it's handy having the powered tailgate function.
Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its engine and transmission? 8/10
The Staria Highlander is all-wheel drive and has an eight-speed auto transmission, as well as, a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that produces 130kW of power and 430Nm of torque. So, a smidge less than its rivals in terms of outputs.
Our particular variant has a braked towing capacity of 2500kg, which is more than its rivals, and offers more flexibility for those who need to tow.
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Efficiency – What is its fuel consumption? What is its driving range? 7/10
The official combined-cycle fuel consumption figure is 8.2L/100km, and that’s higher than its rivals with the Carnival, Granvia and Multivan getting 6.5L, 8.0L, and 7.9L respectively.
My real-world usage is 8.0L/100km after a healthy mix of open-road and urban driving this week. It's not a shabby result at all but expect higher in the city.
Based on the official combined fuel cycle and 75L fuel tank, expect a theoretical driving range of up to 914km, which is good for the annual family road trip.
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Driving – What's it like to drive? 7/10
The turbo-diesel engine hauls the Staria's big body around without too much trouble and you can easily keep your speed consistent on hills but it is 100 per cent a van when it comes to handling.
The centre of gravity feels high and you get a bit of roll in corners but passengers will feel this the most on the rear bench-like seating.
The suspension is quite firm and you’ll feel like you’re in a stunt movie if you go over a speed bump too fast.
The cabin is surprisingly quiet from wind and road noise for a van. The most noise comes from some internal rattles and engine hum but you're voice gets lost mostly due to the cavernous interior space.
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The A-Pillar is too wide from my driving position and I duck my head around it to see, but otherwise the rest of the wide windows provide great visibility.
There is no way around it, the Staria is huge. You well and truly fill out a car space, with some overhang.
If the Highlander model didn’t have a 360-degree view camera system, you might struggle to park it but the sliding doors provide great access in a small space.
Despite what some delivery drivers do, take it nice and easy in the Staria and it will be a fairly pleasant vehicle to drive on the open-road and in the city. It's just never hits the luxury feel like some of its counterparts do.
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Warranty & Safety Rating
Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating? 8/10
The Hyundai Staria has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2021 with the adult protection score sitting at 85 per cent, child protection score at 86 per cent, and safety assist systems score at 74 per cent but it's vulnerable road user score sits at just 65 per cent (which is lower than it's rivals).
The Staria also has the lowest airbag count compared to its rivals at seven but its curtain airbags cover all three rows, which is great for families.
Other standard safety items include blind spot monitoring, blind spot view camera, SOS call button, driver attention alert, safe exit assist, rear occupant alert, tyre pressure monitoring, rear collision warning, daytime running lights, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, traffic sign recognition, intelligent seatbelt warning, adaptive cruise control, and a 360-degree view camera system with front and rear parking sensors.
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The Staria has AEB with forward-collision warning and car, pedestrian and cyclist detection which is operational from 2.0 to 200km/h (85km/h for car) but it's typical to see the top range sit at around 180km/h for car detection.
Unlike some Hyundai and some Kia models, the safety features in the Staria aren't intrusive for daily driving.
You can fit three child seats with the two ISOFIX child seat mounts and three top tethers found in the middle row.
Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs? 8/10
Hyundai offers the Staria with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, but both its rivals offer up to seven years now.
The Staria makes up some ground with the servicing because you can pre-purchase servicing for up to five years and the break downs are as follows.
Three years or up to 45,000km at $1347 (average of $449 per service).
Four years or up to 60,000km at $1946 (average of $487 per service).
Five years or up to 75,000km at $2375 (average of $475 per service).
The servicing costs are very affordable for the class and the servicing intervals are good at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.
Verdict
The Hyundai Staria Highlander looks big and drives big.
You get creature comforts and some excellent family features in the Highlander AWD model but the comfort sits firmly within the realm of ‘van’ rather than ‘plush’ and for a top-spec model, I’d expect more of the latter.
But the price point and ongoing costs beat the competition and if you need the space, the Staria is a solid option.
Pricing Guides
Range and Specs
| Vehicle | Specs | Price* |
|---|---|---|
| Base | 2.2L, Diesel, 8 SPEED AUTOMATIC | $52,000 |
| Elite | 2.2L, Diesel, 8 SPEED AUTOMATIC | $60,000 |
| Highlander | 2.2L, Diesel, 8 SPEED AUTOMATIC | $67,000 |
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