Hyundai has released the first clear photos of the Staria, a new passenger bus with a striking design and a very versatile interior. Hyundai’s colossus is not coming to the Netherlands, but it remains an experience to observe the Korean space giant.
Anyone who thinks that eccentric design is the preserve of conventional passenger cars has been wrong for years. Fiat proved with the Multipla that MPVs can also push the boundaries of what is acceptable with their design. The Citroën C4’s Spacetourer, with its remarkable ‘bulldog’ front, is a more current example of a striking space giant. That more passenger bus-like models can also emerge clearly, Hyundai proves with this Staria.
Hyundai already showed a set of photos of the Staria in March, but is now releasing a set of images that show the interior of that new passenger bus in addition to the exterior. Although the design of the Staria seems to be the spearhead of the car, Hyundai says it has designed the model ‘from the inside out’. Ease of use and interior space were paramount, so form follows function.
Hyundai Staria Premium
The windscreen of the Staria optically blends into the line of the bonnet, it is somewhat reminiscent of the AutoEuropa MPVs of yesteryear. A thin strip of LED daytime running lights runs across the entire width of the nose, the actual headlights are in a layer below. Between those viewers is a truly immense grille. The shoulder line of the Staria is also remarkably low. Many square meters of glass not only mean a lot of light in the interior, but also good all-round visibility. At the back a gigantic tailgate that consists roughly half of the rear window. Large vertically oriented rear lights on either side of it. The Staria will be available with seven to eleven seats, but will also have versions with captain seats. The eleven-seat version is reserved for the Korean market.
Hyundai Staria
The dashboard looks remarkably modern. Far behind the well-known but still strikingly designed steering wheel is a 10.25-inch large digital instrumentation, in the center of the dashboard an enormous digital screen that functions, among other things, as an infotainment system, although it also houses the control of the climate control. The dark Staria in the photos is an extra luxurious Premium version that only comes as a seven- and nine-seater. So don’t expect every Hyundai Staria to be dressed in a similar way. That top version includes special 18-inch light alloy and a grille with a special pattern. It also has full-LED headlights, specimens that are also different in shape from those of the lighting of the non-Premium edition (gray Staria in the photos).
Hyundai Staria
The Staria will be presented in its entirety within a few months. Is the Staria coming to the Netherlands? Most likely not. The Staria seems to be the successor to the car called Starex, in fact a multiple facelifted H300 of the same generation that came on the market in 2007 and was also sold in the Netherlands. There are very generous versions of this bus in various Asian countries, among others. On holiday – if the weather is possible – you might bump into the car sometime.