Hyundai Staria Premium MPV Could Take On The Kia Carnival

Hyundai has revealed the Staria premium MPV, a potential Kia Carnival rival. The Korean carmaker has already previewed the premium MPV’s exterior and interior ahead of its global debut. So in this report, we’ll focus on the technical aspects and the features on offer. 

The Staria is quite large, measuring 5,253mm in length, 1,997mm in width, and 1,990mm in height. The length between the wheels stands at 3,273mm, which is longer than the Kia Carnival. Here’s how the MPV stacks up against the India-spec Kia Carnival and the next-gen model sold overseas:

Like the Carnival, the Staria offers a wide range of seating options, from 2-seater to 11-seater. There’s a Staria variant for business purposes too with up to 5,000 litres of cargo space. Meanwhile, the 7-seater version is the most opulent one on offer. Its rear seats adjust automatically based on your body weight for the perfect seating position.

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Under the hood, the Staria comes with the Carnival’s 177PS 2.2-litre diesel and 272PS 3.5-litre petrol engines. Both engines are paired with 8-speed automatic transmission, however, the diesel can be had with a 6-speed manual transmission as well. Hyundai also says more eco-friendly options are on the way.  

The Staria boasts safety features, including six airbags, ABS with EBD, parking sensors, electronic stability control, forward collision avoidance assist, and blind spot collision avoidance assist. Small touches such as the wireless seatbelt reminder module and the rear occupant alert also make life so much easier. The latter basically alerts the driver if any of the rear occupants haven’t exited the vehicle.  

Also, the infotainment system comes with a useful feature, in-cabin speakers, through which the driver can communicate with the rear seat occupants. The interior is available in three colours: all-black, black/beige, and black/blue. The top-spec Premium variant comes with two additional colour choices: grey/brown and grey/light grey. Take a closer look at the interior here. 

Considering the Staria name has been trademarked in India, Hyundai could evaluate the MPV for our market. If launched, it will be a potential alternative to the Kia Carnival.