Road Test Review: Hyundai Staria Load

Saturday, 1 January 2022

Could this be the van packing roadside speed cameras in the future?

HYUNDAI STARIA LOAD
Base price: $62,990
Powertrain and economy: 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder, 150kW/430Nm, 8-speed automatic, FWD, combined economy 8.1L/100km, CO2 212g/km (source: RightCar).

It looks cool, but the potentially expensive damage that could be done to the big one-piece nose could put some off. Also, why don’t all vans and tall vehicles have their headlights that low?

Vital statistics: 5253mm long, 1997mm wide, 2000mm high, 3273mm wheelbase, cargo capacity 4935 litres, 17-inch steel wheels.
Safety: 5 stars (Source: ANCAP)

The Staria Load gets the same retro-futuristic looks, but loses all the high-tech LED lights of the Limited version.

We like: The space-age looks, impressive ride quality and car-like agility, impressive level of tech and safety assists.
We don't like: Misses out on the cool lights, no armrests, a bit pricey compared to Hiace…

Not as luxurious as the Limited people mover, the Load’s interior is nonetheless comfortable and packed with tech. No armrests though...

We loved the people-mover variant of the retro-futuristic Staria, the Limited, but Hyundai also does a stripped-out work version of its van. Does the space-age appeal of the luxo version extend into the workplace?

With 4935 litres of load space and plenty of tie-down points, the Staria Load can also take three Euro pallets in the rear.

OUTSIDE

While the broad strokes of Hyundai’s retro-futuristic styling (the more you look at it, them more styling cues from what people thought the future would look like in the 80s and 90s you see) make their way across to the commercial version of the Staria, the differences lie in the details.

The same 2.2-litre turbo diesel four powers all models of Staria, but feels much more lively without the Limiteds AWD system to lug around.

* Van safety put to the test, the results are rough

The Load can be had with either a lift-up tailgate or twin barn doors.

* Top Van: Ford Transit Custom Sport

Visibility is excellent thanks to the large windows, but if you cover those up it still has big mirrors and a backing camera.

* Five Things: utterly mad vans

The twin side sliding doors make cargo access easy no matter where you approach the Staria Load from.

While the admittedly very cool steel wheels are the most obvious difference to the Limited people mover version, take a closer look though, and you will notice things like the more basic headlights and old-school halogen daytime running lights (LED all round on the people mover), while the trick LED light strip that also acts as the indicators on the people mover is a simple black plastic strip here, with the indicators moved down into the lower grille with side repeaters under the mirrors.

The same trick goes up the back, where the showy ‘parametric pixel’ LED taillights are swapped out for standard taillights (admittedly with a pixel-y design). While this all means the Staria Load loses some of the people mover’s whizz-bang tech appeal, it really doesn’t detract all that much from the overall appeal of the look, with the Load remaining one of the more distinctive and striking vans on the road, even in bog-standard ‘white van’ working guise.

And while I still think it looks very cool, it does leave me with one concern for what is being pitched as a working vehicle – namely that huge nose section with no separate bumper will likely be an expensive thing to replace when the apprentice inevitably drives it into the towbar of the boss’s ute on a worksite…

INSIDE

Inside the Load is quite different from the Limited, thanks to a different dash that features more hard plastics and less high quality materials and, most noticeably a traditional automatic shifter, as opposed to the people mover’s push button arrangement.

It also lacks the Limited’s central armrest/storage unit to allow for walk-through capabilities in the more commercial application. I would personally like to have seen a foldable armrest added, as I do rather like to rest an elbow now and then.

Adding insult to this is the fact that, due to the Staria’s window design that drops off from the front point where the mirror is located, the glass doesn’t go entirely down into the door when you wind the window down, making it uncomfortable to hang your right elbow out the window. As a fan of the “trucker tan”, I find this unacceptable…

However, this aside, the interior of the Staria Load is impressively comfortable and extremely well-equipped, with digital displays all around, including the central 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system that includes wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as well as a wireless phone charging pad.

UNDER THE BONNET

All versions of the Staria are powered by the same 150kW/430Nm 2.2-litre turbo diesel inline four, which is a sweetly torquey thing that delivers its power slickly and smoothly.

The difference is that the Limited people mover is AWD, whereas the Load is FWD. While this does mean the cargo version will light its front tyres up a bit in the wet, it also means the Load is noticeably quicker across its entire rev range than the AWD version.

While its FWD layout mightn’t be ideal for towing, it is capable of hauling 2500kg on a braked trailer, which is considerably more than its chief rival – the RWD Toyota Hiace – which is only able to pull 1500kg.

ON THE ROAD

Out on the road the Staria Load feels every bit as good as the more luxurious version, with the added advantage of weighing less and superior performance.

Load it up – as you will do with a work van – and it will no doubt feel similar, but the car-like nimbleness and responsiveness will remain, the biggest advantage monocoque car platform-based vans like the Staria (it’s on the same platform as the Santa Fe SUV) have over the more traditional vans.

Yes, it will eventually default to a safe and predictable understeer when pushed beyond its limits, but the ride remains impressive for a van regardless of the road surface.

The Staria Load also packs an impressive array of driver assists and safety features, including lane keep assist, smart cruise control, driver attention warning and a backing camera all as standard. Unfortunately however, like most other Hyundai’s, the lane keep assist is a tad irritating and intrusive, making you more likely to turn it off than appreciate its assistance.

VERDICT

While the Staria Load may not have the sexy tech-appeal of the Limited’s trick LED lights, it retains enough of the look to make it something distinctly different in a sea of boring boxes that make up the van sector.

In terms of ride quality and handling it is easily up with the Ford Transit Custom as my personal favourite van to chuck around, while its load capabilities are all up there with the obvious competition.

But there are two factors about the Staria Load that may make a commercial operator take pause – first is that expensive-looking nose section that will give fleet operators anxiety just thinking about the damage potential, and second is the Staria Load’s price.

While the Staria Load is priced slightly cheaper than the likes of the Ford Transit Custom and Volkswagen Transporter, it faces the same issue that those vans do in the form of the Toyota Hiace, that is now considerably cheaper after Toyota New Zealand launched its ‘Drive Happy’ drive-away pricing scheme.

But then you can haggle with a Hyundai dealer, so if you’re good enough a that – or buying enough of them – you could get a very cool, high-tech van that looks like a spaceship for a good price. Just don’t let the apprentice drive it…