Top Car for work: Hyundai Staria

Tuesday, 4 January 2022

The Hyundai Staria is the 2021 Stuff Top Car for work.

While a ute has become the default vehicle for tradies and farmers (and, well, anyone really…), it could be argued that the former could be far better suited with a humble van.

Or how about a not-so-humble van that looks like a spaceship and is really very good to drive? Because that’s exactly what the Hyundai Staria is.

Like most vans of its size, the Staria has roughly the same physical footprint as your average ute, but packs way more space and versatility into that footprint – but it has also stolen a trick from recent utes by becoming far more comfortable and refined, and, yes, car-like.

Want a work vehicle that is incredibly practical, has a great ride and looks like a spaceship? Then the Hyundai Staria is for you.

Don't take that to mean it has a car-like ride – it is still a commercial vehicle and requires a suspension set-up that will handle a hefty load – but the shift to a car-based platform (the Staria sits on the Hyundai-Kia N platform that also forms the basis of the Santa Fe, Tucson and Sonata, as well as a number of Kia models) has seen a huge leap in refinement and handling.

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The Staria packs all the usual advantages you would expect from a van, including pallet-swallowing room and plenty of tie-down points.

* Welcome to Top Cars 2021

* Top Car for fun: Toyota GR Yaris

Does your work involve carting people rather than cargo? Then there is a version of the Staria for that. It even comes loads of tech.

* Top Car for commuters: MG HS PHEV

* Top Car for families: Toyota Highlander

GWM’s Cannon is bigger than a Ranger, but way cheaper. And it’s actually really very good too.

The Staria also packs a load of safety and convenience tech, with things like active cruise control, lane keep assist, forward collision avoidance and seven airbags as standard, as well as an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

But it is the daily driving experience of the Staria that hands it our Top Car pick – the 150kW/430Nm diesel engine is thoroughly excellent and the slick 8-speed automatic transmission is a perfect match to it. And, yes, you can even get a manual version still if you want.

The excellent drivetrain brings strong performance, which allied with the nimble and wieldy nature of the chassis, makes for a supremely satisfying things to drive around town – and out on the open road for that matter – and visibility is exceptional, not only thanks to the huge windows all-round, but also the big mirrors and thoughtfully slim A-pillars.

The Staria is also impressively comfortable to spend the day driving in (an important consideration in a work van), although a lack of armrests is an oversight…

Like the Staria, the Peugeot sits on the same platform as a number of its cars, so provides excellent ride and handling.

And then there are those striking looks.

While the bold blend of retro and futuristic styling may not appeal to everyone (we love it), you can’t say that it isn’t a refreshing break from the bog-standard box that most vans are. And if your work includes moving a number of people at once, then the up-spec Limited version jams in six more seats and a load more luxury as well.

Runner up: GWM Cannon

Utes are, of course, still an essential work tool, and while there weren’t a lot of newcomers in that segment in 2021, one of the most impressive we drove this year was the GWM Cannon.

The Cannon rides on the same ladder-chassis platform as the Haval H9 and packs a 120kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder hooked up to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

While these power and torque numbers may seem a tad smaller than the opposition, it needs to be remembered that another of the GWM’s numbers is drastically smaller than said opposition as well – namely its price tag, with the Cannon range kicking off at $38,490 for the entry level 2WD model and topping out at $45,490 for the top spec 4WD version.

Every model gets hill-descent control, a locking rear differential, and identical suspension set-ups comprising front double wishbones and rear leaf springs, while the Luxury models add an electric hand brake, disc brakes on all four corners, remote starting from the key fob, a better sound system, a 360-degree camera, heated front seats, electric windows while the 4x4 Luxury gets a locking centre differential as well.

For the money asked, the GWM Cannon packs an incredible amount of kit into a well-set up package that feels tough and drives very well indeed.

Other contenders

Like the Hyundai Staria, the Peugeot Expert sits on a car platform and packs the same impressive responsiveness, being equally impressive – and easy – to drive. However, the Hyundai’s extra grunt and added tech won out here.

Like the Peugeot, Mazda’s impressive BT-50 just slipped into this year’s competition by virtue of being launch too late in 2020 to be eligible then, but is still very worthy of consideration. Strongly priced and well-equipped, the only thing holding the Mazda back are the infuriating and overly-intrusive driver assist systems that default to on at start-up and can only be turned off by scrolling through several screens…