This is the All-New 2022 Hyundai Staria eight-seater people mover. Watch out Kia Carnival and Honda Odyssey the Staria is EPICAL as my daughter would say and it definitely makes the people mover segment much more exciting!
The Staria is super spacious and roomy like the VW MultiVan but with a more people-mover-like driving experience and out-of-this-world styling. It is packed full with lots of luxuries and family-friendly features, especially the top-of-the-range Highlander version I tested! Let's waste no time and dive straight in to see how good it is as a BabyDrive…
The first thing I have to tell you about is by far the BEST FAMILY CAR FEATURE EVER! Eyes in the back of your head with the rear passenger view monitor fitted to Highlander versions.
I have joked about how good this feature would be previously and now it's a reality! WOOP WOOP!! To be able to keep your eye on all your rear passengers whilst driving along takes parenting anxiety from a level ten down to a zero! You no longer need to worry if rear-facing babies are okay, you can see they're fine on your media screen. You can see if kids remove their seatbelts or are annoying each other and they love to watch themselves in it too. We even had great fun playing hide and seek with it when we had five minutes to wait for a pick up!
My second favourite thing about the All-New Hyundai Staria is that all the 2.2L diesel engine variants have all-wheel drive (there is also a V6 petrol with front-wheel drive). This is because, believe it or not, the whole car is based on the same technology as the Hyundai Santa Fe SUV, so it is great for a bit of dirt road driving for family camping trips or family trips to the snow.
AWD people movers are rare, especially at this price point, and both engine choices including the AWD diesel are available from entry-level Staria to the top-spec Highlander I tested.
The Staria has a 2.5-tonne towing capacity but like the Hyundai Santa Fe it can only take 100kg on the tow ball, which doesn't make it as practical for towing for family camping holidays as we'd hoped for.
The Hyundai Staria's rear seats are so spacious that when it comes to installing child seats it's really easy. There are top tether anchorages on the back of each of the second-row seats and ISOFix points in the two outer second-row seats so I was able to install three Infasecure child seats really nicely across the second row. I fitted the Infasecure Optima and Serene rear-facing in the outer seats and Infasecure Roamer II forward-facing in the middle seat. There is plenty of space across the seats so three forward-facing or rear-facing child seats would fit.
There is plenty of space for an adult to sit between two child seats as well. Legroom is fantastic in the Hyundai Staria. We found with a rear-facing child seat installed in the second row we could fit a 182cm driver and passenger in the third row behind it too.
Accessing the third row is fantastic in the Staria! You can bring the second-row seats forward and climb through to the third-row seats if you have used the ISOFix to install your child seats rather than the seatbelt.
In the third row, there are no top tether anchorages or ISOFix (unlike the Kia Carnival) but I was able to easily fit three Infasecure Versatile Folding Booster seats because they are so lightweight that they do not use top tether anchorages. You can learn more about these and the other Infasecure child seats I tested with our Infasecure child seat guide.
The Hyundai Staria has smart power sliding doors that open automatically when you walk up to them with the key in your pocket or bag. I found this so helpful during my week with the Staria so I could carry my baby up to the car and put her straight into her seat without having to fumble in my bag for the key.
Storage and connectivity are fantastic throughout the Staria too, with a whopping 16 cup holders giveing you ample in each of the three rows of seats. Pictured below is the third row's storage on one side and there are USB ports for charging too.
The second-row passengers also get two USB ports, cup holders, map pockets and storage drawers.
In the front, there are my favourite dashboard cup holders as well as multiple storage boxes
and a central console box as big as my toddler!
The front doors are cascades of useful storage that remind me of the terraced rice fields in Asia.
You can read even more details of the storage in the Hyundai Staria in the expandable storage section below.
Keeping with the Staria's practicality and the boot size is another place that the Staria excels! It's bigger than my baby's playpen!!
The boot floor is flat and when using all eight seats I can park a twin pram in the boot!
When the boot is empty it is cavernous and any size pram, stroller or family pet dog will fit. It will hold 16 shopping bags which trounces the Kia Carnival that holds 10 shopping bags, the VW Multivan that takes eight and the Honda Odyssey that has room for just six.
When only using the second-row seats you can slide the third-row seats forward easily, giving you an even bigger boot space! It's almost enough room for the family pet horse, let alone dog!
When the seats are in this position any size pram or stroller will fit and 24 shopping bags fit easily in the boot, matching the Kia Carnival. The VW Multivan and Honda Odyssey both fit 20 shopping bags.
The Hyundai Staria has a smart powered tailgate, so you can walk up to it with your kids or their bike in your arms and the key in your pocket and the tailgate will automatically open! I found this a fantastic feature for my family because I am usually carrying my baby when I go out to the car and at least her bag if not the others bags too, so to have the boot door open without having to do anything is fantastic! I did find that you definitely have to consider where you park to ensure you have enough space for the large tailgate to open.
Space, as well as comfort, are things the Staria does well, with aircon vents in all three rows of seats. There are four across the front dash…
…as well as round vents in the ceiling above both rear rows of seats.
There are controls in the second-row ceiling for when you are transporting adults and older kids.
You can lock these and control them from the front media screen when you have little ones in the back or kids that squabble over them!
The Staria is really light and visibility is great throughout with enormous windows in all three rows of seats and, in the top-spec Highlander I tested, two sunroofs too.
There are built-in window blinds in both rear rows of windows (on mid-spec Elite and Highlander) which is great for shielding rear passengers from the sun while driving. I did wish there was something on the front windows because they are so big that I found I was getting cooked down one side by the sun and that was in our Queensland spring so it would be worse in the summer.
Although visibility is very good out of the Hyundai Staria with its enormous windows, when it is loaded up with child seats and eight passengers onboard it is obviously greatly effected. Hyundai have thought of everything with a surround-view monitor (on the Elite and Highlander), which gives you a 3D visual around the exterior of the car so you can check for kids and pets when manoeuvring.
The Highlander tested here also has blind-spot view cameras that come up in the display in front of the driver when you indicate. This is great for seeing down the side of the car when you are turning or changing lane.
The Hyundai Staria has a 10.25″ media screen with a really easy to use and navigate media system. It's really intuitive which makes it a pleasure to use when you have other distractions like kids in the car and you are concentrating on driving.
It is full of family friendly features like Sounds of Nature, which is different white noise at your finger tips! I love playing the calm ocean waves for my little one it calms her down and sends her off to sleep!
Voice memos, well I thought I would use to dictate my mum and work to do list while driving but I have recently found I use it to record the funny conversations I have with my kids in the car!
Quiet mode fades the sound from the back speakers to the front, which we find great when kids are on devices in the back or have fallen asleep so I can listen to my music or podcast in the front without disturbing them.
The built in navigation is easy to use and you can adjust the volume of the guidance voice easily on the left of the screen.
The Hyundai Staria has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto too, which is fantastic for easily accessing your phone and apps.
There is a seatbelt removal visual on the dash and warning for both rear rows of seats. Although you will probably have seen in the rear view monitor if anyone has undone their seatbelt, it is good to have the alarm too.
The Staria has seven airbags including side curtain airbags for the second and third-row passengers and a central airbag between the front passengers too.
The Hyundai Staria is yet to be put through ANCAP Crash testing and receive a safety rating however it has many of the safety features we all want for our families car including safe exit assist, which ensures no passengers can get out into the path of another road user coming along side you.
Overall the New Hyundai Staria stands out in the people mover segment as being very different from the rest. This Highlander model in particular is filled with the luxury and practical features wanted by families, teamed with the spaciousness and flexibility of an eight seater people mover. The Staria is a great car to drive, it is large but the steering is light and the turning circle is very good, if not quite as good as the Kia Carnival, but is still very impressive given it is longer and, surprisingly, makes it easier to park and manoeuvre in school and supermarket carparks than most SUVs.
BabyDrive Indepth
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
How big is the boot of the 2022 Hyundai Staria?
The boot of the Hyundai Staria is ENORMOUS! The floor is nice and flat too which is great for emergency nappy changes and makes it comfortable for carrying the family dog and easy to load prams and bikes etc in and out of.
When using all three rows of seats it will hold 16 shopping bags, easily beating the Kia Carnival that holds 10 shopping bags, the VW Multivan that takes eight and the Honda Odyssey that has room for just six.
The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
The twin side-by-side stroller fits standing up in the boot of the Staria!!
If you fold the twin side-by-side stroller then with twelve shopping bags fit beside it.
The tandem stroller fits in the boot of the Hyundai Staria, with eight shopping bags beside it.
The single stroller fits in the boot of the Staria with eleven shopping bags beside it.
The compact stroller fits in the boot of the Hyundai Staria with thirteen shopping bags beside it.
When you are only using the first two rows of seats in the Hyundai Staria the third row seats slide right forward and seat base folds up to give you an GIGANTIC boot space! Larger than my daughter's play pen!
It will hold 24 shopping bags, which is getting close to most ute trays and equals the Kia Carnival. The VW Multivan and Honda Odyssey both fit 20 shopping bags.
A twin side-by-side stroller will fit in the boot of the Hyundai Staria when using five seats, with 18 shopping bags beside it.
The tandem pram fits in the boot with 16 shopping bags beside it as well.
The single pram fits in the boot with 19 shopping bags.
The compact stroller fits in the boot of the Hyundai Staria when using five seats with 21 shopping bags around it.
The boot floor is nice and flat even when the third-row seats are slid forward so it is perfect for all your camping or skiing gear and the neighbours dogs could fit in the boot too!
How good is storage in the 2022 Hyundai Staria?
Storage is fantastic throughout the Hyundai Staria and care has been taken so passengers in all three rows of seats are well taken care of.
In the third row there are double cupholders on both sides that are good sizes for a reusable coffee cup and water bottle and a tray big enough to hold an iPad. As well as USB sockets on either side too.
In the second row there are double bottle holders in the door bins.
In the back of the central console box there are two pop out cup holders, they are a good size to hold a re-usable and disposable coffee cup and a water bottle fits in them too. Underneath them are two USB ports and a storage drawer, that I found is a little too small to store an iPad in.
There are map pockets on the back of both front seats. They will hold a book or an iPad and there are nets on the front that are good for a phone.
There are also bag hooks on the back of both front seats, which were great for hanging our kids' school bags.
In the front of the new 2022 Hyundai Staria, there is so much in-cabin storage I don't know where to start! So I will start with the enormous central console box, in which are two cup holders which are a good size for a reusable or disposable coffee cup. They are removable if you need to, and underneath them is an enormous storage space and shelf as well. You could take the cup holders out and store the kids' lunch bags in there and pull the lid across shut.
On the dash there are two more cup holders, one by the driver's right hand, my favourite as it is so convenient while driving!
The other pops out of the dash by the passenger's right hand so it's really convenient for them too.
Above that cup holder is a wireless phone charging tray.
Between the footwells is a large storage area good for handbags etc and you have two USBs and a 12V socket there too.
There is no glasses case in the ceiling but there are lit vanity mirrors in both front visors and the visors are extendable.
The glove box is a practical size in the new Hyundai Staria and will hold an iPad with the manual.
There are also two more generous size dash storage boxes in the Hyundai Staria.
One behind the media screen…
…the other in front of the driver's display screen.
The door storage in the front is out of control! The door bins run the width of the door so will hold multiple water bottles and above them is a shelf that will hold an iPad.
Above that is a handle shelf that will store a phone and above that another shelf good for the key.
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the 2022 Hyundai Staria? And how good is the media system in the 2022 Hyundai Staria?
The All-New 2022 Hyundai Staria I tested was not a particularly noisy people mover to drive. I had the 2.2L Diesel Highlander model and that wasn't noisy for a diesel. There was the expected engine noise when you accelerate up hills but you would expect that in a diesel vehicle of this size.
The Hyundai Staria has a 10.25″ media screen and the media system is modern and full of easy to navigate features that are great for family life.
The feature I particularly like the most is Sounds of Nature, a variety of pre-recorded white noise at your fingertips! There is calm ocean waves, rainy day, open-air cafe, warm fireplace and snowy village. These are so helpful for us with a baby because she LOVES the calm ocean waves, it keeps her calm and sleepy on journeys and having it ready to go in the stereo for every journey makes life more simple and convenient.
The Voice memo feature is a new favourite in our family, I LOVE recording the funny conversations we have with our girls on the way to and from school or on days out!
Quiet mode is something I am making much more use of too. When Bub has dropped off in the back or the others on their devices, I use quiet mode to bring the sound from the back speakers to the front so my podcast or music doesn't disturb her while she's sleeping.
You can control the climate through the media screen AND lock the rear aircon controls so little fingers can't fiddle with it or fight over it!
The navigation is simple to use in the Hyundai Staria and you can easily mute the sat-nav guidance with a button on the left of the screen.
All models of the Hyundai Staria have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can easily access your phone and Apps while driving.
The new Hyundai Staria is FULL of cameras, my favourite is the rear view monitor on this Highlander model, how amazing is this!? You can watch your kids in the back whilst driving along. It is the eyes in the back of your head that all parents wish they had!! We found the kids like to watch themselves while you drive along too. I wondered if it would be distracting while driving and I'd find I looked at it too much but actually it was the opposite. I think being able to relax knowing you can see they're all okay means you are not worrying or thinking about it or trying to get a backwards glance when ever is safe to do so. I can't wait until these are the norm in all cars.
The reversing camera image quality is excellent and there is also a surround-view monitor with 3D view in Elite and Highlander models. This is really handy so you can check there are no kids or pets around the outside of the vehicle when manoeuvring.
The blind spot view monitors on this Highlander come up on the screen in front of the driver when you indicate to turn or change lanes. This is really handy because being a large vehicle and fitting heaps of child seats can cause blind spots, however, I did find the side mirrors were remarkably good in the Hyundai Staria.
In the Highlander model I tested there a lot of extras, like the camera that you can turn on easily with a button on the dash and next to that you can turn on and off the parking sensors. You can turn on the rear view camera while you are driving as the kids love to watch it but also it gives visibility out of the back for the driver when your vision is otherwise blocked by passengers, child seats or a boot packed to the ceiling!
The new 2022 Hyundai Staria has a rear seatbelt removal alarm and visual on the dash for all rear seats.
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
Instead of a traditional gear lever, the Hyundai Staria has push-button selectors that are easily accessed on the dash next to the drivers left knee.
The Highlander model Staria that my family tested also has heated and cooled seats in the front which is great for warm days and cool mornings!
It also had a heated steering wheel. It's great to have all the luxuries of a modern car in a people mover so you can get the family around and be comfortable too.
The indicators are not too loud in the Hyundai Staria and the doors can be locked from the drivers door control panel.
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the new 2022 Hyundai Staria? Which Infasecure child seats fit in the 2022 Hyundai Staria?
The child seat section of this review is brought to you by Infasecure. To learn more about the child seats used in this review or which child seats will fit in your car, visit our Infasecure child seat guide.
The Hyundai Staria is a really spacious eight-seater people mover. The second row seats are split 60:40 with the 40% section on the road side (it'd be better if it was on the kerb side or three independent seats as in a Carnival). They are nice big flat seats so I was hopeful for three child seats across!
Both outer second-row seats have ISOFix points in the base, they are within plastic guides and they are nice and easy to connect to.
There are top tether anchorages right at the bottom of the back of all three second-row seats of the new 2022 Hyundai Staria. I found with rear-facing child seats I needed to use extension straps for the top tether straps to reach. They are not within plastic guides but are clearly labelled and easy to connect to.
I installed three Infasecure child seats really easily across the second-row of the Hyundai Staria. I installed the Infasecure Optima rear facing on one side, the Infasecure Serene rear-facing on the other side and the Roamer II forward facing in the central seat.
The second-row seats are so spacious I could easily sit between the two outer child seats and three full size child seats would fit across the second-row seats.
In the third-row there is an equally spacious bench seat but there are no top tether anchorages or ISOFix in the third-row seats (whereas the Carnival has both and the Odyssey has top tether anchorages, although not well-positioned in the Honda). This was a good opportunity to use the Infasecure Versatile Folding Booster seats. Being super lightweight, they do not require a top tether strap so they would fit three across in the third-row for older kids.
Third-row access is fantastic in the Hyundai Staria people mover. If you use the ISOFix rather than the seatbelt to install the outer child seat in the second-row then you can slide the second-row seats forward to have a nice big gap to walk through to the third-row. I could easily fit through it and I'm 162cm.
Legroom is excellent throughout the Hyundai Staria. In both the second and third rows, there is plenty of kick room and headroom for tall child seats and adult passengers.
We found that with a 182cm passenger in the third-row and a rear-facing child seat in the second-row, then a 182cm driver can sit in front of it and the same in the front passenger seat.
With a forward-facing child seat in the second-row then any height driver can sit in front of it.
Posting bub into their rear-facing Infasecure Optima child seat in the second-row from inside and outside the Hyundai Staria is nice and easy. The large open doorways with the sliding doors make it really easy from the outside and from inside the ceiling is nice and high and there is plenty of interior space.
Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
I found there is room to feed bub in the first, second or third row. The Hyundai Staria is very spacious.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the new 2022 Hyundai Staria? And How good is the new 2022 Hyundai Staria to drive?
The front seats of the new 2022 Hyundai Staria are really nice and comfortable but I did find I felt like I wanted an armrest for my left elbow when I was driving. The top-spec Staria Highlander model I tested had cream leather seats, obviously not the most practical choice for an eight-seater family car but it does tend to make you take good care of it! You can also choose blue leather in the Highlander, the Elite has black leather and the entry-level Staria has black cloth.
For a mum travelling in the back with kids, the second-row seats are very comfortable and spacious. I could sit in any of the three seats comfortably with child seats beside me.
The third-row seats are also extremely spacious and comfortable and the third-row access is great for adults to climb through while child seats are installed in the second row.
The Hyundai Staria is nice and spacious and you would very comfortably fit eight adults in the seats or a combination of adults and kids in child seats.
The Staria's steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down. The cruise controls are on the right on the steering wheel and are easy to use. I found the cruise control to be accurate on both motorways and at lower speeds on undulating roads which is great.
There are four air-conditioning vents in the front of the Hyundai Staria across the front dashboard; one either side of the media screen and one at either end of the dash…
… and round air-conditioning vents in the ceiling of both the second and third rows.
There are air-con controls in the ceiling in the second-row.
This can be over-ridden by the controls in the front media screen and you can lock the rear air-conditioning if there are fiddly fingers in the back!
As well there are easy to rear air-conditioning controls in the central dash panel for both the front and rear climate.
There are handles above both rear doors which are well-positioned to hold a baby toy for rear-facing passengers.
Window blinds are built into the second and third-row windows of the Elite and Highlander models.
There are lights in the second and third-row ceiling of the Staria, either side of the sunroofs, but I could not reach back to put them on while driving.
I have found our kids do not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.
Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!
It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.
Visibility is excellent in the new 2022 Hyundai Staria, with double sunroofs (on the Highlander) and enormous windows all around, passengers forward and rear-facing have great visibility and the driver has great visibility out also. All the cameras really help too as well as the side mirrors.
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and my daughter has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Staria was simple to park as the visibility with the cameras is very good!
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
How safe is the 2022 Hyundai Staria?
The 2022 Hyundai Staria has yet to be given an ANCAP safety rating. It does come with seven airbags as standard including second and third-row curtain airbags and airbag between the front two passengers.
The 2022 Hyundai Staria has three point seatbelts throughout and seatbelt removal warning for both rear rows of seats, there is a clear visual on the dash too.
As standard, all models of the 2022 Hyundai Staria come with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Brake Assist System (BAS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), Multi-Collision Braking (MCB), Traction Control System (TCS), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist – Rear (BCA-R), Driver Attention Warning (DAW), Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) Car/Pedestrian/Cyclist detection & City/Urban/Interurban operational speeds – Junction Turning (FCA-JT) functionality, Haptic warning function, High Beam Assist (HBA), Lane Following Assist (LFA), Lane Keeping Assist – Line/Road-Edge (LKA-L/R), Leading Vehicle Departure Alert (LVDA), Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA), Rear Occupant Alert (ROA), Smart Cruise Control (SCC) with Stop & Go, Surround View Monitor (SVM), Intelligent Speed Limit Assist (ISLA), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS),
The top-spec Staria Highlander comes with Blind-Spot View Monitor (BVM). The Elite and Highlander models come with safe exit assist (SEA) and the base model Staria comes with Safe Exit Warning (SEW).
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when my daughters are asleep!
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