Hyundai Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) has opened its order books for the 2022 Hyundai Staria 10-seater, confirming our earlier hunch that a cheaper entry-level variant was on the horizon. 

The new 10-seater Staria will be made available in three variants, namely Lite, Plus and Max. Pricing is estimated to start from 'RM 17x,xxx' with a booking fee of RM 1,000.

Also read: Possibly your cheaper Kia Carnival alternative: 10-seater Hyundai Staria spied in Malaysia

The Staria 10-seater has been slated for introduction in Q4 of this year. 

According to Mr. Low Yuan Lung, Managing Director of HSDM, the 10-seater Staria has garnered much interest after the 2021 launch of the 7-seater Staria 2.2 Premium variant, priced at RM 366,768.

Also read: This over Alphard/Vellfire? Priced from RM 359k, Hyundai Staria launched in Malaysia

“We have been getting enquiries for the 10-seater variant as there has been anticipation that the 10-seater variant will replace the Hyundai Starex. Like the Starex, this 10-seater variant is ideal for big families, tour operators and businesses but with vast improvements and more functionalities in every aspect of the vehicle as compared to the Starex,” he said.

For comparison, the entry-level Hyundai Starex 2.5L Executive Plus variant currently retails for RM 165,888. 

Besides the new seating layout, which features a 2-3-2-3 arrangement, the most noticeable exterior difference - as scooped earlier- is a smaller wheel size compared to the 18-inch items on the Premium variant. 

The Staria 10-seater will also feature the snazzy horizontal daytime running lights (DRLs) and a positioning lamp on its front, both running across the width of the vehicle. This is complemented by a wide radiator grille with a unique pattern.

Its clean silhouette is further accented by a pair of low-set headlamps. Hyundai uses the same body color for all frontal parts to maximise the vehicle’s modern and pure style. Its rear design emphasises brevity and sleekness, parametric pixel rear lamp and a large rear glass.

The Staria's 10-seater is claimed to offer among the best legroom in its segment which is converted into expansive additional cargo space when all seats are pushed together, made possible by the versatile long sliding seat function.

The full-flat mode, when applied to the rear passenger seats of the 10-seater Staria, makes this vehicle the perfect choice for activities that require a lot of room and interior flexibility, such as camping and for equipment-intensive transportation.

The 10-seater Staria is unchanged under the hood, featuring a 2.2-litre CRDi turbodiesel four-cylinder, discharging 177 PS and 431 Nm of torque. 

The engine drives the front wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission. 

Also read: HSDM to launch 2 more models by 2022 - Hyundai Creta and 10-seater Staria

Besides the 10-seater Staria, it seems Hyundai Sime Darby is gearing up for a busy close of the year, on the cards as well as the B-Segment Hyundai Creta SUV, slated to be launched by the end of 2022.