Hyundai Grand Starex

When it comes to the interior cabin, Hyundai has managed to spruce up the dashboard with some features to move over the dull appeal of the outside. While the interior layout has been kept simple, the presence of some modern features does generate a feel-good factor.

The driver’s cockpit, however, looks extremely dated, thanks to the very staid looking instrument console and a four-spoke steering wheel which looks as if it belongs to a decade old Hyundai model. However, the steering wheel does come with audio and Bluetooth controls for the large 7-inch touch screen infotainment system at the head of the centre console. The waterfall-themed center console has two vertical AC vents flanking the infotainment system, with a small housing of buttons for automatic climate control below it and the dashboard-mounted gear lever and a small storage bin below the climate control housing.

The one area where the Grand Starex really shines out of the box is its seating configuration. With a total seating capacity of 11 passengers, the Grand Starex has enough room for all the passengers in all the four rows. Hyundai also offers swivel seats for the second rows, which facilitates the passengers to rotate the second row for a full 180 degrees.

Compared to all the other offerings from Hyundai which have ultra modern and fluidic design philosophies, the Grand Starex looks like a boxy and dated proposition. The overall design doesn’t evoke any wow-factor, which surprisingly some other similarly priced MUVs do generate.

The front fascia of the Hyundai Grand Starex somehow manages to look eye-pleasing with its large inverted trapezoidal front chrome grille. The upper edges of the front grille have large kinks which blend into the small trapezoidal headlamp setup, which again have small kinks on their outer upper edge. This overall layout of the front fascia generates some sense of flow, which somehow is missing in the rest of the design. The headlamps incorporate projector units within them, while the sleek looking front bumper comes with fog lamps integrated into them.

The side profile of the Hyundai Grand Starex looks bland and unappealing, with the slightly flared wheel arches being the only design highlights here. The large and straight forward glass windows do manage to make the interior cabin feel airy, but on the outside, they do make the Grand Starex feel dated.

At the rear too, the Grand Starex looks okay-ish, with the large windshield and slightly lower positioned number plate housing on the rear door. The vertical tail lamps placed on the outer edges further make the rear door look a bit bland.

The Hyundai Grand Starex is built on a body-on-frame chassis, as like many other MUVs, and comes fitted with Macpherson struts at the front and five-link coil springs at the rear. The overall suspension has been kept on a softer edge to make the low as well as high-speed rides comfortable and plush. However, the boxy and large body of the Grand Starex doesn’t allow the driver to drive it enthusiastically. Although at 5.6 m, the turning radius of the Grand Starex is really commendable.

The engine powering the Grand Starex is a 2.5-litre four-cylinder diesel engine, which puts up 170 PS of power and a mammoth 441 Nm of torque output. Mated to a 5-speed torque converter, the Grand Starex impresses you with its abundance of torque in the middle of the rev range, making it an effortless highway cruiser.

Given that the Grand Starex focuses on practicality, the vehicle has been equipped with the basics of safety features. The list includes four airbags, ABS, Brake Assist, Traction Control, and Electronic Stability Control.

To sum it up, the Grand Starex gives more priority to the aspect of function over form, by covering up the basic aspects like comfort and space in the utmost priority. While its sober and simple theme as well as the dated design might not make you feel pampered, the interior cabin with its versatility and decent equipment surely will.