Hyundai Staria review

We’re not going to be talking cornering G and steering feel here. But you do need to know about the steering at least. It’s light, as it should be, and also slow. That makes sense, given a quick steering rack on a high-riding, 2,300kg van is the best recipe for a rollover so quick it’d shame a prize-winning Border Collie. But you will be twirling the wheel at Collie rates if you need to make a swift three-pointer – there’s a lot of lock to deal with.

This probably implies it’s a van, which it is, but only in scale. The platform, as we said earlier, is from Hyundai’s road car, and that means it wears proper suspension underneath, has computer controlled braking and can be had with a 4WD system with lockable 50:50 torque split. More relevantly it doesn’t rattle, buzz and clatter like a regular van. It’s actually quite refined and smooth-riding.

Is it easy to drive?

Once you’ve got used to the height, yes. It’s no wider than an SUV and the slab sides and big mirrors make it easy to place and thread about. The seats are giant, there are armrests for your elbows and the view forward is commanding. Physical buttons on the console sort the gearbox, the driving position doesn’t have you reaching for the top of the steering wheel or pressing pedals like you’re sitting at a piano, so you soon feel confident.

What about bodyroll?

This is the one thing. You sit very high, and that means – like King Kong at the top of his skyscraper – you’re exposed to some tilt and wobble. Your inner ear tells you this more than your eyes. It’s the most unsettling thing about the Staria, but all it means is that you think twice before tackling roundabouts with gusto, instead slowing right down and tip-toeing round them. The grip is there if you really want it, but the on-board experience and passenger reaction isn’t worth it.

Is it economical? 

How does a real-world 32mpg sound? Tolerable? Good, we thought so too. A VW diesel is probably a couple of MPG better, and of course the Multivan can be a hybrid. Anyway, this 2.2-litre four cylinder diesel is well insulated, and there’s enough torque (324lb ft) that you’re not holding other traffic up. The gearbox is smooth enough to be unobtrusive, too.