2021 Hyundai Staria Highlander review: Long-term update 3, off-roading and manners

Our Hyundai Staria long-term test car has all-wheel drive, so we go off-road to see how this people mover handles the rough stuff.

What we love

• Cavernous and expandable cargo space
• Fuel economy average in the mid-8s
• Sides are easy to clean because they’re flat

What we don’t

• Impossible to clean the roof unless you have go-go-Gadget arms
• So much carpet to clean too
• Ground clearance and AWD system not really for off-roading

If you missed our first two instalments of the 2021 Hyundai Staria Highlander long-term test, check them out here [Welcome to the Family] and here [Moving Mountains].

Now, let’s get stuck into chapter three. As promised, we took the Hyundai Staria eight-seat people mover off-road to explore its lifestyle capabilities and off-roading prowess. Then I had to wash the Hyundai Staria, and I can tell you I’ve never washed a car so big. 

I can also tell you that if the roof was dirty before the wash, it’s still dirty now. I just can’t reach it. Hopefully Melbourne’s semi-regular rainy days will take care of the roof, but if not, it’s not like many other road users can see my dirty secret. Truckies, maybe, and pedestrians on overpasses.

So, how did the all-wheel-drive Staria go off-road, I hear nobody ask? Absolutely fine, but it wasn’t like we tackled the Canning Stock Route. We went out to Lerderderg State Park about 35 minutes west of Melbourne near Bacchus Marsh. There’s a great bushwalking track that starts at Mackenzies Flat and goes to Grahams Dam, which takes about an hour. 

But if you take two young boys like we did, then it will take a lot longer… Possibly. I don’t know because an unusually sunny winter’s day became rainy and wet soon after we arrived. So all we did was teach my two-year-old how to skip rocks in the Lerderderg River.

Then we went back out to Camerons Road and followed it north, deeper into the park. The bitumen road quickly turns to dirt, but it’s graded and well maintained so wouldn’t challenge a Corolla. 

We turned off onto a chopped-up side track to see how the Staria’s on-demand all-wheel-drive system handles itself in rougher terrain, and it just felt weird. Really weird. Not because the car did anything wrong. The Staria did fine, traversing the ruts with what little wheel articulation and ground clearance it has been endowed with, and the all-wheel-drive system did the job, shuffling drive to the rear wheels when the fronts started to slip.

What felt weird was seeing such a big, boxy, tall van in the bush on an off-road track. It’s like seeing Kim Kardashian at a wrestling match or John Howard bowling a cricket ball. It just doesn’t look right.

Truth be told, the Staria’s limited ground clearance and long wheelbase, and its light-duty all-wheel-drive system, are not really designed for off-roading. This van is absolutely capable of handling forestry trails to your favourite bushwalking or mountain-biking track as long as the grader keeps things flat and firm. If your idea of a dirty weekend involves anything more strenuous, then a proper SUV or 4WD is what you need. 

But for a family of four keen to get out after three weeks of Covid-positive lockdown – it went through all of us, but at least now we’re out the other side – a quick breath of country air was exactly what we needed.

On the drive back, I started to notice how thoughtful the Staria is. This is one very caring van. 

For example, heading into the CityLink tunnel, the Staria informed me that it had closed the external air vents and popped the AC onto recirc to keep those nasty fumes from our lungs. 

When we got home, it reminded me to check the back seats because it could tell there was something weighty back there. We knew this, though, because the boys have discovered the joy of torturing us parents by babbling nonsense-words incessantly.

It also reminded me to grab my phone from the charging mat, which I am thankful for because I’ve left it there before. 

When day turns to dusk, the Staria automatically changes the colour schemes of the screens from bright white to softer black. It’s not the only car to do this, but it’s still a nice touch.

I have also discovered the Staria will automatically turn on the seat heater and steering wheel heater when I start the car on cold mornings. Another convenience feature that you don’t know you need until you have it.

Key details	2021 Hyundai Staria Highlander 2.2D AWD
Engine configuration	Four-cylinder turbo diesel
Displacement	2.2-litre (2199cc)
Power	130kW at 3800rpm
Torque	430Nm at 1500–3800rpm
Transmission	Eight-speed torque converter automatic
Drive type	All-wheel drive
Weight (kerb)	2325kg
Power to weight ratio	55.9kW/t
Estimated range	915km
Sales category	People Mover
Key competitors	Kia Carnival | Honda Odyssey | Volkswagen Caravelle

That last one is a mixed blessing because the Staria’s wheel has alloy trim that does not heat up, and the contrast between toasty leather and freezing alloy is stark when your hand accidentally strays onto the latter.

One more convenience feature is the automatically closing tailgate. It has sensors back there to tell when you finish loading and step away from it, then it beeps three times and closes itself. 

All of this will make the next update a bittersweet one. Our six months with the Staria are coming to an end. But before then, I need to move the family back from Geelong to Melbourne. Last month we put our house on the market, and decamped to a family friend’s empty house so the real estate team could have unfettered access for the campaign’s duration.

It was also so we didn’t have to attempt the Herculean task of cleaning the house twice a week after the boys spend the intervening days remaking the world’s biggest mess. 

Now the campaign is over and it’s time to go back home. The house didn’t sell because we had the misfortune of timing our campaign with the Reserve Bank’s decision to hike interest rates to the moon (relatively speaking), which effectively poured ice-cold water over a once-hot property market.

Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp

Fuel Useage	Fuel Stats
Fuel cons. (claimed)	8.2L/100km
Fuel cons. (on test)	8.3L/100km
Fuel type	Diesel
Fuel tank size	75L

Find your nearest bp

Driving from Geelong to the office three times a week has piled on the kilometres and lowered the average fuel consumption slightly. We are now showing an overall average of 8.3L/100km. Not bad for a two-tonner capable of carrying eight. 

So, one more mega-load of life’s clutter and the Staria will go bye-bye. Will I miss it? Find out next month. 

MORE: Long-term report one: Welcome to the family
MORE: Long-term report two: Moving mountains
MORE: Staria news and reviews

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Everything you need to know about the 2022 Mini Electric: Virtual Test Drive

The 2022 Mini Cooper SE is all Mini, and all electric. Explore it in more detail by taking a Virtual Test Drive!
Sponsored by Mini

To learn more about the Mini Electric – head to the Mini showroom.

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Farewell, BMW i3: Electric city car production ends after eight years

BMW’s quirky i3 electric car has rolled off the production line for the final time, with its indirect successor to be a far more conventional small electric SUV.

Production of the BMW i3 city car has ended after almost nine years, closing the chapter on one of the first mass-produced luxury electric cars.

The final examples of the quirky i3 hatch rolled off the production line at BMW’s Leipzig factory the end of June, just days after the 250,000th car was built, and nearly nine years after production began in September 2013.

While no direct successor is planned, BMW says it will “remain active” in the “premium electric compact” segment – albeit with the iX1 small SUV, which shares little with the city-sized, carbon-fibre, rear-drive i3 hatch.

The i3 was discontinued in Australia in late 2021, with the final local example selling in recent months – completing a total of 729 cars sold since its late 2014 launch, with a peak of 150 in 2015.

To mark the end of production, 10 examples of an i3 HomeRun Edition were produced, distinguished by Frozen Dark Grey or Frozen Dark Red II paint and, based on official photos, unique front grille inserts.

Launched overseas in 2013, the i3 was BMW’s first modern electric car, underpinned by a bespoke platform designed around a carbon-fibre reinforced plastic body shell, and a ‘skateboard’ battery under the floor.

Developed alongside the hybrid i8 sports car under BMW’s ‘Project i’, the electric version of the i3 launched with a 60 amp-hour (or 18.3 kilowatt-hour, kWh) battery connected to a 125kW rear electric motor, capable of 190km of claimed electric range.

Introduced in Australia in late 2014, prices started from $63,900 plus on-road costs – making it the third-most expensive small hatchback on sale, behind the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG and BMW M135i hot hatchbacks.

For buyers requiring more range, available alongside the pure EV was a range-extender i3 ‘REx’ for $69,900, which added a small 647cc two-cylinder motorcycle engine for when the battery runs out, boosting total driving range towards 250km.

BMW i3 sales peaked in Australia in 2015 (150 sales), before dipping in 2016 and recording their second-best result in 2017, with 118 cars – coinciding with a battery upgrade to 27kWh (94Ah), pushing range in the EV to a claimed 300km on a charge (a lenient measurement).

A styling update in 2018 introduced the sportier i3s variant – with more power, lower sports suspension, and wider (and one-inch-larger) wheels – while a larger-still 38kWh battery arrived in 2019, with 330km of claimed range (or 250km in the real world).

By the end of the i3’s run in Australia, the range-extender REx and standard i3 electric models had been axed, leaving one i3s EV, priced from $71,900 plus on-road costs.

The spirit of the i3 lives on; the learnings from its carbon-fibre body carried across to the new flagship iX electric SUV’s carbon shell, while its battery and electric motor are used in the Mini Cooper SE hatch, albeit now with front-wheel drive.

Whereas the i3 represented the first phase of BMW’s foray into electric cars, the company is now onto the second phase, with the current i4, iX3 and iX electric vehicles, and upcoming i7, i5 and iX1 models.

The third phase will debut in 2025, in the form of the ‘Neue Klasse’ electric-only architecture that’s set to underpin the successor to today’s 3 Series sedan and wagon, as well as the next iX3 medium SUV.

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SUV driver charged nearly double for traffic offence than equivalent car

If you have a habit of dashing to beat a yellow light… don’t do it in your SUV.

The driver of an SUV in Germany must pay nearly double the fine of an equivalent car for running a red light due to the vehicle he was driving, a court has ruled.

As reported by the Associated Press, the driver of a SUV (reported elsewhere to be a BMW) was fined €350 ($AU530) for running a red light – reportedly almost double the regular fine of €200 ($AU290).

The Frankfurt-based court argued the SUV’s shape and taller “box-like” bonnet meant “the driving infraction posed a greater risk to pedestrians than if the defendant had driven a smaller car,” the news service reports, with a one-month driving ban also handed out.

While the motorist’s “previous driving convictions” were also considered, the Associated Press implies the size of the vehicle was the primary factor behind the higher fine.

The fines associated with running red lights in Australia varies; in NSW it’s up to $464 and three demerit points, while in Victoria it’s listed as $462 and three points.

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2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 N rendered

Hyundai is preparing to give its first dedicated electric car, the Ioniq 5 SUV, the N treatment. What about its second, the Ioniq 6 sedan?

Hyundai revealed the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 earlier this week, as the second model in the company’s new Ioniq electric vehicle range, alongside the sold-out Ioniq 5 medium SUV.

With the Ioniq 5 settled in on showroom floors, Hyundai has passed it over to the brand’s N division to create a performance version, due on sale in 2023 or 2024. So what if an Ioniq 6 N was to follow suit?

Hyundai has not confirmed if such a car is in the works – but with the company’s chief designer telling UK media the Ioniq 6 would “make a great performance model”, and the Ioniq 6’s E-GMP platform offering plug-and-play powertrains, an N variant could be on the cards.

Imagined in here by Drive’s digital expert Theophilus Chin, the hypothetical Ioniq 6 N follows a similar visual path to its Hyundai N range-mates, with sportier bumpers and skirts, red accents, bigger alloy wheels, and an enlarged rear spoiler.

The tarmac-hugging body kit includes a set of wheel arch flares – designed to house the super-sized 22-inch wheels, wrapped in wider Michelin tyres – while the triangular centre light of the i30 N hatch features here as a reflector in the bumper (like the i30 Sedan N).

The N visual overhaul hasn’t forgotten the need to maximise electric range; the Genesis-derived wheels are designed with aerodynamics in mind. The N model also scores a larger version of the standard Ioniq 6’s ‘whale tail’ rear spoiler.

Under the sporty sheet metal would be a high-performance powertrain to match the looks – and thanks to the Ioniq 6’s E-GMP modular electric architecture, there are plenty of options in the parts bin.

Hyundai is yet to confirm how much power top-spec versions of the standard Ioniq 6 will develop – at least for a few more weeks – though rumours suggest the dual motors and 77.4kWh battery from the Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD, offering 239kW.

For an Ioniq 6 N, the most likely option is the pair of upgraded electric motors from the EV6’s flagship GT variant, developing 430kW and 740Nm.

With the Ioniq 6’s slipperier shape and (most likely) lighter body, it could shave a few tenths off the EV6 GT’s 3.5-second 0-100km/h time, for a near-three-second dash able to scare BMW M5s and keep up with (some) Teslas.

Above: Early Hyundai Ioniq 5 N prototype.

The Ioniq 5 N is expected to use a version of this powertrain, so Hyundai might opt to give a potential Ioniq 6 N a bit more grunt – possibly closer to 450kW or 470kW, creating a Hyundai sedan capable of a 0-100km/h time starting with a two.

Backing up the speed would be an overhauled chassis, with adaptive suspension, the EV6 GT’s electronic limited-slip rear differential, larger performance brakes, and stiffer springs and dampers to keep body roll in check on the race track.

A 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 N has not been confirmed for production – however such a model does appear to be under consideration, with Hyundai chief designer SangYup Lee telling Auto Express the Ioniq 6 “would also make a great performance model”.

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2020-2022 Kia Picanto recalled: Nearly 10,000 cars affected

A fault could see nearly 10,000 Kia Picantos not sound an audible warning if the rear fog lights are left on when the ignition is off, breaching compliance with Australian Design Rules.

Kia Australia has recalled close to 10,000 examples of the 2020-2022 Kia Picanto citing a potential fault with how the status of the rear fog lights is displayed.

All 9763 affected vehicles are stamped Model Years 2020 to 2022. Only the facelifted 2020-onwards Picanto is affected; pre-facelift Picantos built early in 2020 are not included in the recall.

The recall notice, lodged with the Department of Infrastructure, says: “If the rear fog lamp is switched ON after the ignition has been switched OFF and the driver’s door opened, the audible warning will not sound.”

Therefore, the notice continues, the vehicle will not be compliant with Australian Design Rule 13/00.

Date of recall notice	30 June 2022
Make	Kia
Model	Picanto
Year	2020-2022
Vehicles affected	9763
VIN list	Click here to download the list of affected VINs
Contact link	Call Kia Customer Service on 131 542, email customer_service@kia.com.au or visit the website

“The issue was discovered during the regular monitoring of global field information,” a Kia spokesperson told Drive. Whether any occurrences of this issue have been recorded in Australia is still to be confirmed.

A full list of vehicle identification numbers for the 9763 vehicles involved in the recall can be found here.

Kia Australia advises owners to “contact their local Kia dealership to schedule an appointment to have the instrument cluster software updated free of charge.”

Owners can contact Kia Customer Service for more information by calling 131 542, emailing customer_service@kia.com.au or visiting the brand’s website.

To have your vehicle checked, find your closest Kia dealership by clicking here.

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