More Hyundai Staria stock now available

HYUNDAI has rounded up a bumper stock of Staria Load work vans to take on Toyota’s market leading HiAce which it says are supply constrained leading to extended delivery times.

The move follows a slow few years with the van market merely ticking over but this year sales of 2.5-3.5 tonne vans have increased significantly according to the latest VFACTS figures.

The main protagonists are Toyota’s HiAce that last month (March) accounted for some 829 sales followed by Hyundai’s Staria Load at 329 units and the LDV G10/V80 at 300.

Year to date sales place Toyota way out in front at 2660 units, followed by the LDV G10/V80 at 930 units and the Staria on 802.

Other players in the segment include the Ford Transit Custom, Mercedes-Benz Vito and Renault Trafic, to name a few.

Supply constraints have been partly blamed for the period of stagnation across the board in van-land but that has now rolled through with Hyundai issuing a bolshy statement this week complete with a spec’ comparison (see below) and supply/availability of its front-wheel drive Staria Load model versus HiAce.

The South Korean manufacturer says it has 944 units in dealer stock 210 units in compound and a further 689 units on the water equating to almost six months’ supply at the current sales rate.

However, gauged by the tone of Hyundai’s Staria Load statement it expects that sales rate to go up which is likely given trends evident on VFACTS.

In the table below, Hyundai directly compares Staria Load (from $46,240 excluding on-road costs) with the market leading Toyota HiAce LWB auto (from $50,886 + ORC) revealing some surprising statistics.

The Staria Load offers better claimed fuel economy, longer service intervals, and a heavier tow rating, says Hyundai.

The main difference between the two and a possible deal breaker for some buyers is front-wheel drive for the Staria Load versus rear-wheel drive (preferable for towing) on the HiAce. All-wheel drive is available on the diesel Staria people mover but not the working van.

The Staria Load replaced Hyundai’s long serving iLoad a few years ago ushering in a completely new “Robocop” look and Santa Fe underpinnings including its 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine with eight-speed automatic transmission.

Hyundai’s working van line-up includes a “blind” van, two-, three- and five-seat (Crew Cab) variants and available limited-edition models with extra kit.

The base Staria Load is equipped with a full-size spare, smart cruise control, power folding and heated exterior mirrors, driver attention warning, smart phone connectivity and streaming, PVC floor mats, safety exit warning, steel cargo partition, park distance warning, 2 x USB ports, drive mode select and an electric parking brake as well as a suite of SmartSense advanced safety features.

A Premium variant is available adding a 10.25-inch supervision instrument cluster and 10.25-inch navigation multimedia unit, LED headlights and taillights, LED light bar, 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic climate control, smart key with push button start, auto climate control, smart key with button start, high beam assist and a smart power tailgate.

The Staria Load is offered in a range of colours including Abyss Black, Graphite Gray and Moonlight Blue, in addition to Creamy White and Shimmering Silver.

It performed well in ANCAP testing a couple of years ago attaining a five-star safety rating.

The van market is becoming a competitive space as there are about 10 brands vying for customers in a market that is no doubt hypersensitive to economic influences.

However, as commercial vehicles, vans by necessity must be fit for purpose, economical, affordable and reliable so inevitably, operators/owners will need to replace their vehicle to stay competitive and control costs.

Hyundai obviously intends tapping this trend early with Staria Load that is available for a limited time at drive away pricing starting from $49,490 until the end of the current financial year.