Hyundai Grand Starex 2018 Review

In Malaysia's D-Segment diesel MPV market, spaciousness and practicality have always been the core needs for family users and small business scenarios. The 2018 Hyundai Grand Starex 2.5GLS CRDi VGT Royale Deluxe, as the high-end version of the series, attracts consumers who focus on multi-person travel with its 11-seat layout, flexible seating arrangement, and a five-year/300,000 km long warranty. This time, through a static experience and dynamic test drive, we verify whether it can meet the dual needs of daily family commuting and short-distance business hospitality.

From the exterior, the Grand Starex retains the typical large MPV silhouette. The length of 5125mm and the width of 1920mm give the body a solid appearance. The front face features a split grille design, with the upper grille connected by chrome strips to the halogen headlights on both sides. The lower grille adopts a black honeycomb shape, paired with front fog light groups, offering decent recognition. The side profile of the car features straight lines, and the tire specification of 215/70 R16C balances load capacity and comfort. The sliding door design on the side makes it convenient for rear passengers to get in and out. At the rear, the vertically arranged taillights are horizontally connected by a chrome strip, enhancing visual width, while the reflectors below the rear bumper increase nighttime visibility.

Inside the car, the interior style leans towards practicality. The dashboard adopts a two-tone scheme with darker tones on top and lighter below, and the main areas are made of hard plastic materials, aligning with the positioning of this vehicle class. The front row is equipped with manually adjustable seats, providing good support for the backrest and cushion, not easily causing fatigue during long drives. At the top of the dashboard is a touchscreen that supports basic multimedia functions, with physical buttons below it, maintaining clear operational logic. The multifunctional steering wheel is a three-spoke design, integrating buttons for volume adjustment, call answering, and more, making it convenient for operation during driving. The instrument cluster is backlit and analog, displaying information such as RPM, speed, and fuel level clearly. The rear-row configuration is a highlight. The second row uses a 40:20:40 split-sliding design, with the outer seats supporting rotation. The third row also has a split-sliding layout, and the fourth row can slide, with cushions that can flip up. This 11-seat layout can be flexibly adjusted to accommodate multiple passengers or expand storage space. The interior also comes standard with rear air conditioning, sunshades, and a 220V/230V power outlet, enhancing the comfort and convenience for rear passengers.

In terms of power, the car is equipped with a 2.5L diesel engine, delivering a maximum horsepower of 170 PS and reaching maximum power at 3800 rpm, with maximum torque output at 2250 rpm. It is paired with an AT gearbox and a rear-wheel-drive layout. The power response is smooth during start-up, and the torque output becomes sufficient above 2000 rpm, providing enough thrust for accelerating and overtaking, even in fully loaded conditions. The drive mode switching is not very noticeable, but it is not required frequently for daily driving. The suspension system consists of a front MacPherson independent suspension and a rear solid axle design. On bumpy roads, the suspension filters out most fine vibrations, but the rear solid axle shows noticeable bouncing when crossing speed bumps, affecting the comfort of rear passengers. The steering wheel has some dead zone, and the steering precision is average, but such settings reduce driving fatigue for a large MPV.

In terms of fuel consumption performance, we tested under mixed road conditions (approximately 60% urban roads and 40% highways), and the fuel consumption was about 9.5L per 100 kilometers. For an 11-seat large MPV, this result is within a reasonable range. The braking performance is stable, with front and rear ventilated disc brakes responding promptly during emergency braking, and the braking distance meets expectations. As for noise control, the diesel engine is slightly noisy at idle, but the noise control inside the car while driving is good. Wind and tire noise are not obtrusive at high speeds and do not affect normal conversations.

Compared with models in the same class, the advantage of the Grand Starex 2.5GLS CRDi VGT Royale Deluxe lies in its flexible 11-seat configuration and long warranty policy. The five-year/300,000-kilometer warranty can reduce consumers' concerns about later use. Compared with the more affordable Royale Premium version, the configuration differences are minimal, with the main distinction being some detailed trim. However, the Deluxe version may offer more flexible promotional policies at dealerships.

Overall, the 2018 Hyundai Grand Starex 2.5GLS CRDi VGT Royale Deluxe is a practical large MPV, suitable for families that frequently need to transport multiple people or for small businesses for short-distance business receptions. Its key highlights are space flexibility, performance, and long warranty. Although there is room for improvement in interior materials and chassis comfort, it generally meets the core needs of its target users.