2022 Hyundai Staria Load Crew Van Review

Commercial vans have been more a less white boxes in the past, we mean, look at the previous shape Toyota HiAce – it looked like a white good. Thankfully, Hyundai has changed this with the release of the 2022 Hyundai Staria Load Crew Van, which aims to bring some style and something a little different to the commercial world. This new model is known as a Crew Van, meaning it now has a second row of seating for the kids or your co-workers. How does the Crew Van fit in to the Staria range? Let’s find out.

The 2022 Hyundai Staria Load Crew Van is a good alternative for those wanting a dual-cab ute but needing the extra space or protection of a van. Rivals include the Mercedes-Benz Vito 116CDI Crew Cab and the Volkswagen Transporter TDI340 SWB Crew Van.

Price & Equipment: 9/10

There is only one model of the 2022 Hyundai Staria Load Crew Van and it will set you back $49,640 plus on-road costs – around $54,000 drive away – which is $3,900 more than the regular Staria Load.

The Hyundai Staria Load Crew Van is unlike a lot of other vans on the market because it actually has a decent equipment list. It comes with 17-inch steel wheels with a full-size spare wheel, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a two-speaker sound system, wireless smartphone charging, selectable driving modes, a 4.2-inch digital driver’s display, air conditioning, dual sliding rear doors with windows, auto up and down power front windows, automatic halogen headlights, front and rear mud flaps, heated and auto-folding mirrors and a leather steering wheel and gear knob.

Safety equipment includes seven airbags, auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, a speed limiter, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, speed sign recognition, driver fatigue monitoring, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, a 360-degree camera, front and rear parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring and an alarm.

There is nothing really further that we would add to the equipment list of the 2022 Hyundai Staria Load Crew Van as it comes very well equipped for a commercial van. Maybe if we were pushing to find something, a better sound system would be great but the one that is in it is more than adequate, maybe even LED headlights but again that is a rarity in this segment.

There are only two colours available on the Staria Load: the no-cost ‘Creamy White’ and our test van’s ‘Silky Silver’ paintwork, which costs $695 extra. You can also opt for rear barn-style doors for no extra cost instead of the more conventional tailgate design. Our test van was also fitted with a number of dealer-fit accessories, including the $229 bonnet protector, $199 window protectors, $1,390 tow bar, $979 nudge bar, $919 rear step with corner protectors, $170 tailored floor mats and $1,799 cargo partition barrier. This brings the total for our test car (including metallic paint) to $56,020 plus on-road costs.

In terms of competitors, the Mercedes-Benz Vito 116CDI Crew Van will set buyers back $58,300 plus on-road costs ($8,660 more than the Staria Load), while the Volkswagen Transporter 340TDI Crew Van will set buyers back $54,490 plus on roads ($4,850 more than the Hyundai) and the Toyota HiAce LWB Crew Van starts at around $56,000 drive away. The Staria Load has far more equipment than any of these competitors.

Engine & Performance: 8/10

The sole engine option in the 2022 Hyundai Staria Load Crew Van is a 2.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine that is also used in quite a few other Hyundai models. It powers the front wheels and produces 130kW of power (at 3,800rpm) and 430Nm of torque (between 1,500rpm and 2,500rpm).

In comparison to the Staria Load’s engine, the Mercedes-Benz Vito 116CDI has a 2.1-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder that puts its 120kW/380Nm to the ground through the rear wheels via a seven-speed torque converter auto. The Volkswagen Transporter 340TDI has a 110kW/340Nm 2.0-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder that sends power to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. So not only is the Staria Load the cheapest in this comparison, but it is also the most powerful.

The engine is rather quiet for a commercial vehicle and while you can hear it chugging away at full throttle, it is quieter than the Volkswagen Transporter. It is a smooth engine and has power throughout the rev range (especially low in the rev range as peak torque is found between 1,500rpm and 2,500rpm). We really like the engine in the Staria Load here at DiscoverAuto and think it to be one of the best we have experienced in a commercial application.

The only transmission offered on the Staria Load is a torque converter eight-speed automatic which is excellent. Yep, we would love to see a manual transmission option but the auto is smooth and quite intuitive as well.

The braked towing capacity of the 2022 Hyundai Staria Load is 2,500kg, which is on par with what the Mercedes-Benz Vito and Volkswagen Transporter can muster. The unbraked towing capacity is 750kg. When you take away the Staria Load Crew Van’s 2,002kg kerb weight from its 3,020kg GVM, you’re left with 1018kg of payload capacity.

The claimed average fuel consumption of the Staria Load Crew van is 7.0L/100km, which is rather impressive for a large van and in our week of mostly urban driving, ended up on 8.9L/100km. The only van in the segment to trump this is the Mercedes-Benz Vito which has a claimed average of 6.8L/100km. The Staria Load has a 75-litre fuel tank meaning a theoretical range of over 1,000km between fuel stops.

Ride & Handling: 8/10

Like the regular Staria people carrier, the driving experience of the Staria Load is fuss free and comfortable. The ride on the Staria Load can be a little choppy with nothing in the rear but this is the case with any unladen van. The ground clearance on the Staria Load is rather good and more than enough to tackle the cities potholes, roundabouts and speed humps. The 2022 Hyundai Staria Load Crew Van is a quite a large vehicle, there is no getting around that. The center of gravity is also higher than you would find in your average SUV or dual-cab Ute, meaning when cornering, there is a little bit of body roll but for the size of the vehicle we would’ve expected more. The 215/65 R17 tyres on the Staria Load also help with the handling ability.

The active safety tech in the Staria Load is excellent for a commercial vehicle. It has more active safety tech than any other van on the market. The lane departure warning can occasionally be a little intrusive around town but it is easy to deactivate if you wish and, on the motorway, it is excellent. The forward collision alert and radar cruise control also work a treat.

Interior & Practicality: 9/10

The interior of the 2022 Hyundai Staria Load is very modern in design but also quite functional and ergonomic. There are supportive and comfortable cloth seats, a nice large touchscreen and some funky dials to make the interior feel a little more playful rather than the serious and somewhat boring cabins of its rivals.

The storage throughout the Staria Loads cabin is rather good with is a wireless charging pad for your phone and some space for a wallet next to it, a pop out cup holder under that, another cupholder on the dash on the driver’s side, two trays (one in front of the dials and the other behind the screen), a large glovebox, a deep centre console with two covered cup holders, large overhead shelves, door bins with bottle holders and storage by the front passenger’s right-hand leg.

The 8.0-inch infotainment screen sits atop the Staria Load’s dashboard looks rather premium for the van segment. The quality is more than acceptable and navigating the infotainment system is very easy and rather intuitive. The wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto looks great and is very easy to set up, unlike some systems, the wireless Apple CarPlay in the Staria Load was reliable and never dropped out on us.

The rear sliding doors on the Staria Load Crew Van are very easy to open and are light to operate. Once in the rear you will notice there is lots of room in the back for passengers and the seat itself is rather comfortable. There are two pop out cup holders from the front centre console, two USB-A ports and storage in the centre console in between the front seats, door pockets with bottle holders, grab handles, under seat storage (by lifting the base of the rear seats up) and interior lighting back there.

There is a large amount of storage between the back seat and the rear bulkhead. Unfortunately, there are no rear child seat anchor point or ISOFIX points.

Opening the rear tailgate of the Staria Load Crew Van reveals 2.89 cubic meters of cargo space. The load bat floor is 1,750mm long and 1,6430mm wide (1,250mm between the rear wheel arches) which will allow for one palette.

Service & Warranty: 9/10

The Staria Load comes with Hyundai’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is the same that is offered on the Volkswagen Transporter and Mercedes-Benz Vito. The Hyundai also comes with 12 months of roadside assist which is extended for a further 12-months at every scheduled service through a Hyundai service centre for up to five years in total.

Servicing for the 2022 Hyundai Staria Load Crew Van comes around every 12 months or 15,000km which is pretty on par with this segment. The VW Transporter has the same service intervals while the Mercedes-Benz Vito has longer 12 month/25,000km intervals. The cost to service the Staria Load over the span of five-years or 75,000km is $1,800 – the first five services are $360 each. Compare this to the $3,339 that the VW Transporter costs to service over the same period and it is excellent value.

2022 Hyundai Staria Load Crew Van DiscoverAuto Rating: 8.6/10

The 2022 Hyundai Staria Load Crew Van seemingly has it all covered. There is a long standard equipment list, a lovely driving experience, it’s cheap to service and it’s good value too so what’s not to like? This had us scratching our heads too. We do think the ride could be a little more comfortable and it could be a little bit more efficient, but these are small niggles to an otherwise brilliant van.

So of all the crew vans on the market would we buy a Staria Load? To put it simply, yes it would be right at the top of our list. We think that the Staria Load is the best van offering currently on the market, so yes, it’s definitely worth your consideration if you’re after a van.