Hyundai Stargazer is likely to share the same set of engine options that do duties on Kia Carens
Hyundai has a strong foothold in India and has consistently held the second position in car sales. Give or take, mostly give. When Hyundai’s sister brand Kia was introduced in India, it was a runaway success with the “Badass” Seltos and “Wild By Design” Sonet. But Kia’s success story didn’t stop right there.
When launched, Kia Carens was a big success and the base Petrol Premium variant is still the most sought-after variant for its incredible value for money. Looking at Caren’s success, it is likely that Hyundai might consider bringing the Stargazer, which was recently launched in Indonesia. After all, three-row MPVs are 50,000 units a month business as seen by our sales charts. Not a bad number to bet on, eh?
Hyundai Stargazer MPV Base Variant
New Hyundai Stargazer MPV first made its online debut ahead of its public debut at Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) which will take place in Jakarta starting on 11th August 2022. Now the company has already revealed the variants.
Stargazer will be available in 12 trims with both 6-seater options and 7-seater options. Starting with base Active trim followed by Trend, Style and lastly, top-spec Prime trims with single-tone and dual-tone options.
When we compared Stargazer with XL6 and Carens, we found out that Stargazer falls right in the middle. While Carens still remain a larger product. But in this post, we take the VFM Trend trim, and compare it with top-spec Prime trim to see what’s what.
At the front, Prime trim gets wide and slim LED DRLs, quad LED headlights, fog lamps and a blackened distinct grille. Trend trim gets a chrome strip instead of DRLs, normal reflector halogen headlights and the grille is just cutouts in the bumper rather than being a separate unit.
From the side, Prime trim gets Chrome door handles while it is body-coloured in Trend trim. Even though both trims get 16” alloy wheels with 205/55 rubber, Prime gets dual-tone alloy wheels that are much more stylized than Trend’s single-tone 5-spoke design alloy wheels. From the rear, there is no visual distinction as both get ‘H’ pattern LED tail lights and rear washer wiper.
On the inside, Prime gets a digital instrument cluster like we have seen on Carens, cruise control, leatherette upholstery with perforations, a second-row armrest and automatic climate control. While Trend variants miss out on these, both trims get the same touchscreen infotainment system and the chunky Audi-like yacht-style gear lever on Automatic variants.
Price & Launch
In Indonesia, Stargazer MPV is only offered with one petrol engine option. It is the same 1.5L naturally aspirated engine that we see on Hyundai and Kia vehicles. It makes 113 bhp of power and 144 Nm of torque and gets both MT and CVT options. When Hyundai does launch it in India, it is likely to get a 1.4L turbo petrol engine that makes 138 bhp of power and 242 Nm of torque and a 1.5L diesel engine making 113 bhp of power and 250 Nm of torque too.
Trend variants pricing start from IDR 263,300,000 (approx Rs. 14 lakh) and Prime variants pricing starts from IDR 307,100,000 (approx Rs. 16.45 lakh). Stargazer base Active starts from IDR 243,300,000 (approx Rs. 12.95 lakh) (prices ex-sh). Hyundai India hasn’t officially revealed a launch timeline. When launched, it will be the first ever MPV by Hyundai and competes with Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and XL6 and its cousin Kia Carens.