The Hyundai Grand
Starex facelift has been launched in Thailand, where the 11-seater version is
called the H-1 and the more luxury MPV-like seven-seater is called the Grand
Starex. This comes a couple of months after the big people carrier was
introduced in Indonesia.
The Grand Starex
facelift gets a new front fascia that ditches the vertical headlights for
horizontal trapezoidal items flanking a big grille with horizontal chrome
lines. The lower air intake has also been redesigned, while the bonnet is
taller. At the back, you’ll find a new lower bumper and distinctive vertical
tail lamps with twin LED “ears” as signatures.
The Thai-spec H-1
facelift is available in three trim levels – Touring, Elite and Deluxe – and
now comes with features such as automatic climate control, heated/ventilated
seats, tilt/telescopic steering wheel and a touchscreen head unit with
360-degree smart view parking in top models.
Also available are
auto headlamps, dual powered sliding doors, cruise control, electrochromic rear
view mirror, leather steering wheel, roof-mounted LCD screen and puddle lamps,
among other goodies. ABS, ESP and four airbags are on the safety kit list. Like
the Indonesian-spec car, Thailand does not get the all-new dashboard seen in
Hyundai’s domestic market.
The Grand Starex
facelift seats less, but offers its passengers more space, and luxury. With one
row less, the middle row accommodates two individual captain seats and they
face an “entertainment counter” with a big 22-inch screen. Also integrated are
storage bins, ambient lighting and a Pioneer DVD player.
Both H-1 and Grand
Starex are powered by a carryover 2.5 litre turbodiesel with 175 PS and 441 Nm
of torque from 2,000 to 2,250 rpm. The Euro 4 A2 engine is mated to a
five-speed automatic transmission sending drive to the rear axle. The Starex
rolls on 17-inch wheels, an inch larger than the H-1’s.
Prices range from
1.329 to 1.729 million baht for the H-1 and 2.349 to
2.399 million baht for the Grand Starex. Sounds
expensive to us, but the Hyundai undercuts fellow van-based people carriers
such as the Volkswagen Caravelle T6 and Mercedes-Benz V-Class in Thailand.
