The new Santa Fe shared Hyundai’s 2018 Gaikindo
Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) stand with the Hyundai Grand Starex
facelift, known in Indonesia and some markets as the H-1. The refreshed Grand
Starex was recently launched in the republic, where people carriers of all
sizes are popular.
We may have seen a couple of face swaps in Malaysia,
but globally, the Grand Starex has only seen one mild facelift since it was
unveiled in 2007. Here’s another, because this is not an all-new model. It’s a
relatively big facelift.
Introduced in its home market in December last year,
the Grand Starex facelift gets a new front fascia that ditches the vertical
headlights for horizontal trapezoidal items (LED projectors), flanking a big
grille with horizontal chrome lines.
The lower air intake has also been redesigned (the
LED DRLs are located here), while the bonnet is taller to provide greater
pedestrian protection and a more stately look. Reminds me of big Renaults like
the Koleos SUV and Talisman sedan. It’s less bold than our market’s Lexus-style
mug, but classier for sure.
The van’s rear end is largely similar to before
except for the lower bumper and the new, distinctive vertical tail lamps with
twin LED “ears” as signatures. There’s also a chrome upper window garnish that
wraps around the rear screen, below the new rear spoiler. The base Elegance
rolls on 215/70 R16 tyres while higher XG and Royale variants ride on 235/60
R17s.
While the exterior matches South Korea’s Grand Starex
facelift, opening the doors reveal an unchanged dashboard. This means that the
Indonesian-spec H-1 facelift misses out on the new, and rather nice, dashboard
found in the domestic market MPV.
Behind the front three seats, the Grand Starex can
be had with two electric ottoman captain chairs in the range topping Royale
(eight seats in total, 3-2-3) or new second row swivel seats in the Elegance
and XG trim levels.
In the latter, the second row can be turned around
to face the rear for a living room style layout. The middle seats in rows two
and three can be folded away. With all seats in place, the formation is
3-3-3-3, with plenty of boot space left for luggage. Two airbags only.
Engine options include the Theta II 2.4 litre MPI
petrol and the A2 2.5 litre CRDi turbodiesel with 170 PS/441 Nm. Indonesian
prices range from IDR 487 million for the XG petrol to IDR 599 million for the Royale CRDi.
