Plush people carrier skirmish: Hyundai Staria HEV vs. BYD eMAX 9 DM-i

Three-row people carriers such as vans and multi-purpose vehicles (MPV) are, without a doubt, some of the most popular vehicle body types in the Philippine market. 

And who can blame Filipinos? We are family-oriented and do not want to leave anyone out on fun road trips. As such, we take to these sizeable rides like fish to water. 

Recently, however, the van segment has taken a huge leap forward by incorporating electrified powertrains. In a more recent example, this is exemplified by the Hyundai Staria HEV, which, as hinted at by its name, is now a hybrid nameplate. 

Earlier still was the introduction of the BYD eMAX 9 DM-i - a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) nameplate that expanded BYD Cars Philippines’ portfolio to include electrified vans. 

On that note, how does the newer Hyundai Staria HEV compare against the BYD eMAX 9 DM-i? Let’s find out here by comparing the respective top-spec trim’s specifications and features. 

Powertrain

Starting with the Hyundai Staria HEV, it uses a 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine paired with a hybrid system. At maximum, this powertrain can generate up to 242 horsepower (hp) and 265 Newton-meters (Nm) of torque. All variants of the updated Staria come with a six-speed automatic gearbox sending power to the vehicle’s front wheels. 

Keeping the Staria HEV balanced in corners is the e-Handling system. It also comes with the Hyundai-developed e-Ride, which is an active damping system that is able to maintain a smooth ride quality even when going through bumps or during rapid acceleration. 

For its hardware, the Staria HEV uses a front MacPherson strut and a multi-link suspension for the rear. It also has front and rear disc brakes. 

Comparatively, the BYD eMAX 9 DM-i, as mentioned above, uses a PHEV powertrain, meaning that it has a selectable electric-only range of 170 kilometers (km) for the top-spec Premium trim, as well as the ability to be topped up using the appropriate electric vehicle (EV) charging station. 

Its engine components, meanwhile, consist of a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline four-banger paired with a single electric motor. Like the Hyundai nameplate, the BYD is also a front-wheel-drive model, but it does have a beefier output of 267 hp and 315 Nm of torque. 

For its intelligent damping system, the BYD eMAX 9 DM-i uses the DiSus-C, which can make quick, real-time adjustments during cornering and on bumpy roads to balance the car and provide a smoother, more stable ride. 

With regard to powertrains, the BYD eMAX 9 DM-i is, at least on paper, the more powerful model. Both do come with intelligent damping systems, but the BYD offering does trump the Hyundai Staria HEV as it can be charged like a full-blown EV. 

Moreover, the EV-only range on the eMAX 9 offers it several advantages that are not present on the Hyundai nameplate. The two do get their own regenerative braking systems, but the BYD’s single-speed transmission makes it act more like an EV, unlike the Hyundai, which has real physical gears. 

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Exterior

On the outside, both the Hyundai Staria HEV and the BYD eMAX 9 DM-i get appealing designs that lean towards elegance and a feeling of premiumness. 

However, the Hyundai’s look is more unique and fluidic, with practically no transitions and borders between the tip of the car’s fascia, its windshield, and its roof. These go together with full-width LED lighting fixtures for the front and rear. Otherwise, it will have power-sliding doors for easy ingress and egress. 

The appearance of the BYD eMAX 9 DM-i, meanwhile, leans more towards a traditional van. It gets a regular-looking hood with a standard van-like silhouette, but its highlights include a commanding grille equipped with an intricately patterned mesh. 

Other design elements of the BYD nameplate appear traditional as well. It has sharp LED headlamp clusters, a rear LED lightbar, and sliding doors just like its Hyundai rival. 

Notably, exterior features common between the two nameplates include, but are not limited to:

• Power tailgate
• Automatic headlamps
• Rear spoiler
• Power-folding/adjustable side mirrors
• Rain-sensing wipers

On the one hand, the BYD gets a static panoramic sunroof, whereas the Hyundai has a power-tilting dual sunroof. Completing the look of both the Hyundai and the BYD models are a set of 18-inch alloy wheels. 

With regard to size comparisons, refer to the table below: 

	Hyundai Staria HEV	BYD eMAX 9 DM-i
Length (in millimeters)	5,253	5,145
Width (in mm)	1,997	1,970
Height (in mm)	1,990	1,805
Wheelbase length (in mm)	3,273	3,045
Ground clearance (in mm)	186	157

On paper, the Hyundai Staria HEV is a much larger vehicle than the BYD eMAX 9 DM-i. Normally, this would mean a striking difference in interior space, but both rides have baseline measurements that are large enough that the differences won’t matter much. 

On the flip side, the Staria’s ground clearance might mean more usability on harsh in-city roads. 

Interior

Regarding interior layouts, both the Hyundai Staria HEV and the BYD eMAX 9 DM-i come with three-row seating arrangements with captain seats for their second rows, as well as a bench-type third row that can be stowed for more storage space. 

The aforementioned captain seats on both nameplates come with power adjustability and ventilation. However, only the ones on the BYD come with a massage function and power-adjustable leg rests (Ottoman). 

Up front, both people carriers have power-adjustable seats. The BYD provides lumbar support for the driver and front passenger, whereas the Hyundai’s driver is the only one who gets this feature. 

For the two models, other noteworthy creature comforts include leather upholstery, automatic climate control systems with multiple zone controls, privacy curtains, USB ports, and a wireless smartphone charging pad. Unique to the BYD, however, is a 128-color ambient lighting system and an in-car refrigerator. 

Handling navigation and on-board entertainment for the Hyundai Staria HEV is a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluelink connectivity, and a 12-piece Bose speaker set. 

The BYD, meanwhile, comes with a larger 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system that also has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This display is likewise capable of audio streaming, a voice assistant, and is connected to a generic 12-piece speaker set. 

Then again, the BYD model’s infotainment system has several unique capabilities that are present on most of its competitors. It has over-the-air updates, 4G connectivity, and access to the BYD Cloud Service (BYD app). 

Concerning driving amenities, both get tilt and telescopic steering columns, a push-to-start button, a drive mode selector, an electronic parking brake with auto-hold, and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. Unique to the BYD eMAX 9 DM-i, of course, is a dedicated button that activates or deactivates its EV mode. 

Safety

Moving on to safety, both family-friendly rides get an appropriate amount of passive and active features. 

On the Hyundai Staria HEV, its passive kit consists of dual front airbags, side airbags, curtain airbags, anti-lock braking, tire pressure monitoring, electronic stability control, a 360-degree view monitor, and hill-start assist. 

Its array of advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS), meanwhile, consists of smart cruise control with stop and go, lane following assist, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring with avoidance assist, forward collision avoidance, ISOFIX, and parking distance warning. 

In comparison, the BYD eMAX 9 DM-i has dual front, far side, curtain, and middle row side airbags. These go together with roughly the same kit as the Hyundai, but with the addition of hill descent control, a brake override system, brake disc wiping, vehicle dynamic control, and traction control. 

The BYD model’s collection of ADAS features, on the other hand, includes, but is not limited to:

• Automatic emergency braking
• Front and rear collision warning
• Front and rear traffic braking
• Intelligent cruise control
• Intelligent high beams
• Lane departure assist
• Blind spot detection
• Door open warning
• Traffic sign recognition
• Front cross traffic alert and braking
• Emergency lane keep assist

Final thoughts

As far as comfort is concerned, both the Hyundai Staria HEV and BYD eMAX 9 DM-i are clearly winners. The latter, however, does have some additional touches that further elevate its premium factor. This includes its massage captain seats with legrests, a larger infotainment system, an in-car fridge - among others. 

Performance-wise, we can say that, at least as far as the spec sheets go, the BYD-made people carrier is the peppier nameplate. Plus, it gets the benefit of being chargeable, which is absent on the closed-loop hybrid system of the Hyundai Staria HEV. 

Then there’s the price. 

For reference, the Hyundai Staria HEV Premium Plus retails at P3.199 million. This makes it a bit more expensive than the top-spec BYD eMAX 9 DM-i Premium priced at P3.098 million. 

So, which of these two electrified three-row vehicles would you prefer?

Also read:

3 reasons to buy the Hyundai Staria HEV

New year, new ride: Hyundai Accent

Family ferries: best vans for the fam

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