Hyundai does not build many cars like the Hyundai Starex: a 4-door van / 4-door minibus / 2-door pickup (Libero) with Petrol engine, built from 1996 to 2023 when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard.
How it came about
The Hyundai Starex (Korean: 현대 스타렉스) is a series of light commercial vehicles built by Hyundai, produced from 1996 to 2023. The first-generation models were known in Europe as Hyundai H-1, and in the Netherlands as Hyundai H200. The cargo variant of the second-generation models was marketed as the Hyundai iLoad in both Australia and the United Kingdom, and the second-generation passenger variant was marketed as the Hyundai iMax in Australia, but as the Hyundai i800 in the United Kingdom.
In Europe, the cargo variant was marketed as the Hyundai H-1 Cargo, while the passenger variant was marketed as the Hyundai H-1 Travel. In the Netherlands, it is called the Hyundai H300. In Malaysia, the passenger variant of the H300 is only sold as a luxurious MPV variant marketed as the Hyundai Grand Starex in an 11-seater configuration.
The hardware
Under the skin sits Petrol engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. The gearbox is a 6-speed manual / 5-speed manual / 4-speed automatic. The wheelbase is RV Wagon/Van: 2810 mm / Jumbo Wagon/Van: 3080 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
Where it sits in Hyundai's history is not in doubt: the Hyundai Grace (Mitsubishi Motors) came before it; the Hyundai Staria / Hyundai Solati H350 (Mexico) / Hyundai ST1 (Libero) followed it; it was built at Ulsan. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Lotus Elise, the Alfa Romeo 156, the Porsche Boxster. Its Hyundai stablemates include the Hyundai Accent WRC and the Hyundai Accent.