SHINING STAR
- Why owners say the Hyundai Stargazer is truly a star car
Despite entering the Philippines decades after other carmakers, Hyundai has fast become a household name for offering exciting cars with supreme value for money.
And with Hyundai Motor Philippines (HMPH) taking charge of local passenger-car operations last June 2022, the South Korean manufacturer has revamped its lineup to adapt to the latest trends in electrification and cleaner mobility.
From the days of the humble Excel sedan, Hyundai has leapfrogged into selling some of the most advanced vehicles on the market. These include the scintillating Elantra N high-performance sedan, the fuel-efficient Tucson Hybrid and Santa Fe Hybrid crossovers, as well as the fully electric IONIQ 5, IONIQ 5 N and IONIQ 6.
But one segment where the carmaker has made serious headway is the three-row, multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) class – among the first models that was launched following HMPH’s takeover was the aptly named Hyundai Stargazer, which has been a shimmering success for the carmaker locally.
We talked to three Stargazer owners who have no regrets about bringing home their rides.
Exemplary performance
The Stargazer MPV stands out with its futuristic design language that was first featured in the larger Staria van.
The LED daytime running light spans the entire width of the car’s front end for a sleek, minimalist appearance that emphasizes the Stargazer’s width. The large grill is flanked by the boomerang-style light clusters for the headlights and the signal lights.
Other neat styling touches include the steeply raked windshield, upward-sweeping rear-quarter windows and the large taillights that reflect the appearance of the front lights. And under the Stargazer’s prominent snout is a 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine producing 113 horsepower and 144 Newton-meters of torque.
Mated to Hyundai’s Intelligent Variable Transmission, the Stargazer offers class-leading performance and fuel economy. And that’s according to people who have actually bought and run the MPV.
“Despite being a 1.5, the performance is really different from other MPVs,” said executive Manuel Antolin, who purchased his Stargazer GL last December 2023.
“I love the performance of the whole unit, especially the suspension,” he added. “It will not struggle going uphill even when fully loaded – that’s how strong the engine is. And it’s very fuel efficient compared to our previous vehicle, which was expensive to fuel during our trips to Ilocos from our home in Trece Martires, Cavite.”
Space for everyone and everything
Inside, the Stargazer’s interior feels all the more airy with light-colored materials and a crisp dashboard layout inspired by the IONIQ series.
And the fact that it can carry passengers and cargo in supreme comfort is why many have gone for Hyundai’s shining star.
“I love the space, particularly the legroom and height,” Antolin said. “What my family liked was the comfort and headroom. We enjoyed our Ilocos trip because all of our stuff fit easily and the air-conditioning was really cold.”
For Las Pinas City native Calvin Dumale, who bought his own top-of-the-line Stargazer GLS Premium 6-Seater last month after trying his brother-in-law’s Stargazer, Hyundai’s MPV has plenty of pogi points.
“We like almost everything about it,” he said. “The door sidings are so attractive and it’s so quick and smooth on the road. When my children drive it, they look and feel so cool.”
Like a smartphone
HMPH expanded its MPV lineup when it brought in the Stargazer X last October 2023.
Besides featuring a higher ride height and matte-black fender trim for better protection on rough roads, this new model also comes with the Hyundai Smartsense active-safety suite that helps make it among the safest MPVs on the Philippine market.
These life-saving features include Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Blind-Spot-Collision-Avoidance Assist and Rear Cross-Traffic Collsion-Avoidance Assist.
Stargazer X owner Evelyn Collantes, a Las Pinas City native who works as a senior manager in a Japanese multinational company, likens her car to another popular South Korean product.
“It really is like a smartphone,” she said. “The reason I chose a larger car is that I have three grown kids – this fits our needs perfectly and all five of us fit fine. The advanced technology just adds value to the price that I paid.”
Collantes noted that this is her first Hyundai, having bought her last three cars from another brand.
“I was looking for something spacious, but financially viable,” she said. “I could have bought from the previous brand, but it was not attainable.”
Superb aftersales
The mother of three also praised how accommodating her dealer was, especially since they just walked in without knowing anyone.
“Almost every week, we kept in touch throughout the buying process,” she said. “Our agent handled everything, including arranging all of the documents for the purchase.”
For Antolin, his dealer really made an impact of buying his second Hyundai in a row.
“Hyundai Shaw was where I got my first Hyundai, an Accent sedan,” he said. “I had full faith that they would give me the perfect car for me.”
Antolin added that his Stargazer’s first preventive maintenance service (PMS) went flawlessly.
“They were very accommodating and they did everything I wanted during the first PMS, including rotating the tires,” he said. “Besides being cheap to maintain, I got lots of freebies and they were able to book me in the timeslot that I wanted.”
