There aren’t many decisions in today’s MPV market for those who’re not after something huge and/or luxurious. The Perodua Alza and Toyota Veloz twins aside, we will only consider the C28 Nissan Serena that was previewed late last yr and will likely be launching in March. The Serena’s Japanese classmates can be found from the grey market; otherwise, it’s slim pickings.
So, it’s excellent news that the Hyundai Stargazer is coming to Malaysia. Hyundai Motor Malaysia (HMY) has just teased the Stargazer at its Chinese Recent Yr event for the media, saying that a ‘B-MPV’ will arrive in Q4 2026. No prizes for guessing.
We’re quite conversant in the Stargazer from our annual visits to the GIIAS show in Indonesia. There, the Stargazer is pitched against Low MPV rivals comparable to the Toyota Avanza/Veloz and Daihatsu Xenia twins and second-generation Honda BR-V, which didn’t come here. There’s also the Mitsubishi Xpander and Kia Carens.
The Stargazer was given its latest facelift in Indonesia last yr, where the MPV received the ‘Cartenz’ suffix, in reference to the best peak in Indonesia. As before there’s the regular Stargazer and the more rugged-looking Stargazer X, just like the Xpander and Xpander Cross in Indonesia.
Within the republic, the three-row MPV is powered by a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-pot engine with 115 PS and 144 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm. The Smartstream MPI engine is paired to a Hyundai’s IVT, essentially a CVT that uses a sequence belt slightly than a push belt. As is the norm in Indonesia, there’s a six-speed manual option there.
The Stargazer is 4,575 mm long and 1,780 mm wide, which is 150 mm longer and 50 mm wider than the Alza. The Hyundai’s 2,780 mm wheelbase is 30 mm longer than the Alza. The rugged ‘X’ variant is an extra 35 mm longer and 40 mm wider because of black cladding. Boot space with all seats up is 185 litres, expandable to 585 litres with the third row folded.
In Indonesia, the Stargazer is priced from 269.9 million rupiah (RM63,157) to 391.9 million rupiah (RM91,705). Note that the bottom price is for a 6MT automotive and Malaysia will likely get a high spec automotive. It’s not clear yet if the Stargazer will likely be CKD locally assembled from the beginning, or it should follow the initial CBU import-first route just like the Tucson and Santa Fe SUVs.
GALLERY: Hyundai Stargazer Cartenz at GIIAS 2025
GALLERY: Hyundai Stargazer Cartenz X at GIIAS 2025
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This Article First Appeared At paultan.org
