There aren’t many choices in today’s MPV market if you’re not after something huge and/or luxurious. The Perodua Alza and Toyota Veloz twins aside, we can only think of the C28 Nissan Serena that was previewed late last year and will be launching in March. The Serena’s Japanese classmates are available from the grey market; otherwise, it’s slim pickings.
So, it’s good news that the Hyundai Stargazer is coming to Malaysia. Hyundai Motor Malaysia (HMY) has just teased the Stargazer at its Chinese New Year event for the media, saying that a ‘B-MPV’ will arrive in Q4 2026. No prizes for guessing.
We’re quite familiar with the Stargazer from our annual visits to the GIIAS show in Indonesia. There, the Stargazer is pitched against Low MPV rivals such as the Toyota Avanza/Veloz and Daihatsu Xenia twins and second-generation Honda BR-V, which did not come here. There’s also the Mitsubishi Xpander and Kia Carens.
The Stargazer was given its latest facelift in Indonesia last year, where the MPV received the ‘Cartenz’ suffix, in reference to the highest peak in Indonesia. As before there’s the regular Stargazer and the more rugged-looking Stargazer X, like the Xpander and Xpander Cross in Indonesia.
In 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 chain belt rather 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 a further 35 mm longer and 40 mm wider thanks to 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 base price is for a 6MT car and Malaysia will likely get a high spec car. It’s not clear yet if the Stargazer will be CKD locally assembled from the start, or it will follow the initial CBU import-first route 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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