Captain Seats, three rows and a quieter price tag: the new Stargazer plays to families

Hyundai's refreshed Stargazer arrives in Thailand with six Captain Seats, a 1.5 MPi engine and 13 SmartSense systems — a family three-row from 719,000 baht.

Hyundai has refreshed the Stargazer for Thailand and built the update around families who need more than a cheap three-row car — they need something easy to live with every day. The MPV now comes with six seats, Captain Seat chairs in the second row and a promo price of 719,000 baht (around USD 22,200) for the first 200 buyers.

Under the hood is a 1.5 MPi petrol engine making 113 hp and 144 Nm. It works with an IVT transmission tuned for smooth, jerk-free pull-away. The figure quoted from the media test is 18.7 km/l, or roughly 5.3 l per 100 km. For a family car with three rows that's a strong argument: saving on fuel matters more here than shaving seconds off acceleration.

The Stargazer's exterior moves closer to SUV territory: the body has been stretched by 115 mm, given a more assertive look and kept its practical proportions. Inside, the headline change is six individual seats and a walkthrough between the second-row chairs that makes the third row easier to reach. With the second and third rows folded, cargo space climbs to 1,892 litres.

On safety, Hyundai hasn't settled for the basics. SmartSense bundles 13 systems, among them junction-turn autonomous emergency braking (FCA-JT), adaptive cruise with Stop & Go, lane keeping, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic assist and a leading-vehicle departure alert.

There are two trims: Trend 6 at 719,000 baht instead of 795,000, and Smart 6 at 799,000 baht instead of 875,000. The colours are Midnight Black Pearl, Titan Gray Metallic and Creamy White Pearl.

The Stargazer isn't trying to look like an expensive crossover. Its strength is simpler: six comfortable seats, low fuel consumption and a driver-assist package that family cars in this class rarely used to offer.