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One thing going for the Starex is that as vans go, it doesn’t look half bad. Traditional vans like the Hi-Ace may be able to carry 3 more people, if you don’t mind driving a Kelvinator. However, if your caboodle is less than an even dozen, the Starex will make sure that you look good even while hauling the family around. The front, with its multireflector lights, intercooler hood scoop and toothy grille, can almost make you forget you’re about to drive a van. You won’t look that ridiculous if you arrive as the sole person in a Starex, and your status at the company parking lot will be secure. However, no amount of styling tricks can disguise that 4695 mm length and 1820 mm width, so from the sides and rear the Starex bulk is exposed in all its corpulent glory. Another advantage favor versus fridge-type vans is that you won’t have to feel like you’re plying the Monumento-Baclaran bus route. For instance, you won’t have to drive with your legs apart just to straddle the steering column. The driving position is quite carlike, with a normal steering wheel, stalk controls, switches and dashboard. The pedals also are positioned quite normally, with space even for a proper dead pedal. The five-speed gearshift though has been pushed back and to the left, to free up space for the center front passenger. Plastics are the hard variety, and are splashed with the usual awful fake wood. Launching the Starex from standstill is a cinch, thanks to the torque available from as low as 2000 rpm. While moving, jabbing the throttle proves that Korean tuning has made the 2.5 liter turbo-diesel punchier than its Japanese counterpart. Initial response is good, but this is one vehicle that you just cannot hurry along. Even if you floor the pedal, acceleration arrives very slowly. Best results are achieved by shifting at 3500 rpm, 1000 short of the redline, but even then, you’ll need to have some clear space before attempting to overtake the average sedan. If you're thinking of driving this yourself and buying the automatic, don't: it's awfully slow and not worth the penalty in additional cost and worse fuel mileage. Driving in heavy traffic is not a pain, but not that easy either. Front visibility is excellent, thanks to the high driving position and wide side mirrors. You have to remember, though, that behind you is a long piece of van, so squeezing through traffic is not that easy. The enormous length also makes backing up the Starex like driving a container van. One must-have feature is the ultrasonic parking sensor offered on newer Starex. |
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