Starex vs Carnival LWB vs Stavic (Gasp!)

[pup2]

Starex 9-Seater CRDi MT at 1.5M
Carnival LWB CRDi AT at 1.6M
Stavic 9-Seater AT at 1.3M

Yeah, yeah. I know the Stavic is probably the fug!iest vehicle on the planet. It's pretty darn hard to ignore the fact that it's now the cheapest, most comfortable CRDi 9-11 seater whose features are pretty intact though.

[drey]

Function > Form = Stavic

Test drive muna.

[Horsepower]

Starex. Iba ang presence ng latest starex e (it looks like one big bully) but the Carnival is good too.

Stavic is just so ugly, i can't stand it.

[mikey177]

If you have frequent trips to the countryside, I'd have to recommend the Starex, as parts availability for the Stavic, and to some extent, the Carnival, may be wanting the farther you get from Metro Manila.

For city driving comfort though, I'd go with the Carnival since it's an A/T.

As mentioned earlier, test driving all the candidates is your best way to know which will suit your lifestyle and needs.

[hitomi]

aftersales-wise, carnival for me. kia is better established here than ssangyong,
with a wider dealership base.

looks-wise, still the carnival because the stavic looks wierd
and the new starex - sadly - looks like a ford transit to me.

[pup2]

May driver po for the van so AT convenience is not a factor. Kung pangit nga yung tranny, disadvantage pa eh.

Yung sa parts, nakausap ko yung 1 owner ng wheels and he said they're supporting it all out daw dahil sila distributor -- to the point na he'll air ship a part kung wala sa inventory nila.

Pero tama kayo, naisip ko nga problema pag tumirik ako sa probinsya kasi medyo madalas din sya mag a out of town.

[pup2]

Starex 9-Seater CRDi MT at 1.5M
Carnival LWB CRDi AT at 1.6M
Stavic 9-Seater AT at 1.3M

Yeah, yeah. I know the Stavic is probably the fug!iest vehicle on the planet. It's pretty darn hard to ignore the fact that it's now the cheapest, most comfortable CRDi 9-11 seater whose features are pretty intact though.

Tadaa! After over a year of searching and several test drives, eto na ang nabili ko -- Stavic 11-seater MT at a bit over 1.2M. Apparently, my family had the same priorities I did. Not only that, what I thought to be fugly they thought 'acceptable.'

What you should believe is that it is one of the, if not THE best value van out in the market. For what it would cost to get a dressed up Innova or entry level SWB Carnival (both of which most people have and which seats much fewer people), you get:

A) 11 seats

B) a premium/veteran korean/MB CRDi turbo diesel engine

C) dual side impact beams, multi-link coil suspension

D) a 1-ton payload (Starex has 900 and Carnival 700) and rear-wheel drive

E) Complete kit like rear wipers, backup sensor, alarm and keyless entry, 3rd brake light, and

F) removable last row, and 360 degree 2nd row seats.

Unfortunately, they only had 4 colors and since the dark blue I wanted was only available in MT, yun na lang kinuha ko. At least people can't say I have poor taste in everything! I figure we have a driver anyway who's not so used to AT and since MT would probably have less things to break down and would go faster, yun na.

With the money I saved, I'm going to put a kick-a** DVD/TV player and large-ish roof mounted LCD screen with enough left over to compensate for maintenance and resale issues.

As for out-of-town trips, marunong naman ng basic kuting ting yung driver namin -- enough to get back to manila, anyway. Besides, isn't that what the insurance towing service is for?

The only question is now: is there a way to improve the look of the back end (near the roof line), or do I just put a paper bag over my head -- in leather because I can now afford it?

[ronw123w124]

I think the Starex is still the most practical choice among the 3, not to mention that it is still the best looking of the bunch.

[Gumusut_Amige]

congrats bro sa bagong ride mo... pag nagtagal masasanay ka rin sa hitsura nyan at magiging maganda na sa iyong paningin.
seriously, here in malaysia there's a lot of stavic already hitting the road.

[pup2]

Thanks! Dito nga yung naka display na Dark Blue AT na kukunin ko sana nabili the next day! -- Pero OK lang kasi ayaw ko ng display unit eh.

About the Starex, yeah we were a fan too. But they seem to have gotten really big-headed now. Imagine, for a 1.5M BASE unit MT wala pang rear wiper at 3rd brake light!? Sure they increased the size pero it's too big for those looking for an SWB heavy duty carrier. Kaya ayun, mas konti na naglalabas ngayon. And with that, support may go out the window very soon -- probably in favor of the SF.

[mqavila]

Hey bro Pup2, please post pics of your new ride so that we can all see it!

[drey]

Pup2, don't worry sir... It looks good naman eh, malaki lang talaga sya for a minivan.

Siguro, this is what I get for watching to many Korean films... Marami din kasi Ssangyong ang gamit. Hihihih...

[pup2]

Pup2, don't worry sir... It looks good naman eh, malaki lang talaga sya for a minivan.

Siguro, this is what I get for watching to many Korean films... Marami din kasi Ssangyong ang gamit. Hihihih...

What I really needed was the equivalent of the Gen 3 SWB Starex na iba lang ang itsura at new. The MPVs are too small for this, the vans are too big, and the Carnival a bit too expensive and light for the price.

Now if only that butt looked better and parts support more widespread, I bet it'll sell in droves. But even Hyundai started out with the buggy H100 so here's hoping the Stavic will go the same way.

[CVT]

What I really needed was the equivalent of the Gen 3 SWB Starex na iba lang ang itsura at new. The MPVs are too small for this, the vans are too big, and the Carnival a bit too expensive and light for the price.

Now if only that butt looked better and parts support more widespread, I bet it'll sell in droves. But even Hyundai started out with the buggy H100 so here's hoping the Stavic will go the same way.

Well said pup2.... (Same is true for your previous post)...

I'll be on that fork in approximately a couple of years' time. Not sure what will I get as replacement.... Am closely monitoring, so appreciate feedbacks of your ride's performance....TIA....

5303:burp:

[pup2]

Well said pup2.... (Same is true for your previous post)...

I'll be on that fork in approximately a couple of years' time. Not sure what will I get as replacement.... Am closely monitoring, so appreciate feedbacks of your ride's performance....TIA....

5303:burp:

Haay naku bro. Ang hirap talaga. Actually, last year ko pa siya dapat palitan. Dinagdag ko na nga search ko including the lower end mid-sized SUVs eh. Bale dapat last year 2 ang papalitan ko. Dapat nga nauna pa ang Starex. In the end, nauna pa FXT ko kahit over a year ako naghahanap ng pampalit dun sa Starex namin.

I was almost going for the Carnival LWB when I noticed na sa baba ng roofline, medyo mahirap pumasok. Add to that the price (and the drastically fewer airbags), the non-movable 2nd row seats, and the much lower payload capacity (700 kgs only) kaya nag Stavic na ako. Gusto ko pa naman sana yung red na carnival.

At least sa stavic, yung itsura lang at (again) fewer airbags problema ko. Para bang path of least resistance? Or lesser of evils? Getting caught between a rock and hard place, etc. And my family was willing to forego the look. Ako naman willing magsuot ng mascara. I hope to be pleasantly surprised by it's utility though. And much as the H100 slowly crept it's way into our hearts as the Starex, I'm hoping people will realize the value in the Stavic.

Sige, will keep you posted. Pero sa pagsakay pa lang, the 360 degree captain's chairs looked mighty comfy.