5 Ways The Hyundai Alcazar Surprised Us

The Hyundai Alcazar just launched at Rs 16.30 lakh - 19.99 lakh (ex-showroom India) and our proper ‘first drive’ of the Alcazar is just around the corner. But Hyundai had called us in for a sneak ‘preview’ of a camouflaged car back in April so we do know a little bit about it. Here’re five things about the Alcazar that had us lifting our eyebrows.

Its Size

Both in terms of presence and bling the Alcazar easily overshadows the Creta it’s based on. Its wheelbase is longer by 150mm and overall it’s grown in length by as much as 200mm. But what about the competition? In practically every dimension the Hector Plus and the Safari are quite a bit larger. In fact at 4500mm long, 1790mm wide, and 1675mm tall, the Alcazar is closer in size to the Maruti Suzuki XL6. Still it’s a good deal larger than the Creta and this difference will be quite obvious on the road. There’s also a heap loads more chrome trim all around - on the grill, the side skirting and roof rails and joining the two taillights on the tailgate. Here’s our first impression

Its Performance

If your choice of fuel is petrol (and with today’s fuel prices it’s an easy choice to make) then the simple answer is yes. The Alcazar gets a 2.0-litre petrol engine paired with either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic gear box and this should more than make up for the increase in kerb weight or any passenger load you can manage to pack it with. While the diesel engine option is the same as the Creta, Hyundai have tuned the final drive ratio so this should also feel a little more peppy to drive. 

How do these powertrains stack up against the competition? Click here.

The New Features

New features which add on to the existing (long!) feature list of the Creta include a 360 degree camera, virtual cockpit drivers MID, additional wireless charge pad in the second row, and blindspot monitor. 

To learn more about all the features that the Alcazar gets click here.

The Space 

Let’s start with the obvious addition of the 3rd row. The access to the 3rd row is simple, with just one lever flipping up and forward the middle seats. Once in there the seats are slightly low to the ground and can fit adults but maybe for short distances. There are dedicated air con vents with blower control as well as charge sockets so kids will be comfortable here even on long trips. The 2nd row sees more of an improvement with larger, cushier seats, plenty of headroom and lots of practical touches. 

To know more about the 2nd row experience we had, click here.

The Price

Priced at Rs 16.30 lakh-19.99 lakh ex-showroom India, the Alcazar seems priced on point. It’s available with either diesel or petrol engines and both have either manual or automatic options. There are three trims - Prestige, Platinum and Signature. And two seating configurations. The surprise was the omission of lower trim variants at launch. This means that both the Hector Plus and Safari’s lower variants undercut the Alcazar by a fair margin. Still the Alcazar is playing on the fact that it’s a premium offering with a lot of headlining features offered as standard. 

To know more about what those features are and the full price list click here.