Hyundai Alcazar vs Tata Safari: Performance And Fuel Efficiency Compared

The just launched Hyundai Alcazar has impressed us with a lengthy feature list and decent practicality. But with its small 1.5-litre diesel engine, how does the SUV compare when we pitch it against its closest competitor, the Tata Safari? 

Well, to find that out, we put both the diesel-automatic SUVs for a detailed performance and fuel efficiency comparison test. Before we head into the results, here’s a quick spec check:

Specifications

The Tata Safari’s larger 2.0-litre diesel engine is much more powerful than the Alcazar. Also, both SUVs in this test are paired to a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission. And incidentally, the Safari’s transmission is a Hyundai-sourced torque converter unit. 

Acceleration Run

Note: Both SUVs were tested in wet conditions

Despite the massive power advantage, the Tata Safari is just 0.66 seconds quicker than the Alcazar in the 0-100kmph run. We suspect the Safari’s heavy 1,825kg kerb weight could have blunted its performance. Also, the gap during kickdown acceleration is less than 0.1 second between both SUVs. 

These minor time differences shouldn’t make much of a difference in the real world. 

Fuel Efficiency

As evident from the table, the Alcazar is the more fuel efficient SUV on the highway and city. Inside town, the Hyundai is 2.54kmpl more efficient than the Tata while the gap on the highway reduces to 1.31kmpl.

Price And Verdict

The Alcazar, despite its power deficit, is almost as quick and much more fuel efficient than the Tata Safari. And while the entry-level variant is more expensive than the Tata, the top-end Alcazar is affordable by Rs 1.66 lakh and comes loaded with more features.  

That said, this test was just with the car and driver in specific test conditions. We’ll soon be comparing both models for a detailed real-world test to find out if they can last the daily grind. So we suggest you stick around for a while until our comparison video drops on our YouTube channel.