Hyundai Alcazar is the latest talk of the town. A new addition to the fleet of Hyundai, Alcazar is based on the Creta platform. A perfect family SUV, Alcazar is going head on head with the heavy weights like Tata Safari, MG Hector Plus and other SUVs.
The world of SUV is growing by the day in India and Hyundai is not going to miss the good run that it had experienced in the past two years with Hyundai Creta and the smaller cousin Hyundai Venue.
Differences between Hyundai & Alcazar
Hyundai Venue provides the entry point for aspirational buyers who are looking to enjoy the power and comfort of an SUV. The slightly larger Hyundai Creta provides the perfect solution for the most SUV buyers in the country. Although Creta is an all-around hit in the Indian automobile market, it is only a 5 seater and it can’t satisfy the expectations of a family SUV. The newly launched Hyundai Alcazar meets the expectations of the buyers who are looking for a 6 or 7 seaters in India.
Based on the same platform as Creta, Alcazar has similar dimensions in width and ground clearance. The main change lies in the length and height of the SUV. Both Creta & Alcazar share the same width of 1790 mm. However Alcazar stands taller at 1675 mm that is 40 mm more than Creta. Similarly, the new SUV is longer than the relatively short SUV Creta by 200 mm. At 4500 mm long, Alcazar is only 160 mm shorter than Tata Safari.
Alcazar also boasts a long wheelbase of 2670 mm, one of the longest in the segment. The long wheel base results in better space and leg room in the interior. However, the longer wheelbase also means a larger moment of inertia, which leads to a slightly slower pickup. While Hyundai Creta can reach the 100 kmph from 0 kmph within 10.5s, the slightly longer and heavier Alcazar takes almost 13.5s to reach the same mark.
Key Specifications of Hyundai Alcazar
The exterior of Alcazar looks almost like a Creta with the same grilles and wheel pattern. From the front, it requires a trained eye to tell the difference between the two. However, one can soon identify the difference in the bonnet styling, side foot step and the differences on the rear.
Alcazar comes with two engine options and gear system options. The petrol variant comes with a powerful 2.0 Litre petrol engine that is mated with either the 6-speed manual or 6 speed automatic gearbox. Similarly the diesel variant is also fitted with the 1.5 Liter diesel engine with both manual and automatic gear options.
On the interiors, the Alcazar comes with a dual tone cognac brown upholstery. It not only looks premium but also feels premium. The first thing to notice is the large 10.25” infotainment control and multi display digital cluster with both Android Auto & Apple Car Play compatibility. The fully equipped steering wheel, the easy to use drive mode selector, and 64 colour ambient lighting, the interior is worthy to pay the premium.
Adding to the other features, the driver seat also gets an 8 way push button control system, 6 air bags, traction control modes, voice enabled panoramic sunroof all justifies the cost. The traction control modes provide 3 modes namely snow, sand and mud. The hill hold control, electronic stability program, brake assist, electronic brake force distribution and ABS all take care of the safety features.
Hyundai Alcazar vs Tata Safari vs MG Hector Plus
On paper, Hyundai Alcazar competes with heavyweights like Tata Safari and MG Hector Plus. However, there is no clear cut competition between the three. To be just, Tata Safari & MG Hector are of a slightly different league than the Hyundai Alcazar. Even on dimensions, Safari is a whole 150 mm longer and Hector Plus is 220 mm longer than Alcazar.
On the highway, even the diesel variant of Alcazar feels slightly less powerful than the other two. One thing that the Alcazar score better than both these cars is the mileage front. Hyundai Alcazar mileage ranges around 14.5 km per liter for the petrol variant and a very good 20.4 km per liter for the diesel variant. Alcazar could be a very good family SUV but for the spirited drivers and those who are looking for the sheer power of an SUV, it is a bit of a dampener.
The Final verdict
Hyundai Alcazar was launched in June 2021. The model, like other launches was plagued by the repeated lockdowns and COVID19 pandemic situation. The on road price of Hyundai Alcazar starts from 16.3 Lakhs for the Prestige variant. The slightly higher featured Platinum or the top end Signature ranges over 20 Lakhs. It is to be noted that the Mahindra XUV500 also rivals the Hyundai Alcazar.
While Korean Hyundai & KIA have managed to maintain their supremacy in the compact and medium sized SUVs in India with their Creta, Venue, Seltos and Sonet, the larger SUV segment is not such an easy ride for the Korean automobile giant.
The Alcazar falls short on many important aspects like power, handling and price. In the price sensitive market like India, Hyundai has to justify the price point of the SUV or face a sluggish sales.
For an everyday family use and for the city commute, where the power is not an issue, the Hyundai Alcazar provides the best solution.
