Choosing between the Hyundai Alcazar and Creta

At almost same price of the top-end Creta, we can get the base model of the Alcazar.

BHPian Jatin247 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

We started our search for a new car last year and it has been a very confusing journey. I understand the fact that there is no perfect car but don't we all desire to get the most value for money product? We started with an initial budget of 15 lakhs. After deciding to settle on the Creta the most difficult question was to choose an appropriate variant. The most value for money variant in our opinion was either the base or the top end and as we didn't wanted to get any aftermarket accessories we decided to go ahead and book Creta.

Even after booking Creta I wasn't fully satisfied and kept my car search going and as we needed a diesel automatic the options were pretty limited.

Tata Harrier

Though I love the dark edition of Harrier and it is an absolute beast but recently I have seen a lot of niggles reported by the users. It is great car but as we like to keep our cars for long and want a fuss free ownership we dropped the idea of Harrier.

Toyota Innova

The car recently received facelifted and the base diesel at seems good VFM variant but as it is too long and the mileage offered in the city didn't seemed to be appealing. As the car will sometimes be driven by my sister too and she felt like it is too long so we dropped it.

Kia Seltos

How can you look at cars in this budget and ignore Seltos? Even before the launch of this car I loved the looks but the built quality was a concern and my mom and sister liked the panoramic sunroof of Creta more.

Skoda Octavia

Though it was not going to be offered in our choice of fuel but as I have always loved Octavia we were willing to make an exception. I was desperately waiting for Skoda to price Octavia right but that didn't happen and we had to drop Octavia too.

At this point I felt like there no better car than Creta in our current budget and stopped looking at other cars but then comes the Alcazar.

At almost same price of the top end Creta we can get the base model of Alcazar.

Though we don't necessarily need a 7 seater but at the size of Alcazar it is acceptable and while getting Creta one thing I didn't like was that the base starts at 10L ex-showroom and top model goes till 17.5L ex-showroom, thats really a wide range of models and it always felt like I could have got the same car at 10L too but Alcazar on the other hand feels like a more premium offering.

Though I really feel that Alcazar as 6/7 seater is very underpowered in the diesel lineup but as we are a family of four it doesn't matter much because I would get the same engine with Creta too.

Would Alcazar really feel underpowered with 7 people on board? With Creta being a 5-seater with 115bhp it is acceptable, but Alcazar is a 7-seater with 115 bhp. Wouldn't the power to weight be really less?

The model of Alcazar which I am considering is Prestige (O) 7 STR Diesel AT.

The following are the features I would miss if I go with Alcazar instead of Creta:

• Bose sound system (I heard it isn't really very exclusive though)
• Ventilated seats
• Electrically adjustable seats
• Six Airbags

The following are the features/things I would miss if I go with Creta instead of Alcazar:

• 7 seats
• More premium car

We are not considering spending more on Alcazar as we are on the verge of replacing our other cars too.

Never in my life have I been this confused about anything.

Please suggest what according to you would be a better pick.

Here's what BHPian racer_ash had to say on the matter:

You have pretty much answered what you want in your post itself.

You are getting a top variant of a 5 seater which solves 99% of your use case at the same price as the base model of the 6/7 seater.

Also, for an unstable body structured 2.95 star rated car (I say this based on the crash rating of the seltos), the more airbags the better.

Here's what BHPian VKumar had to say on the matter:

Odd one out here: Alcazar takes my vote

Why so? A more flexible car is always more comfortable too. 6 airbags do matter, but I have some serious trust issues with the side and curtain airbags of most of the budget offerings. Having six of them is good, no doubt - but still if I have to choose between the safety of Creta vs the flexibility of Alcazar, I will go with the latter.

My airbag statement may sound absurd, but I am the one who will choose an Innova Crysta base trim with three ugly HVAC control knobs, 3 airbags, and el-cheapo looking console against a fully digital and tech loaded SX(O) Creta. Why? Because there is one factor called absolute comfort, and that matters a lot.

So, what's just a Creta with a bigger boot for many, is a more comfortable and usable daily car for me.

What's added 80 kilos for some, is an assumption of better ride quality for me

An Alcazar with 4 nice captain seats, wireless charging in front and back, and a big boot for the luggage of any size is a perfect all-rounder IMO. No matter what you need it for, the Alcazar will serve the purpose. 7 guys to party, big fat shopping, people with luggage for a long trip; you just ask for it - Alcazar does it.

To sum it up in one statement:

"An Alcazar can do everything a Creta can, even better in a few areas - but the vice versa doesn't apply!"

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

For a family of 4, the Creta's top variant is undeniably the better choice. You will enjoy the additional features every time you drive the car, versus the 3rd-row seat maybe twice a year. There's no point in the last seat row if you are hardly ever going to use it, and it's not like they are that spacious either.

Give me the ventilated seats, superior sound system and more airbags over a kiddie seat any day.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.