Upgraded to a Hyundai Alcazar from a Honda WR-V: The good, bad & ugly

Almost finalised on the Tata Safari but changed to the Alcazar SUV which wasn't even on the considerations list.

BHPian Thegreatone recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

So what car is it?

Presenting my almost 2 months old Hyundai Alcazar (White Colour) Diesel Signature Edition-1.5 Diesel MT.

Hyundai Alcazar? Now? Are u okay? Diesel??

This is precisely what I got to hear from a close friend of mine when I told him-Bhai, book thai gayi (I have booked it)

The Big Question- WHY?

Frankly, Alcazar wasn’t even on my consideration list. I was driving Honda WRV - Diesel for the last 4.5 years (78K clocked on the ODO) in Surat.

Got transferred to Ahmedabad (my hometown) this year and we started facing space constraints in the back seat of my WRV whenever we went out locally with the entire family (4 adults + 1 kid) hence the need for 6 or 7-seater came up. We have another Hyundai Grand i10 which my dad drives so one option was to take both cars and avoid unnecessary spending in a new car since I did not have any issues in my WRV or 5-year-old Grand i10 as well. But then taking two cars would mean dad would have to drive long distances when we would go out on long road trips and fuel expenses for the additional car as well (My grand i10 gives max 12KMPL when driven with the highest love). Hence the final logical outcome was to buy a 6 or a 7 seater or a 5 seater bigger than WRV (i.e. Harrier / XUV 700 with 5 seater config).

Started with XL6, and almost went to finalize the top-end variant, but then my love for Diesel prevented me to give Maruti that booking amount cheque. Checked out Harrier and Safari, test-drove both, and was blown over by the performance. But steering and handling in the city felt difficult. Almost finalized Safari, with the sheer brand value the name carries, but then, took my mom to sit in the car, and she was not able to get in/out of both cars easily. So another criterion was identified, had to take into account my mother’s knees too. Went to see XUV 700, and this time before taking a test drive asked my mom to see if she is able to get in or come out easily. Same issue. Did not even take a test drive since there was no point in buying a new car with my family members not able to get in and out comfortably.

Finally thought to buy XL6, when my son suggested Carens which I frankly did not like due to its boxy looks (No offence to Carens owners since looks are subjective. I don’t like my Alcazar’s front looks either). My mom could easily sit in and get out of both cars so the first gate was cleared. Carens had an option of Diesel which cleared the second gate (XL6 –Sorry). Was considering the Top variant with all bells and whistles and almost bought it. Then my mom told me- "Ek vaar Hyundai ni jo ne koi 6 ke 7-seater aave che?" (See if there is a Hyundai with 6 or 7-seater available). She loves Hyundai. Then came Alcazar on the consideration list. Called for a test drive, and was arranged at home the very next day!! (This is why I like Hyundai). The signature variant automatic diesel was sent as a test drive vehicle. My mom checked the first gate, she invigilated it and Alcazar passed it with flying colours. Next was diesel or petrol choice. 2L NA petrol from Hyundai (I started calculating 'kitna deti hai' -My heart said to buy it, my brain said-No), test drove the diesel automatic, silent cabin and easier handling in the city roads felt good (I was anyways not going to buy automatic-I am still one of those who prefer Manual over automatics). Went to finalize the base variant which had almost what I wanted, but the car was in waiting (Yes, Alcazar diesel also had waiting). Told the dealer which variant he can arrange the fastest, and he convinced me to go for Signature, I convinced him to deliver in 4 days since I had my Diwali road trip to Ujjain and Indore planned in the new vehicle.

So from not being on the consideration list at all, I became an owner of Hyundai Alcazar in 10 days)

So how is it going?

Having driven it for about 3600 km, I can share the Good, Bad and the Ugly of it:

The Good

1. Easy to move in: In spite of the high GC (200 mm), you don’t feel you are sitting in a high-posture car; Which is why I don’t call it SUV; in fact, I do not even know what segment it comes into!! The Best part is my mother loves sitting on the Caption seats in the second row.
2. Interiors: Interiors feel Premium. Of course, you don’t expect cheap interiors from a car costing above 20L. My point is even though the car has hard plastics everywhere, the way Hyundai has assembled them with the black and brown combo, doesn’t ever make you feel like you are interacting with hard-touch plastics.
3. Gizmos: You get front ventilated seats, 360 camera, EPB and Auto Hold, Full Digital Display with MID, 10.25-inch touchscreen for ICE, Air purifier, Wireless Charger in the front row and middle row, Cooled Glove Box, Panoramic Sun Roof and the list goes on.
4. Engine and Gearbox: Ok, I will see eyebrows getting raised for this since the engine should have been considered the weakest part of this package. But considering it from my perspective where the majority of my driving is in the city, without driving fast and furious, the diesel mill has sufficient power and torque to suffice my daily city and occasional highway needs. The peak torque comes in the range of around 1800 -2000 RPM. I have driven the car with 6 normal average-sized adults and I did not feel any issue in pick-up while driving or overtaking on highways. The gearbox is very smooth, shifts are very easy, and gear ratios are created such that you can pass most of the time in 2 and 3rd gear in cities without much struggle. On highways when u need a punch to overtake and if you are in that torque band, you will be able to easily manage over takings.
5. Handling: As said earlier, you will NOT feel like you are driving an SUV or even a Big car. I had no real issues adjusting to this car coming from my WRV. The Alcazar handles like a cross-over in the city, and frankly, this is very big advantage. On Highways at speeds above 100 you do feel body roll while trying to maneuver it here and there since I feel the steering feedback on highways is not like that in the city. Overall, you won’t be disappointed.
6. Not so famous: So I had a WR-V which was in no way a best seller, I have an Alcazar now which might not be regarded as a best seller for Hyundai as well. I do see many Alcazar’s on the road, but lesser than Harrier’s and Safari’s XUV’s; In-fact lesser than Carens also. Also of the lesser Alcazar’s, Signature edition cars are even less. But then, when I went to buy Amaze (1st dull edition), I was advised against it. When I went to buy WR-V, again most of my friends advised against it, When I finalized Alcazar, again I was advised against it. So, as I have spent pretty 5.5 years with my previous love WR-V, I intend to continue the trend with my current love Alcazar also.
7. Brand Image and Dealership Experience (Peace of Mind): I have been a Hyundai user since the Hyundai i10 was first launched and currently I also have a Grand i10 as a secondary car as said earlier. If I have to judge the best sales and service experience so far, it has to be of Hyundai. I have been fortunate enough not to have encountered any sales and service issues so far (Hope it continues that way), be it Nissan, Honda, Ford and even Maruti (I have had Nissan Micra, Maruti 800, Wagon R, Ford Figo before). But from the best, I rate the overall Sales and service Experience slightly even better for Hyundai. The customer satisfaction experience from the dealership as well as the company is at a different level.
8. Mileage: Am getting around 17 km/l in city drives and around 20 on highways when driven without much fuss.

The Bad

1. Product Image: While the overall package is different from Creta, the uncanny similarities it has with its 5-seater sibling don’t really help it to gain the recognition that it actually as a product deserves.
2. Segment Confusion: With its engine option and price range, in my opinion, there is no segment in which it competes. It is way costlier than typical MUV’s-XL 6 and Carens, if I take a diesel power train only, with the 1.5 Ltr diesel engine, it cannot be compared with Safari and XUV 700 or even the Innova since they are way more powerful. If we talk about pricing, it is a sandwich between Harrier, Safari and XUV 700 with the top end of Alcazar comparable to AX5 or XT of XUV700 and Safari in approx. price ranges.
3. Safety Concerns: The Elephant in the room. This factor now has serious weightage in the entire car buying process. So, with the Creta scoring merely 3 stars and with Hyundai India becoming in-famous for giving not-so-safe cars to us, this was surely a risk. The doors feel heavier, somehow, I felt heavier than Creta so I am having guess that Alcazar’s structural stability might be better. I frankly will not be able to compare it to XUV 700 since I haven’t test-driven it. But you can consider me stupid when I say this- The doors of Safari and Harrier felt had the same weight as those of the Alcazar. It is a risk I have taken but with the safety equipment, it is offering. (6 airbags, TPMS, VSM etc)

The Ugly

• Now there are some evident in-your-face features not available in this costly car which really pains me. They are-
• No Auto down / Auto up for all 4 four power windows (Present Only for Driver)
• No illumination in the power window switches in the driver-side door console (except the Driver side)
• No aero twin wiper blades (Yuck)
• No touch sensor on the passenger side for the door open/close (even more Yuck)
• Manually adjustable co-passenger front-row seat (my wife does not like travelling with me now)
• No door-open lamps (Love the door lamps in Harrier)
• No adaptive cruise control
• No lights in the glovebox
• No Illuminated sun visors
• No rain-sensing wipers
• Lower-sized spare wheel

Issues and Concerns

1. Haven't really come across issues as such but have observed certain things here and there which am mentioning below-
2. Squeaky centre console
3. Blue Link connectivity (in the era of 5G Blue link connectivity sometimes is 1G)
4. High beam not too strong (Uninspiring to drive at night)

Conclusion

For a family of four adults with 1 or 2 kids, who want a car more than a 5 seater, and for people who have a driving ratio of 70: 30 (70% City, 30% Highway), this can be a considerable option.

Cheers!

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