Hyundai Alcazar Review: Perfect for 4 Adults, Not for 7

Hyundai Alcazar Review: Buyers, when exploring for a new mid-size SUV that has good features, comes with a six-seat configuration, and has a plush cabin experience, there are various choices available in the market. Around ₹17-18 lakh, there are various choices available, like you can check out the Mahindra XUV 7XO, Tata Safari, and others. If you are looking for an option that has a good amount of features, a reliable petrol or a diesel engine, and comfortable cabin space, then you can check out the Hyundai Alcazar in the segment.

The Hyundai Alcazar is an underrated choice in the market. It has bold exteriors, offers features like a panoramic sunroof, driving modes, front-ventilated seats, and others. Some of the key features for rear-seat passengers were rear-seat ventilation, sun blinds for the windows, and more. Talking about its engine, the Alcazar comes equipped with a 1.5L turbo petrol or a diesel engine. You can choose the Alcazar from multiple colour options.

Recently, we drove the Hyundai Alcazar for 900km in the city and on highways and tested out its rear-seat comfort, features, performance and other factors. Here are our thoughts on whether you should consider the Hyundai Alcazar or not:

What’s Good

Comfort

We drove the Hyundai Alcazar with captain seats. The comfort from the front seats was good, and Hyundai offers it with a welcome seat function, which helps in easy ingress and egress. The cabin is wide enough, and the seat cushioning is on point, giving you a comfortable and plush experience. After driving it for 900km, we were not tired, and we enjoyed the front seats.

However, as we mentioned, it was a captain's seat variant, and the rear-row seats were pretty comfortable. The middle-row offered a good amount of knee and leg room, and there was ample headroom on offer. Hyundai has tuned the suspension of the Alcazar on the softer side, thus giving it a plush ride experience at city speeds. However, while taking it at around 100-120 km/h, the ride becomes a bit bouncy, and the suspension could have been on a stiffer side for more comfort.

To add more comfort, you get a ventilation function, which is a useful feature for hot climates. The cabin is practical as there are multiple cup holders, and you even get a tray table to keep your laptop or some stuff while you are on the move.

Features

The Hyundai Alcazar is a feature-rich offering in the market. Some of the key features that we liked were the 360-degree parking camera, driving modes, dual-zone climate control, remote start/stop function, approach lock/unlock function, and others.

The 360-degree parking camera offered a good view of what’s around, and the front parking sensors helped in parking it in tight spaces very easily. Moreover, since it has a 10.25-inch infotainment system, you have wired connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which we did not expect for a car of its price in the segment. Though for music lovers, you get a Bose sound system, which gives you a good music experience, and the notes are clear, and you can tune in with multiple different settings.

Some of the convenience features that we really appreciated were the memory seat function, as on long trips, multiple people drove the car, so to get your driving position back, you just save it in either 1 or 2 profiles, and you get it back as soon as you press it.

Safety Features

Hyundai offers the Alcazar with multiple safety features. It comes with Level-2 ADAS, six airbags, ABS with EBD, a direct highline TPMS, traction control, and more.

During our long trips, we used the ADAS function, which includes lane keep assist, lane departure warning, blind spot monitor, adaptive cruise control, and more. The lane functions and the adaptive cruise control worked effortlessly, and the blind-spot assist is a useful function in city conditions. On highways, it helped us in making the right overtakes, and there is a blind-view camera in the instrument cluster.

Engine Performance

The Hyundai Alcazar comes with two engine options: a 1.5L turbo petrol engine and a 1.5L diesel engine. We drove the 1.5L inline four-cylinder turbo petrol engine, which makes 160 bhp and 253 Nm of peak torque, paired with a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DCT gearbox. 

The performance from the engine is good, and since there are three-driving modes, the engine response alters in each mode. The power delivery is linear, and you do not get a kick in the pants feel. As we mentioned, Alcazar gets three driving modes, these are Eco Normal, and Sport. We mostly kept it in the Eco mode, and did engage the Sports mode as well.

The Eco mode is practical for city cruising, and the engine feels a bit lethargic. It shifts early under 2,000 RPM to get more fuel efficiency, but on a hard push, it feels a bit strained. However, as soon as you engage the Sports mode, the dynamics of the Alcazar change evidently. On manual shifting via the paddle shifters, it holds on to a gear and keeps it in the mid-range, which is the sweet spot. The turbo lag is very well contained, and you can even hear the turbo sprool at times.

What’s Bad

Fuel Efficiency

Though the Hyundai Alcazar has a 1.5L turbo petrol engine, it may return a fuel efficiency in single-digit as well. 

Though the ARAI claimed the fuel efficiency of the Hyundai Alcazar petrol automatic variant is 18.1 km/L, in real-world conditions, it will return somewhere around 12.7km/L.  

Poor Headlights

The Hyundai Alcazar comes with LED headlamps and LED DRLs on offer. During our long trips, we covered some dark patches of roads and tested out the throw of its headlights. 

Surprisingly, the throw of the headlights was not up to mark, as the oncoming traffic was able to surpass our light, and it did not have a widespread throw either. Hyundai may update the headlights in its next model, or if you wish for a stronger LED headlight, you may install aftermarket LED lights as well.

Less space in third row

Though the Alcazar comes with a third row, there is hardly any space over there. Once in, you feel a bit claustrophobic, and you hardly have any knee and leg room on offer. 

For tall passengers, the headroom is also tight, and is not suited for them. However, for convenience, you get a Type-C charger port and blower controls for the air conditioning, and the third row is best suited for kids or medium-height adults.

What is the price of the Hyundai Alcazar?

The price of the Hyundai Alcazar starts at ₹16.98 lakh (on-road, Noida) for the base Executive 7-seater variant. However, the Signature 6-seater variant is priced at ₹24.61 lakh (on-road, Noida).

Verdict

Now the million-dollar question is -- should you consider the Hyundai Alcazar in the mid-size SUV segment or not? Our answer is Yes. The exterior has a distinct design compared to other Hyundai SUVs, and the interiors have a premium experience. However, it misses out on some key features, like wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and some others, and the headlights could have been improved. The Hyundai Alcazar has a smooth engine with good performance, and the gearshifts are also smooth. However, the fuel efficiency is decent, and Hyundai could have tuned the suspension a bit stiffer for more interior comfort.

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