Hyundai Alcazar will make its global debut in India soon and it will compete against Tata Safari, MG Hector Plus and the likes
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) has today announced the official name of its upcoming seven-seater SUV based on the top-selling Creta. Dubbed the Alcazar as expected, it will help in expanding the brand’s SUV portfolio in India. Hyundai says the Alcazar has been developed to “personify reliability and indulgence” and draws inspiration from the royal lineage of castles and palaces.
The brand emphasises spaciousness and solidity with the upcoming three-row SUV and it is evident that it will be positioned as a premium product. It will slot below the Tucson in the domestic lineup and just above the five-seater Creta sibling.
Expect the Hyundai Alcazar to be priced from Rs. 11.50 lakh and it could go up to Rs. 19 lakh (ex-showroom). The seven-seater will be pitted against the newly launched Tata Safari, MG Hector Plus and the next generation Mahindra XUV500 upon arrival. The second-largest carmaker in the country says that the Alcazar is not just ‘made in India’ but ‘made first for India’.
While no official date has been announced at the time of writing, Hyundai confirms that the global debut of the Alcazar will happen in India “soon”. With the stretched seven-seater versions of the regular five-seater mid-size SUVs seeing increased takers, it is no surprise that Hyundai has jumped on the bandwagon sooner than expected.
We do expect the Hyundai Alcazar to retain the same 2,610 mm wheelbase length of the Creta while being longer and taller to accommodate the third-row seating arrangement. It could be offered as a six-seater with middle-row captain seating arrangement along with a seven-seat layout. Besides a longer roof, the rear end will be redesigned with new LED tail lamps and an upright boot structure.
To differentiate the Alcazar from the Creta, the front fascia will get subtle design changes but the split headlamp cluster and other styling bits could be carried over. As for the performance, the 1.5-litre petrol, the 1.5-litre diesel and the 1.4-litre turbo petrol found in the Creta could be retained. The 1.5-litre gasoline mill generates 115 PS and 144 Nm and the solo diesel makes 115 PS and 250 Nm in the Creta.
The smaller turbocharged petrol develops 140 PS and 242 Nm and the Hyundai Alcazar will more likely have the performance numbers unaltered and it will be offered in multiple transmission choices to have an expansive range.
The interior will boast of features like a 10.25-inch touchscreen, BlueLink connectivity, panoramic sunroof, wireless charging, digital instrument cluster, powered driver seat, etc.