Hyundai Alcazar Korean Big Brother!
Hyundai, the Korean automaker who started as nothing in India has gradually built an empire of its own within a number of years. The rapid growth of Hyundai has shocked the king of Indian automobile industry Maruthi Suzuki. Beginning from nothing Hyundai has learned every aspects of the Indian market and they are planning their strategies according to the new flow. According to the industry trend, during the early ages the trend was in favor of hatchbacks. Hatchbacks was the perfect family car fit for everyday use and eligible for a family outing. Maruthi Suzuki updated their lineup with a bunch of hatchbacks and obviously that hit the market and Maruthi grew. Then Suddenly out of nowhere came a Korean Brand the Hyundai. During the entry period there where only five major automakers the Tata, Premier, Hindustan, Mahindra and Maruthi. The first car to roll out from the Hyundai factory was the ever iconic family car the Santro. Santro was unexpectedly a big hit on the market which boosted the popularity of Hyundai in India. And then lately the trends changed. The new trend was on favor of the SUVs. People began choosing SUVs as they were bigger in size and can be taken to anywhere with full confidence. When Maruthi produced S Cross understanding the trend the folks from Korea bought Creta on 2015. On any aspect Creta is a competition to S Cross and sales figures says it all. Creta became so popular just after the launch and the second generation facelift just came. The second gen facelift saw rapid changes in design and cosmetics. And now to take things to another level Hyundai is introducing their all new 6-7 seater SUV Alcazar. With the Alcazar Hyundai is stepping into a new but known segment the 7 seater SUV segment. Loaded with the rivals like the Safari and the Hector plus, could Alcazar make it to the top of the segment? Lets check it out.
The Alcazar in the first look you may feel like it is the extended version of the Creta with increased front and back overhangs and increased size. But its really not. The front-end is similar to that of Creta but this feels better. The front-end is adorned with black chrome and as a change from the chrome bars, there are chrome rectangular bricks and the Hyundai logo is placed perfectly on the center. There are sharp character lines on the lower panel and just below the headlamps. There is a small air-dam on the lower panel and the and the lower end of the front skid plate is finished with an faux cladding to give a shiny appeal. The front bumper is also incorporated with two lower fog lamps and indicators. The fog lamps are LED and the indicators are halogen and the fog lamps unit is bordered with chrome lining. There is the big headlamp unit along with shiny day time running lamps. The DRLs are attractive and acts like the border of headlamps. The headlamp unit is incorporated with 3 LED lamps that is one high beam and 2 low beam. The head lamp unit gets divided by a small crease running through and that space is occupied with chrome brick. There is a small chrome plate running down the side of the front grille and it gets wider as it goes down, reaching the bottom pane it cuts a 90 degree angle and runs over up to the other DRL. That chrome plate is really complementing to the seriousness and boldness given to the front-end. The hood is finished in a muscular way and that is really giving a bold and muscular feel to the front-end. There are two sharp creases right at the center of the hood and that creases forms out a muscular bulge on the hood right at the center. There are two mild character lines which goes through the end of the hood and merges to the front grille. Overall the front-end is really refreshed, even though its a bit Cretaish, its better than Creta. The black chrome finishes really stands out and gives the front- and a seriousness and premium elegance.
Coming around, the side profile is well architected complementing to the muscularity and massiveness of a seven seater SUV. First sight of attraction is the 18 inch alloys with a new dual tone design. The alloys are introduced for the first time in Alcazar. The outer border is given a shiny black chrome finish while the inner portions are finished with the gloss black color and the gloss black is helpful to spot the disc breaks. The Alcazar is out on the asphalt with four wheels disc breaks, so sharp breaking on time. The wheel arches are muscular and sharp with character lines and the signature black cladding running all around the bottom panel. The cladding is given deep black color so from a bit far it looks like glossy black finish. On the very bottom end there is a door step, which is finished in brushed aluminum and black spots creating a nice pattern, is a helping hand not to be awkward getting into this massive SUV. There is small character line on the center of the bottom panel which is not too sharp or too miled, kind of intermediate form, it can be seen like a crease with a cut down on the bottom panel. There is character line on the shoulder line which emerges from the front fender, lowers down as it approaches the side and raises up again as it approaches the rear fender and merges out with it. The shoulder line and the window panels that is the A B and C pillars are finished with glossy black, no chrome anywhere there but the handle bar is given a chrome stripe on the top and bottom. On the roof the two brushed silver finished roof rails are complementing well to the SUV stance and the quarter panel is well incorporated without making it feel like an extended version. The side profile, especially the window line is also feeling a bit like Creta that is up to the quarter panel it feel like the exact copy Creta. The remaining portion from the quarter panel feels fresh and bigger.
Moving back, rear end suddenly can give you Dejavu because the rear end is almost similar to that of ford Endeavour if there is no Hyundai logo it is exactly an Endeavour. The rear end is also highlighted with black chrome stripe right at the center and on it is the ALCAZAR writing which is pretty similar to that of Endeavour. The rear end is also given a bold and attractive finish with the all new all LED tail lamp cluster and a small crease running through in the middle portion just below the boot. On the rear end there is a massive 2,0 badge and a variant name provided on either sides and the black cladding runs through in the bottom panel. There is faux rear skid plates and Hyundai's twin tip exhaust system. The exhaust tips are finished with brushed aluminum to give a shiny appearance. There are two reflectors placed on either sides of the bottom panel. LED tail lamps have a honeycomb-inspired design. They get an LED element as a border and reversing light, along with turn indicators in the middle. The rear spoiler is placed above the rear wind screen and that spoiler is given dual tone finish that is gloss black on the inside and white on then upper outside. There is a sleek LED lamp on the spoiler and on the big windscreen there is a wiper to clear the view. Confidence increased on rainy drives.
The exterior is really fresh and elegant filled with sharp character lines cuts and creases. Also adorned with black chrome finishes on the front-end and rear end, along with the refreshed grille design. The head and tail lamp units are attractive and the new Korean is given each and every character for being a seven seater SUV. The rear end is well finished without giving the feel of extension and every small elements are finished with real elegance and attention to detailed finish. Only two words muscular and attractive!.
Step into the cabin and you are greeted by this black and cognac-brown dual-tone dashboard, it's very BMW-like. And while the exteriors may not be to everyone's liking, the cabin design is pleasing overall. There are no soft-touch materials on the dashboard, however, the plastics are of good quality and well built. The front dashboard is given a dual tone leather finish in cognac-brown and black, the stitches are making it classy and . The dual tone finish runs all around the interior. The quad spoke leather finished steering wheel is pretty similar and small which eases the job and never makes you feel like riding a massive beast. The two spokes at the bottom portion of the wheel is given a brushed silver finish and the two spokes at the top is given gloss black finish along with the brushed silver border. The two spokes a the top is integrated with the multimedia controls and cruise control function. The steering wheel is flat bottom to generate a sporty feel and overall it is amazingly finished and attractive, I am not saying about the design but the overall arrangements are. good, not the design is bat but it is familiar. The instrument cluster is the highlight of the front-end, even though its digital the classic theme is really catchy and gives a feel like that of a Rolls Royce. Other themes are outstanding too, along with the cool transitions. The instrument cluster is also integrate with a feature which shows feed from the side which you are going to turn as you put on the indicators. Now the door pad is just the same color as that of the interior. The dual tone finished leather finished interior feels premium and comfortable. The door pad is integrated with a number of buttons and chrome inserts. The door-pads are multi-functional with power window buttons and the region were the buttons are incorporated is given a black finish along with chrome border lining. The door handles on the inside are given chrome finish just like that ones on the outside. There is a leather finished cushioning on the portion armrest and the internal parts are given cognac-brown finish. The front seats are also given the dual-tone cognac-brown and black finish and is also integrated with a stitch pattern on the middle along with piping and cushioning. The seats are also featured the cooling system which is essential for the Indian climate. The AC vents on both sides are given a thin chrome lining as an outline and a chrome strip on the inside, the one at the center is only given a chrome stripe in the inside. The center console is highlighted by a 10.25 inch touch screen infotainment system and other controls like climate control and all. The center console and the surroundings of the AC vents are given gloss black finish and the infotainment screen is enabled with the common features like the android auto and apple car-play. There is one rotory nobe placed on the bottom center of the console and is given a brushed silver finish, thus making it really stand out in the gloss black theme. Further down there is the climate controls placed perfectly on place and there are pockets for induction charging and phone storage. Coming further into the gear column the new gear liver looks so well finished and luxurious. The gear nobe is given a leather finish on the top along with a piano black finish on the edges and is fitted with brushed silver plates on the remaining portion. The design of the gear liver is really attractive and striking. There is brushed aluminum finish on the gear column which extends back to the armrest. Rest of the portion on the center console is finished with gloss black and the gears are illuminated with blue light. Near the E park break sits the traction or drive mode selection nobe. The traction mode selector nobe is also well finished with brushed silver all around and gloss black on the top, the design given to it is too good small small attention to detail is finished with perfection. Besides the gear column is the fan adjustment button and it is separated for each seats.
The back seats on the second row are given extra highlighted stitch pattern which really projects out and the second row seats are given an armrest along with storage pockets and cup holders, the front seats are integrated with folded tables on the backside making the second row seat more practical and family oriented. The rear door panels are finished just like that of the front ones with no differences but the perfect positioning of armrests. In the 6 seater variant the second row seats are captain seats and they are divided by the central armrest. The seats are roomy in both first and second row. The third row is pretty useful for children not recommended for adults and elders. There are quarter glasses on the third row which erases the claustrophobic feel from the rear passengers, but for kids it really never matters. Third row include 3-point seat-belts for both passengers, adjustable headrests, adequate headroom and a well-sized quarter-glass so passengers don't feel claustrophobic. But really, only send the kids here. On the third row both passengers are given get a cup holder, cubbyhole, USB charging port and an AC vent.
The right side passenger gets the controller. The normal boot space of the Korean big star is 180 liters, but with seats folding down as per requirement you can get lavish space for everything.
This beast from Korea is powered by a 2.0 liter Naturally Aspirated Multi point injection petrol engine shared from Elantra producing a power of 156 BHP and Torque of 191NM and is mated to . The diesel variant is powered with 1.5 liter CRDI ( Common Rail Direct Injection) engine which is more torqy than that of petrol. The diesel engine produces 113 HP and 250NM torque, mated to a 6 speed automatic and manual transmission.
Verdict on the Alcazar is simple, a pretty big family focused car. Best to be considered as a 5+2 seater other than a fully fledged 7 seater or six seater. The exterior design is actually better than that of Creta with black chrome and other details absolutely making it premium!. Character lines and bold bulges running all around the exterior makes it sharp and bolder sketching out the SUV character. The alloy wheels with the dual tone gloss black and silver is really complementing ti the SUV stance as I said earlier. The interior is impressive with the dual-tone cognac-brown and black along with multiple attention to detail elements, the gear nobe for the automatic transmission is nicely designed. The seats are also comfy and stylish. Only problem for driving enthusiasts is the under-powerd engine. But that really doesn't matter for being a family car. A feature rich comfortable family oriented SUV offered by an affordable automaker.
Hope you found it informative, see you in next post the Countach!
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