The Hyundai Alcazar 1.5 DCT has made it in to the CarAdvice garage and we have been putting it to pace on our day to day runs. This shade of Matte Black stands out and looks quite upmarket and premium. The design looks modern and is quite a jump from the outgoing variant which looked more sober in comparison. We are driving the 6-seater variant which gets Captain seats in the second row, the biggest upgrade as far as comfort is concerned. We have been using the car in a mix of city and highway conditions and there are a lot of good things going for it.
Powered by the 1.5-litre Turbo Petrol engine, the Alcazar doesn’t fall short as far as power is concerned. 160 PS is more than enough to handle most highway and city runs. The 7-DCT is smooth and effortless, however at low speeds, the gearbox judders between 1st and 2nd gear. Hyundai has also given drive modes which gets the engine to behave aggressively or relaxed based on the driving situation. However in stop-go-traffic there is a hint of lag before the turbo spools up. While there is enough power to almost every driving situation, fuel efficiency varies.
In routinely city driving conditions we are getting around 8 km/l while highway efficiency is far better at around 14 km/l. In mixed conditions you can squeeze out around 10 km/l if you drive with a light foot. We don’t notice too much difference in FE between Eco and Comfort mode. However, performance was quite brisk in the Sport mode. Range displayed on the cluster isn’t accurate. A full tank displays around 600 km on the cluster but in the real world, it returns only around 400 km. The steering feels light at low speeds, weighs up decently at high speeds. High speed stability is quite good too. However, the steering feels a bit heavy just as you drive off and this can be a tad annoying in situations where you need to go back and forth to get out of tight parking spots.
On the comfort front, the second row is the place to be. The captain seats come with adjustable under-thigh support, seat ventilation and a much more supported headrest. Legroom is quite decent here and if you are someone who are chauffeured, the Alcazar does make a lot of sense. However, if you have to compare between the 6 and 7-seater variants, the 7 seater offers more legroom due to the bench layout as compared to the captain seats which take up a lot more space.
The captain seats also render the car to be a 4-seater since the last row is usually folded to make space for luggage. Last row, when upright, is best suited for children and offers poor under-thigh support. Memory function is quite a boon if you like to fine tune your seat adjustment. I don’t usually give the car to the valet for the fear that they may mess up my seat position but in this case I could save my seat and mirror position.
We have been using the car as a tracking car for most for our shoots. The quick acceleration helps us to keep pace with some really fast cars while the boot does allow a lot of out equipment to be stored with adequate room for more. We also love the audio system which churns out amazing sound while the panoramic sunroof allows us to enjoy the golden hour sunlight. Not a real fan of ADAS as it is quite intrusive but one really useful feature is the the Adaptive Cruise Control which helps you cruise of expressways with ease. The LED headlamps light up the road well at night and High Beam Assist is very useful on single lane roads at night. Since this is a major facelift, Hyundai should have offered Wireless CarPlay.
The Alcazar has matured and is a more rounded package now offering oodles of comfort for the second row passengers. Although the running cost of the 1.5-Turbo is on the higher side, it does offer great performance. If running cost is a concern, Hyundai will sell you the Diesel, which is quite fuel efficient, much more than the newly launched Venue. Overall it’s a great option to consider if you want to use it primarily as a 4-seater with a large boot or an occasional 6-seater.
