Hyundai Alcazar is a seven-seat Creta for the Indian market

How many SUVs are too many SUVs? Hyundai seems to have trouble answering this question as they still dish out new crossovers by the hour. The South Korean brand already has one of the most crossover-rich lineups but that has not stopped them from launching yet another one. Here is the Hyundai Alcazar, a seven-seat version of the Creta launched in India.

The Hyundai Creta is a runaway success in India so the move to plonk in a third row is a no-brainer. The wheelbase of the Creta is extended by 150 mm, and the rear overhang is elongated to accommodate the last two seats, making the Alcazar look more like a minivan. To set apart it from the Creta, the front grill is given a bit more glitter. But from there to the C-pillar, the Alcazar shares most panels with the Creta. The rear is exclusive to the Alcazar, with chunkier tail lights on the flabby behind. The wheels are 18-inch units, a size up from the Creta’s 17-inch wheels.

The Alcazar can be ordered in six or seven-seat configuration, the former getting captain seats in the second row and the latter coming with a regular bench seat. There is a one-touch seat fold mechanism to fold away the second row, allowing easy access to the last row. The last row gets a 50:50 split layout for flexible storage, and can also be folded flat for larger items. Apart from these, the Alcazar gets almost all features from the Creta, including the 10.25-inch touchscreen, digital instrument cluster, panoramic sunroof, wireless charging, automatic climate control and a 360-degree camera.

The 1.5-litre 115 hp diesel engine of the Creta is shared with the Alcazar. Creta’s 1.5-litre petrol and 1.4-litre turbo petrol engines do not show up on the Alcazar brochure. Instead, it borrows a petrol engine from Elantra and Tucson, albeit in a slightly higher state of tune. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine churns out 159 hp and 192 Nm. Both the mills are mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic gearbox.

In the Indian market, the 2021 Hyundai Alcazar will lock horns with the MG Hector Plus and Tata Safari, although it could potentially have a market in the Middle East to go up against the Toyota Rush and Chevy Captiva.