When it first came to us in the middle of 2022, little did we know just how much we’d all like this diesel-manual, three-row Hyundai. At first, folks weren’t exactly rushing for the keys. A three-row SUV and a manual to boot isn’t exactly city friendly. But I grabbed the keys, given that for my home to office run – a little over 70km both ways – a diesel-manual is the most frugal combination, and the Hyundai unit is particularly so. And, indeed, it’s been a fuel sipper. Over the many months, the least efficiency we recorded was an impressive 12.8kpl, the best being 19.4kpl; we carefully measured consumption using the tankful to tankful method. Also helping in the daily driver chores are the light gear lever and clutch, which takes the sting out of traffic to some extent.
Lane watch camera allows you to keep an eye on traffic creeping up in your blind spot.Highway runs are a breeze though; it’s not got the high speed composure of say, a Jeep Compass, but it’s stable enough when you keep sane speeds and, boy, is it comfy. Like on our Kashmir to Kanyakumari run in 2022, everyone wanted to travel in the Alcazar; the rear captain seats are comfortable and spacious, the rear centre console is genuinely handy, with even a wireless charger and USB ports, and the fold-out food trays came in handy quite often. While on the K2K run, our video editor found it a handy perch to work on his laptop transferring footage and editing clips, while on a family trip to Goa, it was used for either snacks or to keep phones to watch movies.
The third row is also well-designed; my daughter is the one who usually ends up there and she’s more than happy with the space and comfort, but what makes it really nice is that there are USB ports, cupholders, AC vents and blower controls here too. Plus, the windows are nice and large, so for kids sitting in the third row, it doesn’t feel like being punished at all.
While it’s comfy, it’s also refined. I’ve had many people travel with me in it and most are surprised to know it’s a diesel. You can hear the engine grumble if you’re standing outside or during start-up, but while cruising steadily, it’s nice and quiet. Driving is a real pleasure when you’re simply pottering about and cruising along, but it’s no driver’s car – the steering is light but devoid of real feel. And while I’m on about things I didn’t like, the tyre pressure monitoring system has at times given us false ‘low pressure’ warnings, and the sunroof control slider needs just a half-press to open just the sunshade; quite unintuitive. The AC vent slider knob also broke, but that aside, the Alcazar has been remarkable in its time with us.
Pretty soon, everyone was reaching for its keys when they had an outstation trip or required to transport people or luggage. Speaking of which, we’ve used it to ferry some of our luggage too, like picking up a load of snack boxes for the office party or transporting tyres to be fitted and balanced.
It’s also been the tracking car for most shoots. Again, it’s spacious and the suspension does a good job of taking up ruts and bumps, providing a steady platform for our photographers and videographers to shoot from. And then, our accounts team is also happy seeing the lower fuel bills. So yes, in its time with us, the Alcazar has really endeared itself to a whole lot of people and as this one bids us goodbye, there will be a lot who will miss it.
Also see:
Hyundai Alcazar facelift to launch by mid-2024
Hyundai Alcazar long term review, first report
Hyundai Alcazar long term review, second report
Hyundai Alcazar long term review, 30,000km report
