[praveenkkr]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Usually the seven seaters have been priced higher than their 6 seater counterparts in India.

Cannot be generalized .
In fact, car makers project captain seats as premium. For example, the XL6. MG Hector 6 seater is costlier than the 7 seater.
In case of Alcazar, the console between the captain seats also hosts few feature like wireless charger etc.

[Manojah]

Originally Posted by Jatin247

GOT THE FIRST SERVICE DONE FOR MY ALCAZAR


For anyone wondering is it underpowered with all seats occupied, NO it isn't. I drove around with 6 people and didn't felt for a second that the car was underpowered.

Test drove an Alcazar Diesel AT for the 3rd time ( this time a friends Alcazar which had done about 2500 Kms. ). Deliberately drove it on the some steep portions of Hills ( with 6 co-passengers - 4 adults averaging 70 Kgs. each and 2 children about 45 kgs. each ) in and around Shimla for about 2 hours.

Definitely felt that it is underpowered on steep climbs & it struggled on steep inclines on eco & comfort mode, though Sports was slightly better. Then drove it for some time on the Shimla Chandigarh highway. Here it felt pretty comfortable and confident.

Since, I often like to drive in Hills on godforsaken roads, Alcazar Diesel AT is definitely out of my contention. Looking to physically see & test drive XUV 700 when it becomes available, though I feel that its design is a bit loud for my taste.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by Manojah

Definitely felt that it is underpowered on steep climbs & it struggled on steep inclines on eco & comfort mode, though Sports was slightly better. Then drove it for some time on the Shimla Chandigarh highway. Here it felt pretty comfortable and confident.

Power or lack thereof is definitely in the eyes/feel of the driver, but it would be incorrect to test power (especially on steep inclines) in economy mode. Economy or comfort mode is ideally not suited for such applications. Both these modes are suited for normal roads or traffic conditions to extract maximum mileage. Steep inclines or if the driver is feeling a racy mood should call for the sports mode.

Cheers

[Manojah]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

Power or lack thereof is definitely in the eyes/feel of the driver, but it would be incorrect to test power (especially on steep inclines) in economy mode. Economy or comfort mode is ideally not suited for such applications. Both these modes are suited for normal roads or traffic conditions to extract maximum mileage. Steep inclines or if the driver is feeling a racy mood should call for the sports mode.

Cheers

I partly agree. Eco & comfort mode are not ideally suited for steep inclines, but as I said I was test driving it and checked its performance in all modes. I did feel that it is underpowered in Sports mode too with full load and on steep inclines. For somebody who may be driving from casually from Delhi to Shimla on the main highways may not really feel the same, but for someone who likes to explore the interiors of the hills with all kinds of steep inclines and rough patches, this is underpowered.

So for my kind of driving terrain, engine is definitely underpowered & I could feel it many times & this is not meant to be driven on steep, rough slopes with full load.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by Manojah

I partly agree. Eco & comfort mode are not ideally suited for steep inclines, but as I said I was test driving it and checked its performance in all modes. I did feel that it is underpowered in Sports mode too with full load and on steep inclines. For somebody who may be driving from casually from Delhi to Shimla on the main highways may not really feel the same, but for someone who likes to explore the interiors of the hills with all kinds of steep inclines and rough patches, this is underpowered.

So for my kind of driving terrain, engine is definitely underpowered & I could feel it many times & this is not meant to be driven on steep, rough slopes with full load.

Its a question of needs & expectations. Now that more powerful cars are available, one tends to unconsciously observe lack of power/torque in certain situations. 115BHP/250NM is not a small number. If you compare it with say a Harrier or a Compass, then yes there is a significant difference. Then again, also factor in the AT gearbox. I own a Creta 1.5D AT, and have observed this perceived lack of grunt on inclines. But its not because of the engine per-se. If you shift the transmission to manual, then you can extract the power effectively. You need to then also drive it exactly like a Manual car, i.e, downshift before a taking on a hairpin bend / incline. If you let the gearbox decide, it will make its most economical choice and bog you down.

[Manojah]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

Its a question of needs & expectations. Now that more powerful cars are available, one tends to unconsciously observe lack of power/torque in certain situations. 115BHP/250NM is not a small number. If you compare it with say a Harrier or a Compass, then yes there is a significant difference. Then again, also factor in the AT gearbox. I own a Creta 1.5D AT, and have observed this perceived lack of grunt on inclines. But its not because of the engine per-se. If you shift the transmission to manual, then you can extract the power effectively. You need to then also drive it exactly like a Manual car, i.e, downshift before a taking on a hairpin bend / incline. If you let the gearbox decide, it will make its most economical choice and bog you down.

This is what I am saying and hence the problem. If you let the gearbox decide, it has to make its most economical choice and that shouldn't give you a feeling of getting bogged down.

Maybe, I am wrong or my expectations are higher. Shifting to manual would of course solve the issue to an certain extent, but I would love to have an engine which has the sufficient grunt, so that lack of power is least evident in AT too.

[Jatin247]

Originally Posted by Manojah

Definitely felt that it is underpowered on steep climbs & it struggled on steep inclines on eco & comfort mode, though Sports was slightly better. Then drove it for some time on the Shimla Chandigarh highway. Here it felt pretty comfortable and confident.

I haven’t driven the car on hills yet so can’t say about it.
The gearbox changes gears on/under 2000 rpm on both comfort and eco mode, and even with a heavy foot it goes max till 3000 rpm, while on sports mode it goes all the way till 3500 rpm and even the power on foot feels better, I doubt if it would feel underpowered even on sports mode. If you use paddle shifters, you would get a better control of the car overall and while driving a manual on hills too we tend to stretch the car to lil higher rpms than usual.
Only if I would have waited a little longer, there would have been no way I wouldn’t have got Xuv 700. But as my car is mainly used in city, I still feel the power is adequate.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by Manojah

This is what I am saying and hence the problem. If you let the gearbox decide, it has to make its most economical choice and that shouldn't give you a feeling of getting bogged down.

Maybe, I am wrong or my expectations are higher. Shifting to manual would of course solve the issue to an certain extent, but I would love to have an engine which has the sufficient grunt, so that lack of power is least evident in AT too.

Agreed- Just a suggestion that you assess the power/torque/performance in context. If you put 6 adults in an Innova on steep inclines, again you wont get 'sprightly' performance even though the Innova has a bigger engine and higher power/torque, because it is a heavier car.

[yajaman99]

Wanted to check if anyone owns the 2L AT or knows any family/friends who do.
I loved the car and its drive, for me it was super smooth. My only concern is the Fuel Efficiency. Any real life user experience. I think it may be around 8km/l in city driving.
My major driving is in city.
It is once again head (fuel cost) vs heart (performance).
Thanks in advance for any inputs.

[Manojah]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

Agreed- Just a suggestion that you assess the power/torque/performance in context. If you put 6 adults in an Innova on steep inclines, again you wont get 'sprightly' performance even though the Innova has a bigger engine and higher power/torque, because it is a heavier car.

You are right to an extent. I have been moving regularly on these steep inclines on my Thar, have travelled here on a Crysta and my old Scorpio, which i sold 8 months back. The feel of inadequate power is the most evident in the Alcazar Diesel AT as compared to my other drives on such roads. Yes, that spirited performance goes missing in a Crysta & some others, but they don't give a feeling that they might stall midway on a steep incline.

[msarunms1987]

My 2.2L Diesel Scorpio has a power of 122PS @ 4000rpm and a torque of 290Nm @ 1800-2800rpm.
With 5 adults and a large dog, I definitely feel underpowered in steep inclines.
Did I forget to say that she weighs a mammoth 2tonne+?
But yes, whenever the second gear gives up on me, the first gear comes to the rescue.

Coming from this (and considering Alcazar's power, torque and more importantly the kerb weight), I somehow feel I will have a slightly better experience with Alcazar's (read AT) performance on steep inclines (I repeat, in comparison to my Scorpio - without taking into the factor the other hundreds of differences that they have).

Like @fhdowntheline said, I think it is a lot about what expectations you have.

To summarize, I think, I would drive on sports mode and possibly make use of paddle shifters (Thanks Hyundai!) if and when I am at inclines.

[Manojah]

Originally Posted by Jatin247

I haven’t driven the car on hills yet so can’t say about it.
The gearbox changes gears on/under 2000 rpm on both comfort and eco mode, and even with a heavy foot it goes max till 3000 rpm, while on sports mode it goes all the way till 3500 rpm and even the power on foot feels better, I doubt if it would feel underpowered even on sports mode. If you use paddle shifters, you would get a better control of the car overall and while driving a manual on hills too we tend to stretch the car to lil higher rpms than usual.
Only if I would have waited a little longer, there would have been no way I wouldn’t have got Xuv 700. But as my car is mainly used in city, I still feel the power is adequate.

Alcazar no doubt is a great offering and I really liked the Petrol Manual & AT for the kind of power it delivers, but the FE was taking a hit here. I was all set to buy it in the Diesel Avatar, but the 3rd row seating squeezer was a no-no and the bigger no-no was the underpowered Diesel engine.

If I had to mainly drive it in cities and on Highways, would have gone for the Diesel AT, but full load steep climbs in Hills for this Diesel is trying to extract too much out of it.

XUV 7oo looks exciting, but 3rd row seating space, Mahindra's ownership niggles, especially in the 1st year of ownership and abysmal after sales service are issues to be grappled with while buying a Mahindra. I know it pretty well since I own a Thar and had a Scorpio too till about 7-8 months back.

[venksv]

Hi - just booked the 2L Petrol AT Signature trim. We were looking for a 5-6 seater and alcazar clicked all our boxes. The Missus loved the Creta and we almost bought it but then heard about the Alcazar coming up. 3rd row will be used mainly by kids/teens so current setup works for us. Had a question dor current owners: Does it support wireless CarPlay or does it need to be wired VUA the USB?

[Manojah]

Originally Posted by venksv

Hi - just booked the 2L Petrol AT Signature trim. We were looking for a 5-6 seater and alcazar clicked all our boxes. The Missus loved the Creta and we almost bought it but then heard about the Alcazar coming up. 3rd row will be used mainly by kids/teens so current setup works for us. Had a question dor current owners: Does it support wireless CarPlay or does it need to be wired VUA the USB?

I did read somewhere that Alcazar supports wireless android auto and apple carplay.

Maybe, one of the owners here would be able to confirm.

[devakj]

So, I got my Alcazar around 10 days back. I moved on from a Honda family (Sold my 11 year old ANHC but still keeping my wife's Brio.)

Considerations while buying the car: 50% of my drive is alone. Around 30% with my wife and two kids (14 and 11), and another 20% with my parents/friends. I drive around 10 to 15k kms per year. Family wanted an SUV, so was looking at SUVs since I already had experienced a sedan and a hatch. My budget was between 18 and 30 based on what I felt I would get for the money. More than the driving experience, I was keen on the passenger experience as my kids are in the younger teens and I wanted to ensure that we have quite a few family trips to create memories before they got into 10th and 12th.

Vehicles Considered:
1.) Tata Harrier: Booked a Harrier online well prior to the launch as I had an opportunity to visit the Coventry JLR plant a few years back and one of the managers in the assembly line told me that Tata was planning to launch a Discovery Sport at Tata prices and I was hooked. However, 2 months after the booking, I got one call from the dealer asking if I wanted a Manual or Automatic. After I mentioned Automatic, I never got a call, even after Automatic was launched. I tried following up even post automatic launch, and there was no interest. After 2 months of struggle, I got my advance back 6 months after booking. I again reconsidered last year but after 2 months and several calls to get a test drive as per my convenience, finally decided on dropping my plans to buy the Harrier/Safari

2.) Kia Seltos: Again tried to book Seltos around the time of launch, however family and friends were not too impressed with the space availability even though my heart badly wanted to buy it.

3.) Skoda Kushaq: Again got into the hype around Skoda Kushaq and was eagerly following the thread. But towards the end, kind of got a feeling that the original promise of VFM was missing and it did not feel like an upgrade from my ANHC, considering it felt more like a good looking hatch.

4.) Hyundai Alcazar: Again I must confess it was the TBHP thread that got me to thinking about Alcazar. Felt it checked all the boxes for my requirement. Tried out the Alcazar in person and family was wowed by all the features and goodies. I am the tallest in my family at 5' 6" , and the last row space was not a deal breaker for us. Went with the 2.0L Petrol Signature Automatic as I am not expecting it to be used a lot much beyond the initial couple of years (Am hoping to upgrade the Brio to electric car beyond 2023 as I have a 10KW Solar installed with plenty of spare energy generated)


I got the extended warranty and the Shield of Trust for peace of mind. Also since I had chosen Black, got the C3 coating(Extreme package with 5 year warranty) done at Shifterz (www.shifterzchapter3.com). Also bought 70Mai Pro Plus+ A500S, and still searching for a place to get it installed.

Initial experience:

So I have driven it for close to 800 kms or so in the past 10 days, including a great tip to the hilly vagamon.

The Pros:
1.) Family is still in love with the car. Felt it extremely comfortable for the middle row. I spend half the trip (1.5 hours ) in the last row and felt no discomfort.
2.) Extremely comfortable to drive. Not feeling tired at all after 2/3 hours.
3.) In love with the 360 deg cam and the panoramic sunroof.

The Cons:
1.) While I love the Appple Carplay- Wish it had been wireless. The original cable I had connected often would get disconnected and the music would stop. But this has been OK since I changed the cable.
2.) The Apollo apterra cross tyres. One of the tyres actually got a puncture on our way down from Vagamon. Took it to service and I was told that there is side wall damage, potentially from some gutter I jumped on. And Apollo does not have any warranty to cover that. Considering if I should switch to Continentals since I am not sure what good the tyres are if they cannot even manage normal use for a week. And to make matters worse, being a new model, a spare is not available in the state. While it can be easily repaired at a tyre shop, not sure if is safe to do that.


Mileage:
As I mentioned , I got the Petrol Automatic. I got 9KMPL on the way to Hilly Vagamon and 10.5 back (Downhill). General City trips give me 9.3 or so (Have been told it will increase after first service). Have traveled once to Chalakudy (45 kms on Kerala highway - average speed 60 or so with several stop and go traffic) and got 13KMPL.