[TT-S]

Originally Posted by Manojah

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.

I think the problem is not the steep incline, but the air density which is thinner compared to sea level, up in the hilly areas. Both turbocharged and naturally aspirated engines fare poorly in hilly conditions compared to sea level. The Innova and Thar would feel better in these conditions due to the higher displacement engine.

[yajaman99]

Originally Posted by devakj

So, I got my Alcazar around 10 days back.

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.

Congratulations Devakj, I fell in love with the way the 2L AT drives, I personally felt it was like gliding on an air cushion. The all digital instrument cluster is amazing, the blind spot monitor system is super, however in real life use it depends how one holds the steering wheel.

Thank you for the real life mileage figures , I have being doing my fuel calculation at 8KM/L but seeing your FE figures gives me a some hope it can hit 9KM/L to 10KM/L.

Please do keep us updated on the FE as time goes by.

[Rigid Rotor]

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.

The Alcazar has a Torque Convertor AT. This itself ensures torque multiplication and it's typically supposed to be in the region of 1.8-2.5. This is in addition to the six gears in the gearbox. Being a fluid coupling it's not going to stall the engine on an upslope. In fact it's advantageous to have a TC instead of say, a DCT on an upslope.

Whereas I have not driven an Alcazar loaded on an upslope and cannot opine on the state of tune of the engine - gearbox combo, perhaps you should ensure the engine is maintained in the peak torque range which is around 2500 RPM, with a firm kick-down. Use of the sports mode or manual / paddle shift can also ensure the same.

[Manojah]

Originally Posted by TT-S

I think the problem is not the steep incline, but the air density which is thinner compared to sea level, up in the hilly areas. Both turbocharged and naturally aspirated engines fare poorly in hilly conditions compared to sea level. The Innova and Thar would feel better in these conditions due to the higher displacement engine.

Not much difference in Air Density in Shimla and the plains. Remember it changes with atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity. I am talking about Shimla and adjoining Hills which are about 2200-2250 meters and not about Khardung La.

Originally Posted by Rigid Rotor

The Alcazar has a Torque Convertor AT. This itself ensures torque multiplication and it's typically supposed to be in the region of 1.8-2.5. This is in addition to the six gears in the gearbox. Being a fluid coupling it's not going to stall the engine on an upslope. In fact it's advantageous to have a TC instead of say, a DCT on an upslope.

Whereas I have not driven an Alcazar loaded on an upslope and cannot opine on the state of tune of the engine - gearbox combo, perhaps you should ensure the engine is maintained in the peak torque range which is around 2500 RPM, with a firm kick-down. Use of the sports mode or manual / paddle shift can also ensure the same.

Yes, using Sports mode or paddle shifters does make a difference somewhat, but the engine does start sounding that one is trying to extract too much from it.

[Turbospool83]

Originally Posted by 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.)

Congratulations!!!. The car is a looker in the Black shade. I am in the market for SUV with a budget of 20-22L. Checked the Creta, Seltos and Alcazar. All have their own merits but I guess if someone spending 21L for Creta should check out Alcazar as well. I felt the Diesel does the job particularly in Kerala where there is no real 4 lane highway. I have booked a Diesel Prestige AT. SA told me that 2-3 Weeks is the ETA.

[JediKnight]

Originally Posted by Rigid Rotor

The Alcazar has a Torque Convertor AT. This itself ensures torque multiplication and it's typically supposed to be in the region of 1.8-2.5. This is in addition to the six gears in the gearbox.

The first gear ratio is chosen considering the torque multiplication by the torque converter. So the first gear ratio would be taller than you wound have in a DCT. So the overall ratio remains the same.

[venksv]

Thanks devakj! Unfortunate that wireless CarPlay isn't available. How's the default onboard navigation as compared to Google Maps?

[devakj]

Originally Posted by venksv

Thanks devakj! Unfortunate that wireless CarPlay isn't available. How's the default onboard navigation as compared to Google Maps?

It was OK most of the times, but once outside the city, it took me in a route that I knew was not the right one and I switched back to Google maps since...

[hatzim]

Has anyone tried removing the seat-back tables? I find them quite useless, and want to remove them. Will also free up some space in the second row.

I'm guessing there will be some unsightly holes in the seat cover once the table contraption is removed, but that's an easy fix.

On a side note: there is plenty of highway cruising/overtaking power in comfort mode in the diesel. But it does need sports mode in steep sections of the ghat and also in bumper to bumper conditions. The vehicle is more wound-up, tightly strung and ready to move in sports mode, which makes a lot of difference when you want to maintain position in a bumper to bumper queue.

[vkivaturi]

After multiple flip flops on the variant, colour and changing dealer, I got the Alcazar delivered early this week. It is Signature AT Diesel variant. Here are some quick observations so far (have not driven much yet).

1. Steering is very light, responsive and it is extremely easy to drive. I had to search for a temple as soon as we took delivery and ended up driving in some very narrow lanes on muddy roads after a heavy downpour. Alcazar was extremely easy to maneuver in those challenging conditions.
2. Contrary to my initial impressions, the cabin feels roomy. Extra space for the third row adds to the overall comfort.
3. Vehicle is very well footed and absorbs usual bumps on roads very effectively.
4. Noise inside the vehicle is extremely well contained. Despite being a diesel, it is super quiet. Compared to my previous car (diesel S-Cross), there is a major reduction in engine noise in the Alcazar cabin.
5. While I did not have any issues with the slight increase in width of car, the length increase (of 20 cms from previous car) is taking some time to adjust, especially when parking.
6. 2nd row seats are very comfortable. Third row seats are equally comfortable for humans < 5 ft in height. But they do become a less comfortable as you start packing more taller individuals in that space. I feel the car is best suited for 4 + 2 (4 adults and 2 kids).
7. I was hoping the gizmos in this vehicle will woww us. But not much there. Bose sound system is good, but it sounds same as my previous car. Kids were disappointed with the ambience lighting inside the cabin which is very dull and hardly visible. Probably I oversold the idea to them saying there are 64 colours to choose from. There are just way too many cameras and annoyingly distracting.
8. Ventilated seats are really nice and you should not mind paying a little extra for them and upgrade to Signature variant.

[Rahulinthecity]

Originally Posted by vkivaturi

After multiple flip flops on the variant, colour and changing dealer, I got the Alcazar delivered early this week. It is Signature AT Diesel variant. Here are some quick observations so far (have not driven much yet).

Congratulations on your Purchase ! Which colour did you go for and if you could also share your rationale for switching from petrol to diesel . Was it the mileage ? For diesel did you notice that the engine takes it own sweet time to reach say 40 kmph , how is the performance after ?

[hatzim]

Originally Posted by hatzim

Has anyone tried removing the seat-back tables? I find them quite useless, and want to remove them. Will also free up some space in the second row.

I'm guessing there will be some unsightly holes in the seat cover once the table contraption is removed, but that's an easy fix.

Once you remove the screws, the table pops out, you then need to just push the plastic frame up and it pops out. For a while I struggled and thought there may be more screws behind the netting, but eventually figured it was just slotted in without screws.

Once it’s off, the seat back has some unsightly cut outs, and you can see bits and bobs of the seat frame—that’s an easy fix though, either new seat covers or a black back flap/seat pocket stitched on. Regardless, the gain in space isn’t much, but it’s there for the taking if anyone finds these tables useless.

[Jatin247]

Originally Posted by Rahulinthecity

For diesel did you notice that the engine takes it own sweet time to reach say 40 kmph , how is the performance after ?

Hey
I am also a diesel automatic owner and I just came home from a drive. With a heavy foot 0-40 takes around 4-5 seconds in comfort mode.
In sports mode the car is quite eager and its definitely faster.
I haven’t really felt any lag, can you please describe in detail by what do you mean ?

[Rahulinthecity]

Originally Posted by Jatin247

Hey
I am also a diesel automatic owner and I just came home from a drive. With a heavy foot 0-40 takes around 4-5 seconds in comfort mode.
In sports mode the car is quite eager and its definitely faster.
I haven’t really felt any lag, can you please describe in detail by what do you mean ?

Hi Jatin, Compared to the petrol, I felt from a starting position, the diesel takes time to build up speed in comfort mode. I didn't get the chance to drive at higher speeds so was wondering how easy was it, if one had to make quick overtakes.
Also on a slightly different topic, how has been your experience with the DPF on the Alcazar?

MOD NOTE : Please put a space after a punctuation mark, not before or between words.
Thanks.

[yajaman99]

Originally Posted by vkivaturi

7. I was hoping the gizmos in this vehicle will woww us. But not much there. Bose sound system is good, but it sounds same as my previous car. Kids were disappointed with the ambience lighting inside the cabin which is very dull and hardly visible. Probably I oversold the idea to them saying there are 64 colours to choose from. There are just way too many cameras and annoyingly distracting.

Congratulations vkivaturi, this is interesting, I fell in love with the Alcazar because of the gizmos. I too got my son excited about the ambient lighting.
Sad to hear it is not very visible.
The multiple cameras was one of the plus points and the rear view camera button while driving is interesting.

Originally Posted by Jatin247

Hey
I am also a diesel automatic owner and I just came home from a drive. With a heavy foot 0-40 takes around 4-5 seconds in comfort mode.
In sports mode the car is quite eager and its definitely faster.
I haven’t really felt any lag, can you please describe in detail by what do you mean ?

Jatin how is the FE, my previous ride, the 1.6 CRDI Creta used to give me an average 12Km/l for mostly city use. Is the 1.5 better in city FE?