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Should I cancel Hyundai Creta booking & get Alcazar instead

According to the sales advisor, by paying ~ Rs 2.5 lakh more, I can get the Hyundai Alcazar which is a bigger car with a premium interior & faster delivery.

BHPian bhavikbochar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Dear Fellow BHPians,

First, thanks a lot for all your input. I booked my Creta SX(O) Diesel AT sometime in October and managed to convince the SA/Dealer to allow me to buy insurance from outside.

Called up SA to check my booking status, am told the vehicles for 2022 haven’t been allocated yet and I am 7th in line. Moreover, for my colour option, i.e. Phantom Black, I am first, so if black gets allocated to the dealer I’d get the vehicle asap.

Now the interesting part, the SA threw a loft at me and further increased the dilemma of an already confused mind, on why not consider Alcazar? As per him by just paying approx. 2,50,000 extra, I get a bigger car with premium interiors and faster delivery.

Honestly, I have been confused ever since I booked Creta, and every second day I evaluate other vehicles and find reasons to reject them. For example:

  • Thar – Simply in love with it, wish I could own it, but comes a strict no from my wife.
  • Jeep Compass – was almost sold to it, but didn’t want to compromise on the feature list of Creta and Auto Transmission. On paper even stretched my budget to the top end diesel which gives me the most features of Creta + Auto Transmission + a punchier engine and 4WD. But I see mixed reviews on AT, and then mind prevails over heart, instead of putting 35L+ in Jeep, I could have both Creta & Thar!
  • Harrier Dark – Oh boy, again I am in love with the macho looks and engine on paper (didn’t test drive it). But, quite a lot of features missing compared to Creta, why Tata, why?
  • XUV700 – too big for my taste, thankfully rejected outrightly!

I know many would say that not all of these belong to the same segment, hence, not completely comparable. But here’s my requirement which I don’t want to compromise and don’t really care about the segment – Feature-loaded (Creta is the benchmark here) + AT + 5 Seater + Good Ground Clearance + Good Boot space + SUVish (not considering Sedans).

And now, Hyundai SA asking me to consider Alcazar. After spending a few sleepless nights thinking over it, crawling other team-bhp forums where users had a similar confusion between Alcazar and Creta, here are some pointers for me to drive my decision:

  • Alcazar is heavier than Creta with the same engine, am looking at Diesel AT only. So would it be correct to assume that Creta would be more fun to drive than the bigger sister? Anyone who stress-tested these two vehicles and justify my statement?
  • I am the primary driver, so rarely would be using the rear seats. The laptop holder, multiple USB charging ports and other gimmicky features of Alcazar aren’t a deal-breaker for me. But what I would definitely crave is the full digital instrument cluster and 360-degree camera offered in Alcazar but not in Creta. As per SA, just to fit the 360-degree camera in Creta as an original accessory without voiding any warranty is 65K and another 14K for front parking sensors. So as per him, again the price difference between Creta and Alcazar narrows down if I were to take these essential accessories. Has anyone fitted these in Creta?
  • I absolutely do not need the last row seats, and if I go for Alcazar then would keep them folded as I need the boot more.

With these points, would really appreciate your input and help me in making a wise decision! Listening to my confusion and my wish list, my cousin actually suggested waiting for the next facelift of Creta.

Once again, thanks for going through this long post!

Here's what BHPian Aviator_guy had to say about the matter:

If you'd mainly have 1- 4 passengers then Creta would serve you just right. It is fun to drive and given its right size, is quite easy to manoeuvre and park. Anyone in your family would also find it relatively easy to drive.

2.5 lacs is not a small sum to spend to get a bigger boot / 3rd row (both of which are not a must for you if I understand right). My SA mentioned about INR 35k for 360-camera but I didn't go for it as I still wanted to make use of my senses while driving and not become over-dependent on technology. But it is an individual's choice I guess.

I'd say if you want to stick to your needs and don't want to stretch your budget then Creta SX(O) D AT is just the perfect balance.

Just some food for thought. If the logic of just 2.5Lac was that straightforward to move to Alcazar then it should have reflected in Alcazar numbers, which is not the case. So looks like there are many people who are not finding value in upgrading to Alcazar even if it means faster delivery.

Here's what BHPian smileline had to say about the matter:

Hi,

I feel based on your requirements and the price difference of 2.5 lacs which is substantial in my opinion, it is better to stick to Creta. (2.5 lacs would be at least 02 years of diesel, considering 1500km/month and mixed fuel efficiency of 14kmpl, with diesel cost of 90/-)

Not to confuse you but 'IF' and only IF you tilt towards Alcazar, I would recommend having a look at Kia Carens.

Happy motoring.

Here's what BHPian bwildrd#1 had to say about the matter:

I have booked Creta SX(O) D MT in the middle of October. When I enquired about the status last week I was told that vehicle delivery will be in the first week of March. So I looked at Alcazar since the demand for that vehicle is low and one can get that car earlier. I was checking Alcazar on my own, no one from the dealership asked me to do so. I believe in your case the dealership has a vehicle in hand or they are about to be allocated one. And coming to your question, I suggest you go for Creta. Alcazar doesn't have any major advantage over Creta. Second row is severely compromised to accommodate additional row and boot space. It gets worse when you fold the third row seats. We cannot slide the second row seats backwards, hence, legroom is drastically reduced and the flexibility factor is gone.

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