The new Hyundai Alcazar lands in SA: A 'compact' SUV that's a 7-seater
Motoring journo Melinda Ferguson drives the 1.5 litre turbo-diesel Alcazar Executive.
Hyundai Alcazar - Facebook/ Hyundai SA
CapeTalk's Sara-Jayne Makwala King is joined by Melinda Ferguson for Car Talk.
The all-new Hyundai Alcazar has been unveiled in South Africa and Melinda Ferguson took it for a spin near Clarens in the Free State.
The car comes in two entry-level Executive models and the top-of-the-range Elite, all 7-seaters.
While the Alcazar is new, it is actually like a reinvention of Hyunda's Grand Creta, the motoring journalist says.
As a 'compact' SUV with seven seats, it falls in a rather unpopulated segment, comparable to the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro and the Jetour X70 Plus.
"However, the Alcazar's not a small car so perhaps describing it as a compact SUV is not really doing it a great service. It's not as big as, say, the Hyundai Tucson or the Santa Fe - I'd say it fits in just under the Tucson."
Melinda Ferguson, Motoring Journalist
"One of the things that stands out for me elevating it above utilitarian-looking is this really cool grille and amazing lights, which makes the car more premium to look at."
Melinda Ferguson, Motoring Journalist
Ferguson drove the 1.5 litre turbo-diesel Executive.
While this delivers 84.6 kw compared to the 2.0 litre model's 117 Kw, it has 250 Nm which means it is still 'quite nippy', Ferguson says.
The Alcazar 1.5 Elite also delivers 84.6 Kw and 250 Nm.
The entry-level Executive comes in below R500 000 - at R499 900, and the top-end Elite costs R669 900.
"You've got quite a lot of other cars in the Executive's price range that I would definitely look at as well."
Melinda Ferguson, Motoring Journalist
"I'm giving a rating of 7.5/10 because I found the android auto a little bit difficult to connect."
Melinda Ferguson, Motoring Journalist
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to Ferguson's review