Tata Safari vs Hyundai Alcazar: Spec shootout as three-row SUV war hots up
Hyundai Alcazar is the next big things all set to light up the three-row SUV segment in the country and the Koreans are betting big on the car - essentially based on the very successful Creta - to take the fight to its rivals. And high on its hit list would be the new Safari which was launched by Tata Motors earlier this year. The Safari has made a mile-long list of promises and has gotten off to a solid start but Alcazar may have the potential of not just denting its ambitions but delivering a rather solid blow.
While there is no confirmed timeline for when Hyundai would officially launch Alcazar in the Indian market, it has already been showcased with camouflage firmly in place. Its specifications are also now common knowledge and therefore, it merits an on-paper comparison.
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Engine choices:
Safari gets a Kryotec 2.0L Turbocharged diesel engine option and there is no petrol motor available. The unit inside the Tata car produces 167 bhp and has 350 Nm of torque at the ready. Transmission duties are handled by a six-speed AT and MT units.
Alcazar too will boast of a six-speed AT and MT but its petrol engine may be the one to watch out for. Under the hood, Hyundai is packing the car with a 3rd Gen Nu 2-litre petrol motor that will produce 150 bhp and have 191 Nm of torque. The U2 1.5-litre diesel has 113 bhp of power and 250 Nm of torque.
While Safari loses out by not having a petrol motor at all, its diesel engine may be a better bet even if real world performance remains to be ascertained.
Dimensions:
Hyundai has not officially revealed the dimensions of Alcazar except highlighting that its wheelbase of 2,760 mm is the best in segment. This is around 19 mm more than that of the Safari. What it means is that the Hyundai may offer more space on the inside.
The other number confirmed is the 180 litres of boot space on Alcazar when all three rows are up. This is significantly more than the 73 litres of space available with all three rows up in the Safari.
Visually, however, Alcazar may be have a smaller road presence than the Safari when put side-by-side. This is in terms of overall length and width, although official Alcazar numbers will make for a clearer picture.
Seating options:
Both Safari and Alcazar have and will have six and seven-seat layouts. The six-seat layout inside both cars bring in Captain seats while the seven-seat layout fits in a bench seat in the middle row.
Hyundai is promising a host of features inside Alcazar and is known to add a lot of practical and cosmetic additions to its offerings. Safari though has two high-end versions in the form of Adventure Persona which gives the vehicle a very aggressive visual trait.
Miscellaneous:
None of the two cars have or will have a 4x4 option and so, anyone looking to take the cars to challenging terrains may be better off in other options.
What is and would be on offer are drive modes for a dash of extra fun or mileage, depending on the requirement.
Safari starts at ₹14.69 lakh (ex showroom) and the Adventure Persona upper variant is priced at ₹21.45 lakh (ex showroom). Alcazar may be aggressively priced and while one will have to wait for the actual launch of the car to know, each variant may be around ₹1 lakh to ₹1.50 lakh more expensive than each corresponding variant of Creta, barring the base petrol which is under ₹10 lakh.
