BHPian GoBabyGo recently shared this with other enthusiasts: Hello BHPians, A Bit About Me & My Usage I am 52 years old and 6 feet tall, living with my family in Noida Extension. My family includes: My wife (5’6″) – doesn’t drive, but will learn driving whenever we have automatic vehicle My daughter (22 years, 5’7″) – holds a license but not fond of driving our manual car My mother-in-law (5’2″) Currently, I drive a 2018 Honda City V MT, which is a company-owned vehicle under my CTC. It has clocked 79900 km. My daily commute is from Noida Extension to ITO, around 70 km round trip. However, I mostly commute via shared auto + metro, which takes 1 hr 25 mins each way. I only drive to the office occasionally and weekend drives are rare (barely 200 km/month). Outstation trips are 2-3 times a year within a 500-600 km range and we prefer train/flight for longer journeys. In the past I have owned used Maruti 800DX, Maruti Alto Lxi, Hyundai Santro XP, Maruti Swift Lxi (2008 1.3L engine), Hyundai Xcent S(O) and currently drive Honda City VMT since 2018.EV Aspirations PostponedFor the past 1.5 years, I have been seriously exploring EVs, but charging challenges in my high-rise society forced me to delay this plan. I will revisit EVs after 5 years when my next company car is due.The RequirementWe are looking for a comfortable, spacious automatic car, mainly for city drives, occasional office commutes and a couple of highway trips yearly. Key requirements: Must seat 4 adults comfortably (we are decently tall family!) Should have SUV stance Dimensions wise little larger than my Honda City but not oversized like 4.8 or 4.9 meter. Should match the Honda City’s spaciousness, especially rear legroom Must have a large usable boot (we are heavy packers for outstation trips) Budget is strictly around Rs.20L on-road Noida A more powerful automatic than Honda City, preferably four-cylinder Turbo Petrol Preferably give minimum 12-14kmpl FE in city drive, specially my office route where I regularly get 15kmpl in summer with AC and 17kmpl in winter (without the AC) in my Honda City MT.Cars Considered & Test DrivesToyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder V (Strong Hybrid) – Rs.20.45 lacs after discounts & UP State subsidy (with 5 years extended warranty) Pros: Outstanding fuel efficiency Smooth city drivability Cons: Boot is negligible (due to battery) Rear seat space is tight Interior quality does not justify Rs.20L+ on-road Rejected after TD Hyundai Creta SX Premium (IVT) – Rs.20.40 lacs after discount (with 5 years extended warranty) Kia Seltos HTX (CVT) – 20.15 lacs after discount (with 5 years extended warranty) Pros: Premium feel, smooth engine Hyundai’s / Kia’s peace of mind Cons: Less spacious than Honda City Four-cylinder NA engine is okay, not an upgrade from Honda City iVtec Boot space not impressive, still manageable. My daughter rejected them outright; felt like a downgrade from Honda City VW/Skoda 1.5 TSI options While I admire their engineering, I am just not comfortable with the brand for myself. Despite my brother-in-law’s excellent experience with his Skoda Rapid, I decided to skip them purely personal preference. Tata – Curvv ICE I decided not to go ahead with the Tata Curvv ICE mainly due to concerns around Tata’s inconsistent quality control and long-term reliability. While Tata has made progress, frequent reports of minor niggles, part failures, and inconsistent fit and finish still worry me. I also did not find the design very appealing, personally, the coupe-inspired styling feels a bit forced and compromises practicality. Rear seat comfort is important for my family, and the sloping roofline along with limited legroom makes the back seat feel cramped, especially for taller passengers. Another key factor was the engine, though the 1.2L 3-cylinder turbo petrol is adequate for my needs, I much prefer the smoothness and refinement of a 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine. The 3-cylinder setup just does not feel as balanced or confidence-inspiring in terms of NVH and long-term durability. Overall, despite its feature list, the Curvv ICE did not feel like a well-rounded choice for my requirements. XUV700 AX5 AT – Rs.22.75 after discounts (with 5 years extended warranty) Pros: Very spacious Fantastic Turbo Petrol engine Very good boot space when last row is folded Great road presence Cons: Interior doesn’t feel Rs.23L-worthy Boot with third row up is negligible Over budget, even after some negotiation My colleagues who own XUV700 Petrol AT and live in Noida gets 8.5kmpl-10kmpl FE in my driving route. Those who live in South Delhi get 6.5kmpl-7.5kmpl FE. A few of our relatives from my wife’s side recently bought the Mahindra XUV700. During some wedding functions, my wife had the opportunity to travel in their car and was quite impressed with the spaciousness and overall comfort. She almost insisted that we go for the XUV700 AX7 Automatic. However, that variant is significantly beyond my already stretched budget. Initially, we considered the AX5 Automatic, but our daughter did not like it much, and I personally found the car too large for regular city use. The biggest concern for me, however, was its fuel efficiency or rather, the lack of it. One of my close friends, who has 20+ years of experience in car sales with excellent repo with a pan-India dealer network, could arrange the AX5 AT for around Rs.22.50 lakhs, including 5 years extended warranty. Despite the tempting deal, he advised me to avoid the XUV700 due to its high maintenance costs, recurring software glitches, and inconsistent after-sales service. While the annual service schedule would not have been a major concern for me, his feedback gave me pause. Truth be told, the XUV700 remained at the back of my mind, I was genuinely impressed by its features and road presence (specially AX7 variant). But at the same time, I was not sure if I was ready to bring such a large and demanding vehicle, figuratively, an “elephant” into our home.The Surprise Contender: Hyundai Alcazar Prestige DCTI had not initially considered it seriously, but my friend suggested it and I visited Capital Hyundai, Sector 63 Noida with my daughter on 13th July 2025. Before checking Alcazar, I showed her the Creta again (just to compare dimensions, look & feel). She still did not like it. Then came the Alcazar (Signature 6-seater DCT on display) and we were pleasantly surprised! Pros: Felt premium and solidly built, a clear step up from Honda City Rear seat comfort is acceptable even for a 6-footer like me Powerful & refined four-cylinder turbo petrol engine Huge boot space with 3rd row folded (around 579L) Decent boot even with all rows up (180L is sufficient for a weekend trip) Clean dashboard, neat interiors Cons: Strictly a 5+2, not a true 7-seater (but I don’t need that anyway) I wish it has width of 1825mm to have better road presence Not a high seller, which could affect long-term resale Likely to be expensive to maintain due to four-cylinder turbo petrol engine Team-BHP forum’s concern about the long-term reliability of DCT transmission (decided to take 7 years extended warranty) What sealed the deal further was the short test drive (around 5km) of the DCT variant. The 1.5L turbo petrol paired with the 7-speed DCT felt refined and effortless. The gearbox offered quick, seamless shifts and the engine delivered smooth mid-range acceleration, hopefully perfect for daily commutes and occasional long trips. NVH levels were well-controlled, and the steering, while light, gave reasonable feedback for relaxed driving. Overall, it felt like a well-balanced urban SUV with the added flexibility of occasional 3rd-row use. Despite being slightly longer than Creta, the middle row legroom is only marginally better or may be similar to Creta. Still, Alcazar just felt more complete and practical for our use case. Interior feel, perceived quality and boot space were big wins. We had finalized Alcazar Prestige DCT in Robust Emerald Pearl colour. The variant was not readily available, will take about 15 days for delivery. I chose the Hyundai Alcazar Prestige DCT because it offers all the essential features I was looking for, without going overboard. It strikes a perfect balance between practicality, comfort, and value. The car comes equipped with Dual Zone Climate Control, which is a big plus for ensuring comfort for both front occupants. The 10.25-inch infotainment system is of very high quality and delivers an excellent user experience. I also appreciate the manual driver seat height adjustment, though not electric, I am already comfortable with it. Convenience features like Automatic Headlamps, Auto Dimming IRVM, LED interior lights, TPMS, Driver Rear View Mirror, Rear Window Sunshade, Hyundai Bluelink (connected car technology-voice recognition) and Cruise Control add to the overall driving ease. The fabric seats are of surprisingly good quality, better than I expected and the alloy wheels give it a confident road presence. The interior theme feels very premium and upmarket, and the voice-enabled panoramic sunroof is the cherry on top. While the Alcazar Prestige DCT meets almost all my expectations, I do wish it had ventilated seats, a 360-degree camera and electric seat adjustment. Still, considering the overall package, I find it to be a smart and well-rounded choice. My friend explored almost all Hyundai dealerships across NCR and North India, but the Alcazar Prestige DCT in Robust Emerald Pearl was unavailable at every location. We checked out other available colours and I happened to spot a white Alcazar on the road, which looked quite elegant and premium in person. Later, I watched several review videos with my family to get a feel of the white Alcazar (and even the black one), and we all unanimously felt that white was the better choice in terms of aesthetics, presence and is easy to maintain. So, we finalized the white colour. I negotiated with a dealer in Noida and managed to secure a discount making on-road price of Rs.21,47,000/- with 5 years extended warranty. However, my friend struck an unbelievable deal with a dealer somewhere in North India. While I have been asked not to disclose the dealer’s name, location or the exact discount (as per the dealer’s request), I can say that the final on-road price, including a 7-year extended warranty, is slightly above my initial budget (much less than the quote I got) and the value proposition is very strong. Kia Carens Clavis HTK Plus (O) Some of my colleagues recommended this as a good value-for-money 7-seater, but I never seriously considered it. The front design, inspired by the Syros did not appeal to me, it felt a bit too quirky and unconventional. Additionally, the overall stance leaned more toward an MUV, whereas I was clearly looking for something with a stronger SUV-like road presence, such as the Hyundai Alcazar. Another factor was the interior colour theme in the Clavis, which is noticeably lighter. While it gives a more airy feel to the cabin, it also makes the interior harder to maintain and more prone to visible stains or wear over time, specially the seats. That said, the Carens Clavis does score higher when it comes to space. It offers better legroom and comfort in both the second and third rows compared to the Alcazar, making it a more practical option for larger families or frequent rear-seat usage.Booking and expected deliveryThe white colour variant was readily available with the dealer. However, I had specifically requested an Alcazar manufactured in July 2025. I placed the booking on 16th July 2025. Dealer shared the VIN number to me on 21st July, which confirms that the vehicle is indeed manufactured in July 2025. The car has already been dispatched from the factory and if all goes as planned, I should be able to take delivery on 27th July 2025.Final ThoughtsThis journey has taught me that no car is perfect, but you need to choose what fits your life best. Alcazar may not appeal to most folks, but it ticks many boxes for my family, comfort, excellent engine, boot, premium feel, and within budget (specially when I get it around Creta SX Premium price). Thanks to Alcazar Official Review and BHPians comments / suggestion. This forum has been an invaluable guide. Cheers!Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
