Alcazar debuted in South Africa in 2022 badged as the Grand Creta. Image: Hyundai
Incrementally updated almost exactly 12 months ago, reports from India have, unsurprisingly, announced that Hyundai will be introducing a more extensively reworked version of the three-row Alcazar within the coming months.
The recipient of a new flagship petrol engine and subtle cosmetic tweaks in 2023, the pending facelift, inspired heavily by that of the facelift Creta, will see the Alcazar incorporate similar styling and inside, the new dual 10.25-inch infotainment system and instrument cluster among others.
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Known on local soil as the Grand Creta, the Alcazar will again be offered with seven seats as standard, though some derivatives will retain the optional six-seat configuration made-up by a pair of captain’s style chairs in the second row.
According to gaadiwaadi.com, new specification items, which will differ based on trim level, are likely to include ventilated front seats, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as per the new infotainment system, and the same array of safety and driver assistance systems as the Creta.
Again based on the selected trim, the above mentioned systems are likely to consist of Blind Spot Monitoring, Lane Keep Assist, Forward Collision Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lead Vehicle Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and a 360-degree surround-view camera system to name a few.
Its dimensions set to be unchanged, up front, the introduction of the 1.5 T-GDI petrol in place of the normally aspirated 2.0-litre unit last year means the Alcazar is not expected to receive any powertrain changes, although this could potentially change for the Grand Creta.
In India, a choice of two engines are offered; the mentioned 1.5 that produces 118kW/253Nm and a 1.5-litre turbodiesel that punches-out 85kW/260Nm.
The standard transmission is a six-speed manual with the option being a six-speed torque converter automatic on the diesel and a seven-speed dual-clutch on the T-GDI. As before, drive goes to the front wheels only.
Reportedly on-track for a May or June unveiling, according to Autocar India, the facelift Alcazar will most likely go on-sale in South Africa later on as, unlike the Creta, the rebadged Grand Creta is still sourced from the Chennai facility in India rather than the Cikarang Plant in Indonesia.
It, therefore, means the Grand Creta could introduce the changes applied to the Creta to the local market first as the Indonesian example has so far not been approved to receive the refresh as a result of having debuted three years ago before replacing the Indian-model in South Africa the following year.
For now, the arrival of the updated Grand Creta remains open to speculation, however, expect details to be announced once the wraps come off the Alcazar in said months.
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