Big Guns

Mid-size SUVs now find themselves performing more duties than ever as the new Mahindra XUV700 goes up against the Tata Safari with the Hyundai Alcazar getting in on the action too

- Abhik Das

Test No.

234 to 236

Mahindra XUV700

2.2-litre, turbo-diesel, 182bhp

vs Tata Safari

2.0-litre, turbo-diesel, 170bhp

vs Hyundai Alcazar

1.5-litre, turbo-diesel, 115bhp

A trip to Jakarta, Indonesia a couple of years back gave me an entirely new perspective on a particular segment of cars. They’ve surely existed for a long time but have mostly been purely functional with the fun factor being at the very bottom of the list of requirements. I’m referring to six-seven seater vans which have done decently in our market but the ones in Jakarta give them a whole new meaning. Regular vans souped-up to varying levels of coolness are a common sight but a chat with a manufacturer representative threw light on the changing demands of Indonesian consumers with preferences shifting towards SUVs. This shift in choices was important in Indonesia for manufacturers as their market simply loves the idea of vans. The move towards SUVs presented its own set of challenges, the biggest of which was fitting an extra row of seats. Vans are created keeping that third row in mind but SUVs never really had to fit anything more than stow-away jump seats and those aren’t acceptable anymore as safety becomes ever more important. Thus a bench seat with seat belts fitted into what essentially should be the boot, was a hurdle to tackle within a midsize format. So just as Indonesia geared up for a change, India too benefited from this mini-movement and in comes the Hyundai Alcazar. Essentially a lengthened Creta for those who wanted everything the Creta is but with a bit more space.