Alcazar steps up to the plate

Latest update sees marque dropping the Grand Creta badging for new one.

- Charl Bosch

Although an unfamiliar name to South Africa with seemingly no connotations bar, the Hyundai Alcazar is anything but new as it has been sold locally since 2022, albeit under a different name.

Unveiled four years ago in India as a three-row version of the Creta, Hyundai South Africa's decision to align it with its sibling, produced at the same plant in Chennai, resulted in it being badged Grand Creta rather than sticking with a name local buyers might have taken a giggle to.

With sourcing of the Creta having moved to the Cikarang facility in Indonesia three years ago though, the aligning strategy no longer applied as the pending first lifecycle update made it seem fit to drop the Grand Creta moniker and revert to Alcazar for the local market.

It's a move defined further by Hyundai as representing a step-up on the Grand Creta, despite it being a facelift.

The arrival of what is still Hyundai's most affordable seven-seater in South Africa for the week-long test promised much on the back of its predecessor's popularity and main selling point, its turbodiesel engine.

Decked out in the same Titan Grey Matte hue as the now discontinued limited run Creta Matte Edition, the test unit not only sported the 1.5-litre oil-burner underneath its bonnet, but also happened to be the flagship Elite priced at R669 900.