The idea of a weekend for most if not all today constitutes partying, binge watching a web series or catching up with friends. And the lazier lot might just prefer sleeping it out. For the adventurous types though, weekends are about exploring new places. That’s exactly what I ended up doing with the Hyundai Alcazar, in Uttarakhand. The northern state borders some of our neighbours and is known for its favourable weather, but more importantly, Uttarakhand is home to several hidden gems in the form of tiny little unexplored places nestled in the Himalayan foothills. The driving time to most such places is just about 7-8 hours from Delhi NCR, making them ideal as a weekend destination.
The Hyundai Alcazar is an SUV that has carved its own niche in a very short time span of less than two years with its design, comfort and panache, making it the perfect choice for such excursions. A long and hectic week was followed by a free weekend for me, while I was stationed in Delhi-NCR, which meant the urge to hit the road in the Alcazar to take some time off for myself before flying back home was irresistible. I’d heard about a quaint little hamlet by the name of Peora, further up north from Nainital and a stone’s throw away from the more popular hill station of Almora, and was keen on exploring the place.
What sets Peora apart from usual hill stations is that it is home to hundreds of orchards where exotic fruits like apricots, plums, apples and more are grown. This has also resulted in Peora being called the ‘fruit bowl’ of Uttarakhand. More importantly, while most tourists flock to Nainital and Almora, Peora remains untouched and not many people even know about the place. The ongoing summers meant I was out of luck when it comes to the fruit orchards as cultivation happens only once the summers are over. The fruit orchards however are just one of the many reasons why Peora and its surrounding areas beckoned me, given the quietness and the solace they offer.
To draw parallels, the Hyundai Alcazar is a premium three-row SUV and is engineered to offer a soothing drive, every single time. Its design also reflects the classiness in Hyundai’s approach, especially with the trademark cascading grille, split headlamp design and tri-projector beams, while a faux skid plate adds muscle to the face. The Alcazar looks well proportioned from the sides, especially beyond the C-pillar and the glass panel for the third row, while 18 inch alloy wheels add a dash of sportiness with their machined-finish. The dark chrome treatment at the rear for the panel housing the Alcazar name, the roof spoiler and roof rails all come together to make a very premium looking rear end. The name Alcazar means Spanish fortress or palace and the SUV’s design truly reflects the same.
It isn’t just the exterior design though, the Alcazar’s interiors echo the sentiment too. The interiors look and feel plush thanks to the abundant use of leather and high quality materials, not to forget the varied surface finishes and large displays, including the fully-digital instrument cluster and 10.25-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system. The large panoramic sunroof adds a sense of airiness to the cabin, making for a pleasant drive. The driving position offers a commanding view of the road ahead, while electric adjustment for the driver’s seat makes for excellent ease and convenience, besides adding to the premium feel.
As I was leaving concrete jungles in my rear view mirror, the sparse early morning traffic added to the joy of piloting the Alcazar on the smooth, four-lane highway. With the tried and tested 1.5-litre diesel engine sending 115PS and 250Nm to the wheels, I couldn’t help but smile, reacquainting myself with the engine’s excellent refinement and nifty performance. Hyundai’s four cylinder, 1.5-litre diesel engine is in fact one of the most popular engines courtesy its high levels of refinement, smooth power delivery across the rev range and excellent fuel efficiency. And the Alcazar’s class-leading NVH levels ensured the cabin felt calm, in conjunction with the soothing music playing on the premium Bose audio system onboard.
The Alcazar was proving to be a brilliant mile muncher thus, not to mention the fact its comfort and soothing feel from behind the wheel were making me feel relaxed even before I turned off the highway to climb up the hills. What’s more, given that Uttarakhand sits at a lower altitude than Himachal Pradesh, the state has a lot of greenery and driving through the canopies formed by the trees was something one does not experience every day. As I was climbing up the hills I couldn’t resist a few stops on the way, soaking in the beauty of the region and of course, enjoying the cool mountain breeze, a welcome change from the sweltering heat in the plains.
And after making light of the highways, the Alcazar was impressing me with its dynamics in the hills. It’s sporty and confident handling was adding to the joy of driving up the hills, especially given the preciseness of the steering and its weighted feel, while the suspension afforded tonnes of confidence around corners. Hyundai has perfected the art of balancing the ride and handling characteristics of its cars and the Alcazar is a great example of how well the SUV straddles sporty handling with a plush ride. This is something I was experiencing on some of the broken sections of tarmac as the suspension soaked up the undulations very well.
As civilisation was thinning out and making way for denser forests, the sense of calmness and the Alcazar’s likeable feel were having the desired effect on me. Not to forget the fact that the Hyundai Alcazar boasts an extensive list of features and high equipment levels that round off its packaging well. There’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, wireless charging, voice commands, a fully-digital instrument cluster display and more. Then there’s the air purifier that sits integrated into the front armrest – it had to work overtime in the dusty environs of Gurugram but was at ease in the mountains given the clean, pollution-free air! The Alcazar is also equipped with six airbags, traction control, driving modes and more, a nod to Hyundai’s commitment of making some of the safest cars in the country.
Driving on the road snaking through the forests, lined with scores of pine trees I broke into a smile given the views! Places like Peora are also known for their slow-paced lifestyle, which creates a charm for these places, something we city folk just cannot resist. The drive was thus proving to be just the right remedy for me after my hectic week and the Alcazar was proving to be the perfect companion, helping me enjoy the ‘me-time’. And it wasn’t just the quietness though, I was also enjoying sights and sounds that have gone missing from our concrete jungles.
As I pulled over by the road to enjoy some of the views of the valley and the hills I found myself gazing at the wisps of smoke emanating from one of the houses in a village far away, while the sounds of birds chirping away in the distance added to the tranquillity, even as a flock of parrots flew overhead. And it’s bits like these that constitute a good weekend! While I was soaking it all in, I was passed by two old gentlemen out for their evening stroll along with their dog, and both smiled and nodded as they saw me enjoying my time in their neck of the woods. As I drove around Peora, I realised the little village was no larger than a mega township in metro cities, but the handful of houses and the families living in them were enjoying a life that city dwellers cannot quite imagine.
Add to that the warmth in the hearts of these mountain folk, which they were pouring out each time I interacted with one of them. All this was no less than a form of therapy – nothing like a relaxed evening to yourself after a full week of early mornings and shoots, back to back meetings and more! As the sun was going down I found myself a place to spend the night. Peora doesn’t really have conventional hotels but does have a lot of cosy homestays. These are places that let you relax with their simple, laidback architecture, not to forget, the owners usually reside within the property and are more than willing to engage in conversation with you. In this case, the Alcazar also caught the fancy of the owner of the property I checked into, with its design and premium feel.
As I was talking to him about the Alcazar, I also got thinking as to how the SUV had helped me escape to a land of quietness and peace so unassumingly. Peora was where I was feeling calm and relaxed but the Alcazar sure had helped me get there in great comfort, besides helping me relax behind the wheel right from the word go. Effectively, the weekend trip to Peora had proved to be a good way to refresh myself. It wasn’t one of those usual weekend escapades to a known destination, but one that had me discover a new place. And the Hyundai Alcazar has proved to be the perfect companion with its comfort, dynamics and overall aura. Just like Peora
