The Hyundai Alcazar has finally broken cover. As suspected, design similarities with the donor car – the Creta – are apparent. But there’s a lot more than what meets the eye. The three-row SUV has an extended wheelbase, an entirely new rear, cleverly engineered interior and borrows powertrains from the Elantra sedan.

At 2,760mm, Alcazar’s wheelbase is the longest in the segment. It is 150mm extra than what Creta has in its package. As you’d expect, the added real estate translates to more room inside the cabin. There’s more room for the second-row passengers and enough space for an additional row of seats. The more upright tailgate and a longer rear overhang help create optimal room for the third row.

The Alcazar borrows the front fenders, doors, headlamp arrangement and the bonnet from the donor car. But, the upcoming SUV packs a tweaked grille, redesigned front bumper and rear quarter glass. Even the wheels, which span 18 inches in diameter, are an inch bigger than the Creta’s. At the back, the Alcazar features wrap-around taillamps, faux dual exhaust outlets and a brushed aluminium skid plate.

Indoors, the most obvious difference is the seating layout. Hyundai will offer the Alcazar in six- and seven-seat configurations, with the former featuring a segment-first second-row console armrest. Both seating layouts boast a one-touch tumble mechanism for the middle row of seats. Along with the second row’s sliding function, that should help create ample room for third-row occupants to egress and ingress.

For propulsion, customers will have two engine options – one petrol and diesel each. Both come from the Elantra, albeit in a slightly different state of tune. The 2.0-litre petrol engine, which also does duty in the Hyundai Tucson, is a bit more potent in the Alcazar. It produces 157bhp/191Nm, which is 7bhp more than the other two Hyundais but 1Nm less. The other option is the 1.5-litre diesel engine which produces 113bhp/250Nm (same as the others). Both powerplants will be available with a 6-speed manual transmission and a 6-speed automatic.

As far as the list of features goes, it’ll be right in line with that of Creta. That means stuff like a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, ventilated front seats, automatic climate control, wireless mobile charger, an air purifier, 360-degree camera and a panoramic sunroof will be on offer.

Hyundai hasn’t mentioned when it plans to introduce the Alcazar. That said, it will happen in a few weeks. Once launched, Hyundai’s three-row SUV will compete against the Tata Safari, MG Hector Plus and the Mahindra XUV500.