Hyundai recently unveiled its micro-SUV, the Casper, and there was no doubt that we were intrigued by its funky design. Now that Hyundai has revealed further details about the Casper, we take a closer look at the potential Tata Punch and Maruti-Suzuki S-Presso-rival.
If we had to describe the design of the Hyundai Casper in one word – it would be ‘fresh’. When viewed head-on, the first thing you notice about the Casper is a headlamp arrangement that is similar to the Hyundai Venue, with the DRLs sitting up top and the main beam sitting lower down in the bumper. The use of chrome is primarily around the grille, though some images showcase the grille in black which suggests that customers will be able to pick whether to have a more bling-y or a more stealthy look. Moving to the side, you can spot the Casper’s flared wheel arches that house the 15-inch alloy wheels, although the 17s pictured here look tastier and will probably fill out the proportions of the Casper much better. The silhouette of the Casper actually reminds us of the Maruti Suzuki Ignis, especially the leaned-forward C-pillar, which may be by intention – as the Casper is likely to be aimed at a younger audience.
Move to the rear and the patterned LED tail lamps look very cool and futuristic, certainly amping up the bling on the Casper. A more questionable design element however, is the rear bumper which features large round light elements at the bottom. Leaving that aside, small touches like the rear door handle being neatly tucked away go a long way in making the Casper look sleeker, and it definitely looks much more youthful than any of the current crop of ‘micro-SUVs’ and hatchbacks which are currently sold on our shores.
Moving to the inside, the Casper continues on with its theme of youthfulness. There are three choices of upholstery colours – all-black, light-gray with blue and khaki with dark-gray, with corresponding accents to match those colours, along with purple mood lighting. The Casper also gets a two-spoke steering wheel, behind which lies a 4.2-inch screen for the digital instruments. There’s also an 8-inch touchscreen for infotainment that gets inbuilt navigation, along with Hyundai CarPay (not to be confused with Apple CarPlay), which will enable owners to make payments using their car itself.
A feature that would find favour among customers is the ability of the CarPay system to look up fuel prices from affiliated petrol pumps and make payments as well. The Casper also features a high-set dashboard gear selector, similar to what was first seen on the first-gen Hyundai i10, but in the Casper, it also allows free movement between the driver’s seat and the passenger seat. The Casper also comes with 7 airbags, and you can expect it to be loaded with kit, as is the case with all Hyundais.
Globally, the Casper is offered with a choice of two engines – a 1-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine and a 1-litre turbo petrol, both being mated to a four-speed automatic gearbox. The naturally-aspirated engine produces 75bhp and 96Nm of torque, while the turbo-petrol makes 99bhp and 172Nm. In addition to this, the Casper also gets rough road driving modes which are likely to alter the power delivery characteristics on surfaces like snow, mud and sand – even though the Casper is only available with FWD.
Hyundai has not confirmed whether the Casper will be coming to India yet, but that said, it would make for a very compelling rival to Tata’s micro-SUV, the Punch and the Maruti-Suzuki S-Presso. The Casper, if it does come to our shores, will also pose as an alternative to hatchbacks such as the Maruti Suzuki Ignis.