Hyundai Casper shrinks the crossover again

Hyundai is on a mission to find how small can crossovers get. Depending on where you live, Hyundai has many small crossovers that initiate us to their lineup. In some markets, it is the Venue, while in some other markets, it is the Hyundai Bayon. But both look like hulks near their latest creation, Hyundai Casper.

It is puny. No bigger than a hatchback, the Hyundai Casper is just 3.6 meters long. The styling of the Casper is not for everyone’s taste. But with its funky front and rear ends, and the asymmetric windows, it does stand apart from other little vehicles.

Given the petite size of the Casper, Hyundai had to wear their best thinking caps while they designed Casper’s interiors. To maximize practicality, the Casper offers folding seats on both rows. All seats, including the driver seat, can be folded flat if you wish to camp inside the little crossover.

Moreover, the rear seats can slide fore and aft, generating more room at the rear for cargo. Sliding them to the most forward position leaves you with a cargo space of 301 litres. The rear seats also recline for improving comfort. On the tech front, the Casper gets a large touchscreen and a fully digital instrument cluster.

Hyundai provides no less than seven airbags in the tiny cabin of the Casper. Apart from the airbags, the Casper also boasts safety tech including lane-keep assist, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, and high beam assist.

Power for the Hyundai Casper comes from a 1.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. This churns out 75 hp and 95 Nm of torque. A turbocharged version of the same mill is also on offer. This can hike up the power to 100 hp. Plenty for this tiny crossover to be a hoot to drive.

The Hyundai Casper is made specifically for some countries. Now launched in its home country, South Korea, the Casper was thought to make its way into India later but they have denied these speculations. The probability of the Casper arriving on our castle-size SUV-ruled shores is solid naught.