Hyundai Creta

Overview

The concept of smarter SUV has been on its top speed from some time now and every car maker is planning for some change in their line-up by bringing forward their elephants and giving some rest to the mammoths in the block. The huge car trend has been limited due to increasing traffic in cities and the wise decision of changing to smaller units without compromising on the practicability and luxury will prove really well for the manufacturers.

Hyundai has finally launched the Creta in India @ Rs. 8.59 lakhs for the base petrol variant, Rs. 13.60 lakhs for the top diesel variant & Rs. 13.57 lakhs for the automatic variant (All prices are ex-showroom Delhi). The car gets the same aggressive iconic Hyundai styling and the brand name will bring some big sales for its new product. With 15,000 pre booking before the launch, Creta is a show stopper from the day 1. Hyundai Creta is more densely loaded and more stylish than the competitors and its success is not being doubted by anyone.

Exterior

Hyundai has worked very well on its Creta and the craftsmanship can be seen clearly on its whole body. The car, like all other Hyundai offerings, is full of sharp edges and curves, making full use of precise engineering techniques available. With minor side cladding around the whole structure, the car looks attractive from almost all angles. The front gets huge chrome, three lined grill with a totally new bumper for the upcoming SUV.

The fog lamps are differently shaped and the front DRL's look beautiful, studded like diamonds below the projector headlamp in the front headlight. The car seems to be a smaller version of the Santa Fe from the first look but as you watch it go past you, the real identity of the car will be realized. The clear winner in the looks segment is Creta as it won’t give you a single reason to opt out of it. The 17 inch diamond cut alloy wheels make the package more exciting. The chrome package covers all the door handles nicely and gives a premium appeal to the vehicle.

Dimensions & Ground Clearance

The Creta has been made with a logical approach of achieving comfort through compact designing. The car comes with a length of 4270 mm, making it considerably compact than an expected SUV. The 5 seat arrangement makes the possibility true as 7 would have ruined the compact status. The width of 1780 mm makes it quiet spacious inside and the height of 1630 mm provides comfortable headroom also. 2590 mm of wheelbase clears the fact that compactness would be visual only, the feeling would be Elite. It gets a decent 190 mm of ground clearance, making it a practical and not just by name SUV.

Interior

Hyundai Creta gets trendy black and spacious interior. Its practicality can be judged with its 5-seater arrangement, with no lack of space for every passenger and a considerable boot space for their belongings. The car comes with all up to date features like 7 inch touchscreen navigation system with USB and AUX compatibility, steering mounted controls and Bluetooth. The 1 GB space in the system will provide the user with an option to save his favourite list on the system only, with its 6-speaker system making it better than a traditional 4 speaker one.

The availability of automatic temperature control unit makes it a fantastic place to be in extreme weathers, riding to your favourite places of relief. Silver accents into the black interior makes it more appealing than everything else and the feeling of being premium is achieved. The fluidic profile has been carried forward into the interior of the car also. The smooth flowing color through the black dashboard makes it more appealing than others.

Instrument Cluster

The beautiful instrument cluster of the SUV seems to be simple from the first look, yet really complicated when comes to the features on offer. The left shows the tachometer in a round casing whereas the same casing gets the speedometer and digital fuel gauge at the right. The center houses a screen with all the magic inside. It provides the driver with all the settings for the increased convenience of the passengers. It comes with odometer, trip meter, clock and outside temperature display as the standard options.

Engine & Gearbox

The new Creta is coming with 1582 cc, DOHC CRDi engine with variable geometry turbocharger, producing a maximum of 126 BHP @ 4000 rpm and 265 NM @ 1900 rpm. The diesel motor will come with a 6-speed manual transmission. The petrol motor is a 1591 cc, 121.4 BHP engine producing 154.94 NM of torque.

It is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. The diesel engine would be the more preferred one, with a blend of economy and power. The other diesel motor, which is 1.4 L, 4-cylinder is also used in the lower trims, making out a comparatively lower figure of 89 BHP. The car comes in the automatic variant in the 1.6 L diesel engine.

ARAI Certified Mileage

The car is expected to be high on real time mileage. Hyundai has tried to keep the weight as low as possible and the mileage figures shook up with this little advantage. The petrol 1.6 L motor returns 15.29 kmpl whereas the 1.4 L diesel becomes the most efficient with a 21.38 kmpl figure. The automatic and manual versions of the 1.6 L diesel offer 17.1 kmpl and 19.67 kmpl respectively.

Comfort & Convenience

The car has covered every comfort aspect of the passengers. The automatic temperature control unit creates a hassle free environment inside the car. It comes with spacious seats and every passenger at the back gets a height adjustable head rest for more ease while on long routes. It comes with excellent NVH levels, making it one of the best cabins in the segment. Arm rests for both the seats have been provided in the Creta, and that also comes with the option of cup holders. Provision of automatic transmission makes it more valuable for those who wish to stay away from the gear changing hassle in the city traffic.

Safety Features

The braking power of the Creta will be in the hands of disc brakes for the front and drum brakes for the rear. The availability of ABS has been confirmed. The car would be one of the safest cars on the road, thanks to the inclusion of dual front airbags, with side and curtain airbags also available on the top most trim. The safety has been further enhanced by front and rear fog lamps, with defogger on the rear.

The washer and wiper have also been attached for further ease of the passengers. Speed sensing door lock and impact sensing unlock makes it easy for the passengers to forget door locks every time they go for a ride and makes it easy to get away from the vehicle at the time of collision. The whole setup will bring more safety to the car.

Variants

The Hyundai Creta will be available in a total of 10 petrol and diesel variants. The naming has been kept the same as other Hyundai products covering the Base, S, S+, SX, SX+ and SX (O). The petrol engine is available in Base, S and the optional SX+ variant whereas the 1.4 L diesel motor gets into the Base, S and S+ variant only. Upper trims gets the 1.6 L diesel motor and even the SX(O) with an automatic transmission.

Shades

Hyundai offers the Creta in seven shades including Polar White, Mystic Blue, Phantom Black, Star Dust, Sleek Silver, Pearl Beige and Red Passion.

Ex-Showroom Price

The Creta petrol gets a starting price of INR 8.59 lakh and the range moves up to INR 11.19 for the SX+ model. The 1.4 L diesel motor starts at 9.46 lakh and ends up at 11.45 lakh. The most adorable 1.6 L diesel motor starts at INR 11.59 lakh and ends at INR 13.60 lakh. This makes the Creta an excellent choice instead of many offerings in the segment. The prices make a healthy range of INR 8.59-13.60 lakh.

Verdict

The car gets best in class features, premium look and a positive attitude. It is the best choice for the one who does not compromise on comfort and being practical chooses a 5 seater. Creta is fully loaded and makes you feel good on the higher trims and side by side, it does not even disappoint the petrol lovers with the optional high end variant SX+. You get a full utility package, which disappoints at no factor in the real life scenario.