Hyundai Creta: Perfect compact SUV with no NON SENSE at all.

Hyundai Creta: Perfect compact SUV with no NON SENSE at all.

Hyundai Creta, despite being a brand new car doesnt need that much introduction. It has become the one of the best-selling Hyundai and very near to the Elite i20, which it sells on heaps as well. Hyundai Creta Selling Price (Petrol) Creta 1.6 Base 6MT  Rs. 8.59 lakhs Creta 1.6 SX 6MT Rs. 9.57 lakhs Creta 1.6 SX+ 6MT Rs. Rs. 11.19 lakhs *Ex-Showroom First glance and it looks like a proper SUV indeed. Raised stance, high roofline with roof rails, black cladding all around and the gap between wheel arches with massive 16-inch wheels shout SUV for sure. Dimensions fall just right as length is enough to call it an SUV, but not old school super large. The faux skid plate at the front and rear give an impression this is an SUV. The Korean touch to the SUV comes from the window line which pinches below rather than straight or upwards. Elongated headlights and tail lamps are also typical Hyundai and grab a lot of attention. The front is very dynamic and side is very distinctive but the rear is plain bland, save for the tail-lights. Parted into two with a flat tailgate and a bit of chrome just doesnt look go very well with the well-made front. Alloy wheels suit the SUV well. A-pillar in gloss black is a neat touch. Overall, Pucca SUV, but there is scope of improvement Step inside, it feels like you are stepping inside a slightly raised sedan. Whats instantly noticeable is the Cretas doors. The SUV has very heavy doors and build quality is very impressive indeed unlike previous Hyundais. Look around and you find good quality all around and even in the corners and hidden places, which is inaccessible to the human eye at first sight. Fit, finish is top notch and everything falls to hand too. The interior looks modern enough, thanks to the 7-inch touchscreen in between which helps. However, the rest of the cabin looks like the Elite i20. Except for the slightly different wheel, everything else is the same, which could not be to the taste of any customers. The dashboard gets silver inserts for vents and edges to make it different and even the gearbox surrounds get the same. What we didnt like that the switches for the window isnt illuminated and its just done for the driver switch which makes it difficult in the night. Space in the front and rear is very generous in terms of the leg, head, knee room and shoulder room too. Hyundai is known for making cars low on width, Creta isnt one of them. Boot space is good, but not class-leading as it lacks width and length. Seats are comfortable, but the pedals seem to be placed slightly higher and if you take the seat height all the way down, it is going to disturb your riding position. Visibility is OK, but the narrow windows all around except the front, slow you down while parking in mall walls and tight parking spaces. The storage area is adequate, but the cubby hole in the armrest is a tad small and so is the glovebox which is just about accommodating. Door pockets can hold medium-sized bottles as well. We particularly love the way the vertical A/C vents operate. It is a Hyundai, so you expect the car to be loaded with everything you need right Wrong. There are crucial things which are missing and one of them is the leather package. Leather is only seen on the gear knob and steering and hand brake is devoid of it. MID is still missing and you can only spend time in the car driving and when you started. Mirrors dont fold when you remotely lock the car. There is no reach in the steering and its adjustable for rake only. Illumination for the cluster isnt available for petrol variant. Seat height adjustable belt isnt here either. You get a steel spare wheel instead of an alloy wheel. On the flip side, the Creta gets navigation which has a host of features which can help you find the nearest fuel pump, hospital or a coffee shop and we tried it works well and it guides to the destination. Live navigation works very well too. There is the usual USB-Bluetooth-AUX for connectivity. The stereo system is just about OK when it comes to sound quality. Bluetooth actually works well than other Hyundais that we tested and it is slicker and quicker to respond when demanded. There are two 12v sockets one at the front and rear. Rear seat gets armrest which has two cup holders as well. Hyundai car means that you have your trip meter and mode setting on the steering itself along with audio and phone controls, which frees a lot of space and saves a lot of money too. 1 GB of storage is here as well. Day and night mirror is manual and not digital like other Hyundais on this petrol variant. Rear gets A/C vents and the A/C is almost powerful to cool the cabin, a little better will be appreciated, though.Push button start, electric operated ORVM, keyless entry, rear view camera with an assist, follow me headlamps, climate control, cornering fog lamps are also present. Overall, its well kitted, but the petrol variant skips on things which arent the best as petrol engine buyers prefer more kit. Safety features include two airbags on top variant only with ABS and EBD and everything else remains skipped for the moment and available with diesel variant Creta is available with two diesel and one petrol engine and today, we have the petrol engine with the manual gearbox. Automatic gearbox option is missing on the Creta petrol as of now but the diesel gets it. The 1.6 VTVT engines makes 123 BHP of power at 6400 RPM and 150 NM of torque at 4850 RPM. The engine redlines at 6800 RPM. The 1.6 Hyundai Creta Petrol engine has very good low-end torque along with good mid-range punch as well. Gearing is on the very tall side and the second gear can show you 90 km/hrs. Top-end power isnt its forte. Power tapers out if you are accelerating from zero or in the mid-range from 140 km/hr onwards. Post 150 to 185 km/hr, which is its top speed, takes a lot of time and road to be achieved. Engine NVH levels of the Hyundai Creta Petrol are fantastic and idle the engine doesnt feel like if its on. City driveability is excellent also thanks to a light clutch and a 6-speed super smooth gearbox. Engine sound great in a way, if you are used to redlining. However, even a normal driver will appreciate the slightly snarly note it has at the top end of the rev band. We got a fuel efficiency of 9.16 km/l when measured from a tank to tank. Considering heavy foot and urban crawling, it did a good job. Sedate driving can see 11 km/l easily. Monocoque chassis says it all in SUVs nowadays and it does the same with the Creta. Creta continues to be a front-wheel drive SUV as well. The Hyundai Creta Petrol has a very light steering and turning radius is quite short for an SUV of this size thanks to a tighter steering ratio, but we prefer a slightly tighter ratio to make it the perfect. Steering weighs up nicely at high speeds and is quite accurate as well. Feedback is good, but as we know its fake, so it is inconsistent, sometimes when an un-unprecedented move is made. The ride quality is quite stiff on the Creta and its almost on the verge of being choppy, but it isnt. Ground clearance is good and even after going in very deep monsoon potholes there were no scrapping witnessed. This makes it tight, agile and stable at all speeds. High-speed stability is top-notch and you just dont feel the speeds you are doing on any given road, wider or smaller. Something we last saw in a German car, but it doesnt that same SOLID feeling. However, its a great effort from Hyundai and deserves a pat on the back for this. Handling is neutral and safe not sporty because the chassis doesnt feel as balanced as it should be. Overall, top marks as its a Hyundai, which has improved leaps and bounds over the last few years. Brakes are good, but not great because of small drum brakes at the rear. Vehicle this size surely wants rear disc as well to stop it. Pros  Dynamically accomplished Quality interiors Spacious and frugal engines Hyundai sales and service reach Cons Rear drum brakes, needs disc Missing (o) variant (petrol) and the features, airbags with it No petrol automatic verdict : So, the perfect SUV is perfect Not exactly, there are some essential features missing at this price point for the petrol Creta, which isnt that good news. However, the perfectness lies in the ride and handling, the sales and service network, the full proof engines and Hyundais guarantee of a low-cost of ownership as the parts are seen on other Hyundais. Bookings and sales figures show that the Creta has already a huge fan following, which makes it a pretty good deal for prospective buyers. Despite the price range isnt exactly value for money, all of this makes it an emotional package. A good-looking car which is an SUV, comes with great quality makes it a hit already.