The Hyundai Creta is a compact SUV which looks like a smaller version of the Santa Fe SUV. This compact SUV uses the Fluidic 2.0 design philosophy and is available with 10 versions in India. Most importantly, the Hyundai Creta is manufactured at the the company’s Chennai-based plant and exported to global markets. The Hyundai Creta has a muscular stance with the wide bonnet, blacked out air-dam, swept back headlamps, dual tone interiors and innovative vertical fog lamps with black surrounds. The Hyundai Creta direct competes with the Renault Duster, Ford EcoSport and the Nissan Terrano.
The car is offered in both diesel and petrol trims. The diesel trims of the Hyundai Creta are priced in the range of Rs. 9,56,940 lakh to Rs. 13,80,156 lakh while, the petrol trims of the Hyundai Creta start at Rs. 8,69,461 lakh. The prices are ex-showroom, Delhi.
ENGINE AND SPECIFICATIONS
The Hyundai Creta comes with a choice of two diesel and one petrol engine options- the petrol engine on Creta is a 1.6- litre Gamma VTVT motor which produces 121 bhp of power at 6400 rpm and 155 Nm of torque at 4,850 rpm. The engine is mated to a 6-Speed manual gearbox. But, there is no option for an automatic here.
At the same time, the Hyundai Creta is also available with two diesel engine options- a 1.4- litre U2 CRDi diesel engine generating 89 bhp of power at 4000 rpm and 220 Nm of torque at 1500 rpm – 2750 rpm. While, the larger 1.6- litre CRDi diesel engine produces 126 bhp of power at 4000 rpm and 260 Nm of torque at 1900 rpm – 2750 rpm. Transmission options include 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic. It is noteworthy that 6-speed automatic transmission is available exclusively on SX+ diesel variant.
As far as mileage is concerned, the petrol variant of the Hyundai Creta offers a mileage of 15.29 kmpl. And, the 1.4- litre diesel engine delivers an impressive fuel efficiency of 21.38 kmpl while the 1.6- litre diesel engine delivers a fuel economy of 19.67 kmpl with manual gearbox, whereas, the automatic transmission stands at 17.01 kmpl. Besides, the compact SUV has 55 liters of fuel tank capacity. The Hyundai Creta reaches the 0 – 100 km/h mark in around 11.5 seconds.
EXTERIOR
The Hyundai Creta is above 4-metres in length and comes with a stylish exterior which is based on the company’s Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design. This compact SUV comes equipped with a large front grille with multiple horizontal chrome slats, uniquely designed headlamps that house the daytime running lights and aggressive bumper which houses vertical fog lamps.
The front of the Hyundai Creta is inspired from the Santa Fe SUV whereas the side profile of the SUV makes it look sporty with the roof rails and the large 17-inch diamond cut alloy wheels though only the high end variant offers the 17-inch wheel, other variants get 16-inch alloys.
Moreover, the defogger of the vehicle cleans the mist on the rear glass during inclement weather conditions, while the rear wiper and washer keeps the rear glass clean for enhanced visibility and the door scuff plates added to the front and rear door sill for sporty appeal and, at the same time, it protects the sill area during entry and exit of passengers.
The Hyundai Creta measures 4270 mm in length, 1780 mm in width and 1622 mm in height. Besides, it has a wheelbase of 2590 mm and 183 mm of ground clearance. The compact SUV is available with a choice of eight colours- Earth Brown , Red Passion, Stardust, Polar White, Sleek Silver, Mystic Blue, Pearl Beige and Phantom Black.
INTERIOR
The Hyundai Creta feels luxurious and comes equipped with several first-in class features such as touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, steering mounted audio system with Bluetooth, USB, aux-in and 1GB onboard memory, keyless entry, push start and stop, automatic climate control, power steering, electric folding ORVMs, reverse parking camera, rear AC vents and power windows.
In addition, seat back pocket provides convenient storage space for items such as newspaper, magazines and so on. The vehicle has large boot capacity of 400 litres and headroom is also very generous. The Hyundai Creta is a five seater SUV and seats are much comfortable. And, the driver seat can easily be adjusted for height.
PERFORMANCE
The Hyundai Creta is constructed using advanced ultra high strength steel, that keeps the weight of the vehicle low and, at the same time, enhances passenger protection in case of a collision. The steering is excellent. In terms of safety, the Hyundai Creta gets ventilated disc brakes at front and drums at the rear and, undoubtedly, the brakes have enough bite to haul down the vehicle from high speeds.
In addition, the compact SUV comes equipped with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), airbags, Vehicle Stability Management, front fog lamps, Electronic Stability Control and reverse parking camera with steering adaptive guidelines and sensors. And, the top end variant of the Hyundai Creta is offered with traction control, 6 airbags and hill-start assist.
ADVANTAGES
As mentioned earlier, the Hyundai Creta has strong body structure and it is constructed using advanced ultra high strength steel hence, it is a perfect SUV for those who do not compromise on build quality. Here, it is worth pointing out that the Hyundai Creta is also available in 6 Speed Automatic Diesel Transmission whereas its rivals like Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano and Ford EcoSport – none of them is available with an Automatic Diesel Transmission.
In addition, the compact SUV is well composed in handling dynamics, steering dynamics and suspension. Gear shifts are light too. The Hyundai Creta has a wheelbase of 2590 mm which makes it as spacious as the Nissan Terrano and Renault Duster.
DRAWBACKS
The Hyundai Creta lacks an AWD though, it rival the Renault Duster offers AWD. The glove box of the vehicle is made of hard plastic and neither cooled nor illuminated. Besides, the Hyundai Creta does not have a child lock in the rear passenger seat.
VERDICT
The Hyundai Creta comes with the best in class features. One of the stand out features of the compact SUV is its ride and handling. The price is another added advantage which comes under Rs 15 lakhs.
