THE DREAM DRIVE
AUTO TODAY DRIVES HYUNDAI’S MUCH-AWAITED SUV, THE CRETA, THAT HAS CREATED A BUZZ IN THE MARKET.
Hyundai’s research shows that the most important factor for car buyers is exterior styling and with the company’s Fluidic styling already capturing the imagination of the Indian car buying public, it required no genius to predict what the new SUV would look like. In addition to the sculpting that this design philosophy imparts, Hyundai added a touch of arrogance and presence from its existing SUVs like the Santa Fe to the front end of the Creta, with a bold and imposing chrome front grille. In addition, it carried forward the sporty sloping roof, a sharply raked belt-line and premium looking tail-lamp cluster with a chrome garnish. The crowning glory to the exterior design is the shark fin antenna, again borrowed from their premium offerings. The SUV characteristics have been further accentuated by Hyundai’s decision to go in for 17-inch wheels, the largest amongst its competition, for the top-of-the-line variant.
In keeping with the overall dimensions of the car, bootspace is also between the Duster and the EcoSport at 400-litres. Hyundai is offering the Creta with a petrol engine or an option of two diesel engines. While the petrol is the 1.6-litre 123bhp dual VTVT allaluminium engine that does duty on the Verna, amongst diesels there is the option of choosing either the U2 CRDi 1.4-litre 90bhp engine from the i20 or the 1.6-litre CRDi VGT 128bhp engine from the Verna and the Elantra. On the Creta, these engines have an ARAI certified fuel efficiency of 15.3 kmpl, 21.4 kmpl and 19.7 kmpl respectively when mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox in each case.
The first impression on getting inside is that of a typical Hyundai. A lot of the interiors have been lifted from cars as diverse as the i20, the Verna and the Santa Fe. All those who are used to the i20 and the i10 Grand will see many similarities as well as features they are used to including keyless entry, push button start/stop, rear aircon vents and the multifunction display. Dual tone interiors, leather seats, 7-inch AVN system with Bluetooth and a rear camera display and a fully automat¬ic climate control system are some of the additional features. Since the 7-inch screen doubles up as a display for the feed from the rear view parking camera, there is no auto dimming inside rear view mirror, unlike some of the top variants of the brand’s other cars and this is also the case with the Santa Fe, which also gets an inner rear view mirror with manual adjustment. But the multi function trip computer is the same as the ones found on the smaller hatchbacks and not one with fuel consumption read-outs like on the ones on the Verna and the Santa Fe. So Hyundai has mixed and matched features from the current portfolio but we are very satisfied that at least it is offering the full monty in terms of safety features like six
airbags, ABS and ESP, and is flaunting the hive body structure which it has employed to give the Creta bodyshell additional rigidity. We got to drive the 1.6-litre diesel with both the manual and automatic gearbox. To start off, the engine is not new to us and is one of the nicer performers in its category. In fact, Hyundai seems to have taken a lead in terms of CRDi engines and has a good range of then in India already. The six-speed manual gearbox is well suited to the vehicle and engine but the big surprise and improvement is on the 6-speed automatic, which Hyundai is now employing. The gearbox keeps the engine in the best part of its rev range, no matter whether cruising on the highway or tackling the stop-start city traffic. Steering feel is a big improvement over the early developments of the electric-assist systems.
VERDICT
The Creta offers a very attractive overall package with a good mix of rugged looks and exterior style, excellent interior space that is packed with features and equip¬ ment and a wide range of options for powertrains, including a first in segment auto gearbox mated to a diesel and petrol engines. Its onroad presence is half the battle won and then the range of options across a wide price band means that it can appeal to a much wider range and type of buyer. Prices start at Rs 9.16 lakh (ex-Delhi)