Much awaited Hyundai Creta all set for India launch
Looking at the recent trends it’s fair to say that by now, carmakers know exactly what the Indian buyer wants. The success of cars like the Renault Duster, Ford Ecosport and the Maruti Ertiga proves that Indians are looking for a set of wheels that look good, have an SUV-like shape and most importantly, are affordable. India’s second largest car maker Hyundai has witnessed a lot of success stories in India but till now was absent from this all important segment. Now with the Creta it aims to create a space, in fact take the lead and take over the segment. In a first preview the Korean car maker invited us to drive the car for a bit inside its Chennai plant but that short stint was enough to give us a decent idea on how the Creta is. Read on. Looks is surely one of the things that works for the Creta in a big way. Indians today want a car with a strong road presence where they can look down on other cars. Also a good ground clearance ensures a trouble-free ride on the most uneven roads. The Creta can boast of all of this. The car looks the best when viewed from a side profile; the rear is impressive while the front falls a little short of complementing them well. A lot of things remind you of the Santa Fe especially on the front and that includes the hexagonal grille and the bumper. It also sports projector headlamps as well as daytime running lamps. The plastic claddings and the roof rails help in giving the car a sportier stance. But even then, the car does not look as muscular as the Nissan Terrano or
the Re-
nault Duster. The first thing that strikes you the moment you enter the Creta is the ease with which you can get in. This is going to be particularly useful for the sari-clad mom trying to hop onto the back seat. The space is one of the biggest plusses here with both rows having ample space. Even with the front seat pushed fully back I was comfortable on the rear seat with a few inches still left
between my knees and the front seat. Hyundai was very clear right from the start that like the Ertiga or the Santa Fe this will not be a seven-seater. In words of Rakesh Srivastava, Senior VP, Sales & Marketing, “even though the length is more than four metres, the option of a third row of seats was never considered”. Ergonomically just like other Hyundais this one too is loaded with features which include a start stop button, climate control, rear AC vents and a rear parking camera. There’s a touch screen infotainment system which contains GPS and navigation as added tools. Then there’s ample storage space all around the car which augurs well for a
car of this size. The Creta will come with three engine options, one petrol and two diesel. The 1.5 litre 123 PS petrol is mated to a six-speed manual transmission. The two diesel engines are 1.4 and 1.6 litres giving a maximum power of 90 PS and 128 PS respectively. Both of them too have a six-speed manual gearbox and the 1.6 litre engine also comes with the added convenience of a six-speed automatic transmission. Hyundai Verna was the first car in its segment to provide an automatic option in diesel and now the Creta will do the same. Most car makers have ignored this and it has really given Hyundai a lot of traction in India. In fact the company chose to go with an automatic over an all wheel drive as according to them it will benefit a larger customer base on a more regular basis. A lot of Hyundai cars in India have had the same set of problems; not enough steering feedback, light suspension and a fair bit of body roll. Some of these problems still exist in the Creta but the magnitude has gone down a lot. Body roll is minimized and ride quality is good but then we didn’t get any bad quality roads to drive on. Both the 1.6 litre variants (manual and automatic) we drove hardly had any NVH and that’s a job well done by Hyundai. The gearshift is refined and the clutch is light which makes for a good drive. The manual is surely more fun to drive as the automatic is plagued a few downshifting niggles. Fuel efficiency figures have still not been revealed. With the Creta, Hyundai is offering an all round package which impresses with its looks, features and drivability. If you consider all the engine options and various trim levels there may be at least a dozen different variants to choose from when the Creta is launched a few weeks from now. These variants could be priced anywhere from Rs. 8 to 14 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi) and that means the dominance of the Duster and the Ecosport may take some beating in the times to come. Shams Naqvi is an anchor/producer for the News X motor show Living Cars.