Creta launch on the horizon
WELL-EQUIPPED: NEW HYUNDAI SUV TO TEST THE WATERS ON THE LOCAL MARKET Dimensions are smaller than the Tucson’s, but styling follows the design language.
The first view of the Hyundai Creta was a concept at Auto China held in Beijing, China, in April 2014. Just four months later, the production model was launched and sales in the Chinese market commenced. Since then, the company’s first foray into the sub-compact SUV segment in China and India has been successful, and the Creta now seeks a market share in South Africa.
External dimensions of the Creta are smaller than the latest Tucson, but styling follows the corporate lines, as shown on all Hyundai’s SUV range.
The wide grille flanked by large headlight clusters and fog lights, a high roofline surmounted with alloy roof rails and a set of 16-inch alloy wheels give the Creta an SUV look, rather than the beefed up hatchback offerings we see these days. Adding to the purposeful appearance and the vehicles capability is a generous 190mm of ground clearance.
The interior is typical of a Hyundai executive sedan, featuring leather seats, copious amounts of hard plastics, and a large central display for the infotainment/navigation systems. Instrumentation is clear, and all controls well-positioned and simple to use. Storage is well-catered for, with bottle holders all over the cabin and positions for cellphones and loose change.
The Creta has a high specification level, reinforcing the very competitive pricing to achieve a good value proposition. All three models share exactly the same comprehensive standard equipment list.
Some of the features are a rear camera and park assist, front and rear fog lights, ISOFIX child seat attachments, multifunction steering wheel and 60/40 split rear seat. Cargo space is claimed at 402 litres.
A nice feature is the projection static bending headlights, which provides extra side illumination when negotiating junctions at night. With such a high specification, it is surprising that cruise control is only available as an aftermarket option.
Safety includes six airbags, ABS, BAS and EBD as well as a passenger shell offering excellent occupant protection.
Two power units are available, one petrol and one diesel, both being four cylinder and having a capacity of 1.6 litres. The petrol produces 90kW at 6 300rpm with torque of 150Nm at 4 850rpm. The turbocharged diesel offers 94kW at 4 000rpm and a torque of 260Nm at 2 750 rpm.
The double overhead camshaft engines utilise a silent running chain, rather than a toothed belt, and this has a claimed life expectancy of between 200- and 300 000km.
Transmissions are a six-speed manual or automatic box. The petrol engine is available with either, whereas the diesel is only available with the automatic transmission. Drive is via the front wheels, and there is no intention to offer a four-wheel drive version.
Fuel consumption for the petrol manual is claimed at 7.9l/100km with emissions of 162g/km. With
the automatic transmission the figures are 8.4l/100km and 173g/ km. The diesel is claimed at 7.4l/100km and emission of 156g/ km.
On the road the Creta is comfortable. The suspension design offers a more pliant ride on all surfaces. One of the reasons for this is the almost vertical mounting of the shock absorbers, which has added a new dimension to the Creta’s handling characteristics.
The electric motor driven power assisted steering worked very well, I am not a fan of such units, but this one offers an excellent balance between town and open road driving and weights up very well at speed.
Overall, performance was very good all round, the outstanding model being the diesel, which provided a smooth effortless drive on the launch route in the Overberg district of the Western Cape.
Unfortunately, I cannot say the same of the petrol engined version.
Climbing a mountain pass, the speed began to drop off, requiring a downshift. But I found that I needed to drop even further through the gears to bring the engine back on song.
Looking at the torque curve graphic, there is very little grunt in the low end of the engine rev range. With copious use of the gearbox and plenty of revs, it certainly performed a lot better. But I have to say my choice would have to be the diesel derivative.
Despite this issue, the Hyundai Creta is excellent value for money in this segment, and the diesel format would certainly tick many a potential buyer’s boxes.
With a very high specification level and very comfortable cabin, the Creta is an interesting challenger in the sub-compact SUV market.