Hyundai Creta — ownership review
To be honest, I was quite sceptic when my dad brought about the idea of the Creta. I had asked for a Volkswagen Polo GT TSi for city convenience, but dad insisted on the compact SUV instead of another hatchback. Didn’t make sense back then, but now it does. 2 months into life with the Creta has not only changed my mind about having a mini-SUV, but also about the brand Hyundai itself.
Transmission
The variant that we purchased was the SX+ Automatic CRDi. This was done without prior testing of the 6-speed auto ‘box. But I was in for a delightful surprise. The transmission was butter smooth and felt light years ahead of the dim-witted 4-speed that you get in lower Hyundai cars. The transmission is good for serene city driving, but push it hard and you’ll notice the underlying lethargy of the gearbox. But this is only when you floor it in first gear. Once it hits the limiter in first, shifting to the higher gears is seamless, that is if you find the road to make it hit the limiter in each gear. So overall, not one the finest transmissions out there, but one of the best in this segment that you can have.
Engine
It is evident that this engine has the initial turbo lag which is present in almost all turbocharged cars, but the lag is rather well masked by the torque produced by the 1.6 CRDi engine which is shared with the Verna and the Elantra. The engine and the gearbox go hand-in-hand, resulting in seamless shifts for a smooth, uneventful drive. Drive it in a serene manner, and you shall find no issues except the irritable low-rpm drone of the engine. But push it harder, and the torque comes in one strong shove which causes evident torque steer, if the tyres aren’t pointing straight. I’ve even managed to lose traction on several occasions, which was pretty satisfying. Another slight niggle I’ve noticed is that at cruising speeds on the highway, in the tune of 120 km/h, the engine revs are pretty high at 2500 rpm in 6th gear. This could be an issue for people who nitpick — like me. But in every other aspect, it’s a great highway car. Tyre noise is also minimal, and wind noise is only heard when the speedo touches 140 km/h. The engine bay is also well-insulated to curb the NVH levels inside the cabin. But some noise does filter through, reminding you that you’re driving a diesel. To conclude, great engine and a lot of torque on tap, but refinement can be further increased.
Comfort
The Creta is a rather comfortable vehicle. In terms of shock absorption, not the best of cars, but again — the best Hyundai suspension system for a car under 20 lakhs in my opinion. The torsion beam results in body movement in bad and undulating roads. In the highway though, the car is extremely stable. In terms of seat comfort, it’s a mixed bag. First, you DO NOT give fabric seats on a near 17 lakh car, it’s extremely off-putting. I swapped the seat covers to leatherette ones at first instance. The seats themselves aren’t greatly shaped, even after the numerous adjustments that one can make on the manual-yes manual height and recline adjustment. I’ve resorted to using a cushion to constantly change to the position wherein I feel comfortable, mostly in the lower and middle back. Passengers of the rear seats have nothing to complain about. To conclude, rear comfort is good, front is average. Best option is to find aftermarket seat covers to suit your needs and taste.
Braking
This was such a serious issue for me, that I had to mention separately. For those of you who think Creta is ‘value-for-money’, think again. One does not simply pay a company 17 big ones to skimp on essential features like disc brakes in the rear. When was the last time anyone questioned the lack of features on a Hyundai? The rear disc brake was first discontinued on the Verna to compensate for extra features. But in the Creta? For a mini-SUV, stopping power is no joke and that is exactly what they have avoided. In specific, the Automatic has a rather appalling brake pedal feel, complemented by even poorer bite. In emergency braking situations, which is best avoided, you’ll literally need to stomp on the brakes with your foot to make it shed speed. I’ve had a couple of close calls when the wheels lost traction on the pockmarked Bangalore-Chennai highway. The manual has a better brake pedal feel for some reason. In conclusion, Hyundai needs to make disc brakes as standard on the Creta, or it might result in serious accidents.
Steering and Handling
To my surprise, the handling of this SUV was quite sorted. There is considerable roll, which is pretty obvious as this is a big car, but it holds it’s line rather well. The steering is very light in the city, just like every other Hyundai, but unlike any other Hyundai, it weighs up rather well at highway speeds which calls for very less modulation on a long drive. In conclusion, not a great driver’s car, but it will give you the fizz in the city due to the sorted engine and acceptable dynamics.
Ergonomics and Features
It goes without saying that the ergonomics are well-sorted, this is a Hyundai after all. Everything is where you’d expect it to be. Storage is pretty decent as well, with several cubby holes and bottle holders (1L) to put things into. The glovebox is fairly big, but storage below the central armrest is meagre to say the least. But again, this isn’t standard in this class.
You’d expect me to say that it goes without saying that the car is feature-packed as well. Not here. I can only call it average. First, the SX+ variants do not get leather seats as standard, only 2 airbags and the MID Instrument Cluster is basic in comparison to the SX(O), which has comprehensive details about the car. The car also does NOT come with automatic locking doors (Really, Hyundai? Really?), automatic headlamps, cruise control, automatic seat adjustment or lumbar support, reach adjustment for the steering column, vanity mirror light for the co-passenger or even a cooler glovebox. Hyundai has slipped for the first time. It wouldn’t even be pushing it if we asked for the delicious 17' alloys which are standard on the SX(O).
Fuel Economy
In two words — rather shocking. I expected a 600km range between full tanks, in the city as quoted by other owners of the automatic. I get a maximum of 450–500 kms for a full tank of diesel in the city, and 650 kms on the highway. This is by trial-and-error method. I thought that driving with a light foot will make a huge difference, but that isn’t the case. So these are my quoted figures, and perhaps someone might get different readings for their cars.
City — 9 kmpl Highway — 12.7 kmpl Overall — 11 kmpl
Other Highlights
The central infotainment is okayish. The navigation system works well, but it kind of got lost in a few places. Lots of updates required here. The system itself is pretty much loaded with bugs. I’ve had to use the tiny reset button (present in the corner of the system) so many times that I actually have a pen allotted for that purpose. The touch sensitivity is good, but the surface is a dirt-magnet.
The air-con vents have a nifty feature of closing the flow if you pull it down. The A/C info is a digital, dual zone climate control unit with automatic air flow. The A/C has an annoying habit of switching off circulation mode at impromptu moments, resulting the outside odour filtering into the cabin. Not clever at all. The materials in the cabin are just average. The plastics are rather hard, and I dislike the colour combination of the cabin. Black seat covers were chosen by me to make the cabin more plush. The key is cappuccino brown, which is not a great colour in my opinion. Also, the key fob is exactly the same you get in the Grand i10, which shows that Hyundai likes to recycle parts very much.
The outside exterior styling is very attractive. The car by itself has a handsome stance. The front is imposing and looks better than the Santa Fe, in my opinion. The rear is boring. The best view for the car is the rear or front three-quarter view. The black plastic cladding all around the car give it a strong character. 185 mm of ground clearance means that you can literally take this over any bad road in India and rise above it without cringing at the sound of the underbelly scraping the road. The A-Pillars offer minimal obstruction, but the thick B and C-Pillars make it hard to navigate the car during a U-turn. Don’t be fooled by the huge proportions. The car is rather small, and wraps itself around you when you drive. I’ve successfully piloted the car through shockingly narrow roads in Bangalore and made it out without a scratch. Boot space is sufficient for anything you can throw at it. If necessary, you can fold down the rear seats — 60:40 split in the Automatic variant, for additional space.
The headlamps are very bright, but feel insufficient in the highway. Another irritant is the low illumination provided by the white DRL strip. To make matters worse, the two are contrasting colours, yellow for the projectors and white for the DRL. Not a single puncture so far, even with the obnoxious Goodyear tyres. I wanted the Bridgestone ones.
Conclusion
The odometer currently stands at 3885 kms. I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t enjoy every kilometre that I traversed in this car. And this car has changed my mind about SUVs in general and also about Hyundai as a brand, which is rather high praise. A few niggles here and there, but this car is on it’s way to become a bulletproof car in terms of reliability. Overall, a great experience. Looking forward to put many more miles on the Odo.
Vishal Jayakumar
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