[kgt.v8]

Reactivating this thread as I got an opportunity to see a rera Premium variant.

Premium variants sells at ₹19.99 lakh ex-showroom and gets ADAS features. This variant is comparable to ICE Creta SX Tech variant.

- No soft touch materials just like SX Tech interiors except the center arm rest. The plastics are soft touch however when your elbow and arm rub against these soft plastics they take away the premium feel for me. Hyundai needs to provide some more soft touch materials on normal touch points to give more premium feel inside the cabin.
- The floating center console has empty buttons in place of ventilated seat button.
- Arm rest is fixed. I don’t understand why Hyundai is not providing sliding arm rest after air purifier has been moved to AC unit. Alcazar gets sliding arm rest so I was expecting Creta Electric also to get one.

Fabric seats are made from jute like material. I understand sustainability and reducing environment footprint when manufacturing new cars , but this jute type material did not give a premium feel when you sit on it. This is just my perspective. The SA indicated that they have side air bag compatible seat cover which might feel better but they don’t have it in stock for me to actually fee the seat cover material.




There is a big hole after battery pack underneath which I feel will be used by some cat or dog when the car is parked in the open.

[shankar.balan]

So today the Hyundai folks popped by at my request with the Creta EV for me to test. Prabhakar of Trident Hyundai in Kudlu Gate is most helpful.

Intent:
I m only going to talk about the driving impressions and yes, the sound.

Basis:
I spent 35 -45 mins in the driving seat and drove all over my neighbourhood. Across all the bylanes and unmarked speed bumps and those elephantine covered hume pipes and construction related debris and general uneven bumps and potholes and everything.

Sound:
The music system is from Bose. But it has only 4 speakers. It is not as immersive as the BE6 or XEV9. The noise insulation in the cabin is perfectly adequate but not in the same league as the acoustic glass of the Mahindra Twins. Yes there is only wired Carplay. But this is easily sorted with the Otto Dongle. Its not a concern at all, in my view.

Seating, View and Comfort.
Very comfortable. Plenty of legroom. Useful dead pedal. Plenty of stretching space. Very good under thigh support even for me at 6ft 2inches height. Seats are supportive. Great door side arm rest for the right arm. Great centre arm rest which both passengers ca. share easily.

The Electrically operated front seats with height adjustment are a huge boon and as Ive remarked before, this is a facility which is very rarely offered to us in India. And it really means so much to the front passenger to be able to adjust the seat height! However, the lower back lumbar support offered by my Kona is better.
The view from the front seat is perfect. The A Pillar thickness is comfortable - no blind spot like the Mahindra EVs.

Steering.
Everyone is fond of saying that Hyundai steering is poor. I think the Creta will prove them wrong. It feels well weighted at low speeds and has a heft which I like. And yes, while it may not offer the point and shoot of a Ford, it is perfectly adequate for what is after all, a comfortable family wagon.

Range:
The 51KWH battery range says 473kms. This car inspires enough confidence for me to attempt Ooty from Bangalore on one charge. Whereas in my Kona I will definitely stop and top up in Mysore.

Performance:
Not as Blistering as the Kona and the Mahindra EVs. But in my view the 253Nm Torque and 173 Bhp is more than sufficient. Being an FWD there is a certain amount of torque steer when one takes a tight turn and accelerates.
But my Kona though it has only 136bhp, gives me 395Nm of Torque which you can feel from the get go.

The Mahindra Twins are ‘much wilder’ than the Hyundais. However, let us remember that we need to be able to use all that power in the real world while obeying the law and keeping within the prescribed speed limits. For this, the Hyundai Creta EV is more than adequate.

For the most part one will happily buzz around in Eco mode (as I do) and when one feels like upping the game as one does, now and then, click into Sport Mode and watch the fun. The drive mode selector knurled knob in the centre feels of good quality and solid. Far nicer than the ones in the Mahindra Twins.

The steering mounted braking regen controls are excellent and behave just like my Kona. Yes the paddles themselves are slimmer but the regenerative braking effect with the three levels is the same as my Kona. I use these like I use the paddles in my ICE car. They are fun!

The Drive Selector Stalk on the right side of the steering is nice and fat and of good quality. Despite driving rapidly and not looking closely at this while driving I never mixed up the indicator stalk and this stalk. So that is decidedly NOT an issue one needs to worry about at all.

Suspension, Handling and Braking.
This is a good highlight. It drives over these bumps and potholes without any fuss and fanfare. It inspires a lot of confidence when it is taking the thrashing meted out by the Bangalore road conditions. A very comfortable and well composed ride. No skittering about on uneven patches. Whoever sat and did the suspension tuning, has understood Indian conditions well. I appreciate this effort a lot.

It handles very decently for a family wagon. It is NOT a speed demon nor a sports car so it is incorrect to score it on those parameters. It doesn't pitch and sway as one might expect. It is not a corner carver. So lets evaluate it for what it is. Yes it is a crossover/ SUV but it is very car-like in all respects.

Braking is fuss free. Excellent responsiveness. Not spongy. Feels taut. And stops rock solid. Extremely confidence inspiring!

Verdict:
My short verdict is that this is an excellent value for money offering. The Top Spec is in at 26.60 Lac on road. Which is fine and makes the whole thing very affordable when compared to more or less all those other EV's out there. A fair price for what it offers.

I prefer Hyundai to Tata. And despite my having enjoyed my drive with the Mahindra Twins, my personal view is that Hyundai vehicles overall are more accomplished and reliable as of now. Their Testing Processes are more evolved and thorough and they generally won’t take short cuts.

Long story short, why bother spending 45-65 lacs when there is a very accomplished alternative at half the price?

The competition to this, in the form of the e Vitara, will be well worth watching out for as well.

Truly, this looks like it heralds the beginning of the affordable, accomplished, ‘EveryMan’s EV’ segment. And for anyone who wants to be prudent and watch the ‘paise’ , this segment is the most pertinent one.

[mally2]

@shankar

Great drive review. Were you able to gauge the efficiency numbers. Does this have the magical efficiency of the Kona? Some YouTubers have managed 400km on a full charge.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by mally2

@shankar

Great drive review. Were you able to gauge the efficiency numbers. Does this have the magical efficiency of the Kona? Some YouTubers have managed 400km on a full charge.

Hi
Nope. Didn’t pay attention to efficiency at all.
Was too focussed on the drive.
However, as I said, Im very sure of this thing having enough range to go to Ooty in one charge from Bangalore.

[raghukodali]

we just booked the Creta electric and the car is expected in about 4 weeks. I have the standard team-bhp PDI checklist. Is there any specific EV related PDI checks that I need to do for EVs?

[Sentau]

Originally Posted by raghukodali

we just booked the Creta electric and the car is expected in about 4 weeks. I have the standard team-bhp PDI checklist. Is there any specific EV related PDI checks that I need to do for EVs?

There is this PDI checklist for the punch EV. Some checklist items should overlap so I think this will be helpful.
Also congratulations.

[SithDefender]

Originally Posted by raghukodali

we just booked the Creta electric and the car is expected in about 4 weeks.

Congrats! Hope you get it delivered soon!
Which variant did you book? And what color ?

[raghukodali]

Originally Posted by SithDefender

Congrats! Hope you get it delivered soon!
Which variant did you book? And what color ?

Thanks. We booked Excellence LR dual tone ocean blue + Abyss black.

[car_guy1998]

Originally Posted by raghukodali

Thanks. We booked Excellence LR dual tone ocean blue + Abyss black.

Congratulations on booking the Creta EV.

Did you look for any other EVs apart from the Creta EV?

Folks,

I have a question. Can I swap the alloys of the Creta EV to ICE ones or to any other alloys along with tyres? Asking because I didn't like the alloys of the Creta EV and I'm willing to swap it with the black ones that is on Creta ICE version if I get one and will it affect the range of the car?

[raghukodali]

Originally Posted by car_guy1998

Congratulations on booking the Creta EV.

Did you look for any other EVs apart from the Creta EV?

Thanks.

I did not look at tata curvv. I looked at the Mahindra twins. I felt that they are too flashy and the looks are not to my liking. I wanted a car which just becomes part of the traffic and not too flashy.

Creta electric fits my requirements pretty well. A comfortable and a practical for daily usage car with a reasonably good range which just fits into the traffic without being too "in your face". It is my personal opinion that EVs should look and feel like a daily driver and not out of a sci-fi movie.

[jetpack470]

Originally Posted by car_guy1998

Congratulations on booking the Creta EV.


I have a question. Can I swap the alloys of the Creta EV to ICE ones or to any other alloys along with tyres? Asking because I didn't like the alloys of the Creta EV and I'm willing to swap it with the black ones that is on Creta ICE version if I get one and will it affect the range of the car?

Yes, it will affect range of the car. I can not say by how much percentage.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by jetpack470

Yes, it will affect range of the car. I can not say by how much percentage.

Agreed.
Changing the tyres, wheels and accoutrements of any vehicle, not only EV, will affect range/ efficiency.
EVs have tyres and wheels designed for optimal performance. Best stay stock.

[carjack3090]

The Vahan Numbers for Hyundai Creta EV do not inspire confidence. As of today there are 614 registrations. Assuming 20-25 are for Ioniq 5, Hyundai has only retailed 580-590 Creta's this month which is far from what they are targeting. These numbers are only 4-5 percent of the Total share of Creta's that are sold in a month (assuming there are 15000-16000 Creta's sold every month)

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by carjack3090

The Vahan Numbers for Hyundai Creta EV do not inspire confidence. As of today there are 614 registrations. (assuming there are 15000-16000 Creta's sold every month)

It may be a good idea to see how it compares to eVitara as soon as that launches. And then compare again when Tata Harrier EV launches.
No point comparing Creta EV vs ICE Creta.
The customer base is very likely very different.

[kgt.v8]

Originally Posted by carjack3090

The Vahan Numbers for Hyundai Creta EV do not inspire confidence. As of today there are 614 registrations. Assuming 20-25 are for Ioniq 5, Hyundai has only retailed 580-590 Creta's this month which is far from what they are targeting. These numbers are only 4-5 percent of the Total share of Creta's that are sold in a month (assuming there are 15000-16000 Creta's sold every month)

Selling 600 EVs is a good start for Creta Electric. Creta brand has not established itself in the EV space yet. Hyundai cannot ask for a lot of premium and assume people to buy only because it is a Creta.

Most of Creta ICE sales are from NA IVT, NA Manual and Diesel variants. These set of buyers are different than the ones who would buy Creta EV. Creta Electric is priced at a premium as compared to Windsor, so naturally the sale was bound to be lesser. Windsor top end is at ₹16lakh ex-showroom while Creta 42kWh Smart(O) is at ₹19.5lakh ex-showroom. There is difference of ₹3.5 lakh between these 2 cars which is a lot of money.