[speedmiester]

Definitely not to my taste, too busy front and rear. Looks very much like the Venue. Even the interiors are bit quirky.
Will we be seeing a toned done version of the Creta in India?

[GrammarNazi]

IMO, any car should be designed so as to blend into the family with the design element having rounded edges and a few well placed sharp edges (like say the present Swift, or Tiago etc blends into the surroundings). A design with sharp edges speaks a language that effects to a curt tone to the conversation.

Even the Germans understood this was undesirable & left some rounded edges to many of their best mass-market offerings. The new ix25/Creta has a design language screams to speak in the tone of a cranky outlier. The headlight (eyes) with DRL (eyebrows) sloping downwards and raised front-grill (mouth), indicate an angry/nasty face and will not grow on me, atleast.

Interiors are good though.

[octane_100]

How much ever I try, I can't digest those bulges above the wheel arches. It's such a shabby design (pardon me for the choice of word)! As much as I like the interior, overall appearance is just too quirky for my liking.

[adimicra]

How much ever I try, I can't digest the design. The exterior is too busy and quirky and even the interiors do not appeal to me. It might have a big touchscreen but I would any day prefer buttons for adjusting regular controls like AC. I just don't understand this fascination with big touchscreens when in most cases, it makes it harder to do the job. Also, the AC vents etc looks totally out of place and kind of stuck on the dashboard as an after-thought. Overall, this is not a car for the ones looking for clean, elegant design. This is a clear step in backward direction as far as design is concerned - I really like how the current-gen facelifted Creta looks - mordern and elegant at the same time.

Anyways, looks/design are very subjective and I am sure Indians will lap it up as long as it has good features and prices sensibly. Now, Hyundai has a formidable competitor in the Seltos and it will be interesting to see what's the USP of the Creta going to be over the Seltos.

[vj123]

I thought Seltos had a busy looking exterior until i came across these pictures. Most people would take time to digest and get used to the looks. Front looks good with those sharp elements but rear mitigates the overall feel. Also i wish they offer better wheel designs at least on higher trims. Interior looks good but I am not a big fan of full touch infotainment screen. Flat bottom steering is a welcome move.

[sajanjohn]

The current exterior design is way elegant compared to this imo. I was secretly hoping that Hyundai might retain the current shape with minor facelift for India.

[manjunathkl]

Coming from a Creta owner and partial designer:

All new designs take time to get accustomed to. In the case of Creta, it is tougher because we see the current-gen Creta in hundreds on the road.

Designers always have the challenge to bring out a "wow" factor, but also appeal to most common people around. A very challenging task. If they make it very conventional, it will be accepted by most people, but no "wow" factor. E.g. Ciaz - A quintessential 3 box sedan that offends no one. But it doesn't turn heads either. If they make it too much "wow", then purists will hate it. E.g. When XUV500 launched, I remember SUV purists were up in arms about its cheetah inspired "busy" exteriors.

What I'm happy about Hyundai's designers:

They have always taken initiative and tried new and bold designs. In the process, they now have more mature good-looking cars compared to say 5 years back.

Hyundai is one mass-market auto-maker who is trying to put a family look for each generation of Hyundai cars. A design trait you get to see only in premium segments. A lot of TBHPians have pointed that it looks like Venue. It is intended to be that way so that all Hyundai cars consistently carry certain design traits which will make it desirable for a segment of customers.

Designers have done a brilliant job - which is depicting the brand values that Hyundai management wants Creta brand to embody. I feel the object of 2nd gen design is to look more refined and sophisticated than butch/muscular/aggressive. E.g. Ford Ecosport.

Design is a language. It always conveys something in a non-literal way. A designer who understands this language can give whole new impression with his/her creativity. I see glimpses of this skill in Hyundai desingers in the recent years. (Hyundai's Fluidic 2.0 onwards). E.g. Aria vs Hexa. Hexa conveys something that Aria failed to convey.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by manjunathkl

Design is a language. It always conveys something in a non-literal way. A designer who understands this language can give whole new impression with his/her creativity. I see glimpses of this skill in Hyundai desingers in the recent years. (Hyundai's Fluidic 2.0 onwards).

Hyundai designs have always been bashed.. by most people. I never understood why, and these are genuine feelings of mine which I wish to express, since most Hyundai owners everywhere are rubbished before we even open our mouths and subject to tags like fanboys or tasteless people.

What Hyundai did globally, and much more so in India, is bring never before seen practicality, features and refinement at a budget. The Santro had ABS, all 4 power windows, storage cubbies and reading lights when a bare exoskeleton 800 was being sold (again, Maruti has caught up in space, refinement and features hugely, even exceeding Hyundai in the total hatchback segment) but they got the jolt to compete only when Hyundai arrived. Same with the first gen i20 and a bare exoskeleton Polo, VW got jolted later to upgrade themselves.

From the first tallboy hatch with car like proportions like Santro (WagonR was more van like), to the first superhatch with 1.3 engine Getz, to pushing expensive looking premium designs like Elantra, 2nd/3rd Gen Verna, i20 Elite, Tucson etc.. they've broken value seekers expectations completely, giving us everything BUT snob value or overall ownership respect, most of my acquaintances look down upon it until they sit and experience 2 kms inside, they still don't have anything good to say but they never say anything bad either, after.

Design must shock in a good way.. yes some extreme bad examples are there from many brands like the Maruti A Star, Hyundai first gen Verna face-lift, fluidic i20, Maruti Estilo, Maruti Ignis, Honda dolphin City (all personal views only) but overall they've smashed the design and premium factor with mega hits like Elite i20, Storm-Edge Tucson, Neo-Elantra, Grand i10/Nios i10 etc.. these aren't by mere accident.

I can certainly appreciate the more formal tuxedo cars like Superb, Jetta and Octavia, same with the more straightforward designed cars like Ciaz, Polo, Vento etc, Honda first gen arrowhead City, etc.. but to stand out in a game where they were the least recognized, most hated brand, Hyundai needed to shock people pleasantly, and they succeeded 8/10 times.

Design is a preference, timeless, ageless, classy, understated, overdone, good, bad are all perspectives, I dont buy into others thinking and decide on my own. Hyundai has more premium designers in their payroll than ALL brands on earth combined, surely they wont spend such money without seeing results?

I have just one problem with the new Creta, the same reason I hated the Nexon, weird stupidly contrasted matt turquoise/blue roof line into
C pillar and weird add-ons that seem like its stuck aftermarket. Enough with two tone and ten tone trends.. make a straightforward car where the only accents are done by body moulding and lines and not contrasting colors.

[Carma2017]

I see a lot of talk on this thread about design traits should be reflected throughout the family and is a good thing and the premium makers also do so. But is it necessary and does this convey maturity? I don't think so.
I like the new Creta basically because it's a different design language. I would most definitely not want my SUV and my Sedan to have the same / similar grille. IMHO, the Vehicle design should reflect the concept behind the car. The function and the form are derivatives of the product concept. As long as the designers are true to the concept being marketed by Hyundai I am cool with the Design.

[fhdowntheline]

I thought cars traditionally had meant to embody human/ animal characteristics.Sleekness, grace, curves , elegance , even power/ muscularity were used to quaiify design. But now things are becoming hideous, like the Transformer machines. This slit headlamp/DRL has gone too far in my opinion. It just about passes muster in the Harrier, only because the rest of the car is well proportioned in size . But with the likes of the Venue and now this, well, its becoming a “Me Too” parade of sorts.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Hyundai iX25 with 1.5L + CVT,

Attachment 1928524

Absolutely hideous design. Nothing more to say about it other than this. I really have no clue which direction the design team is taking Hyundai, and more importantly, who are these clowns in their management who are signing off on these designs. The best period of Hyundai's design has passed them in the last 5-6 years, till the current spate of jarring designs were released.

Hopefully some day soon, they will get back to their senses and restart clean and well thought out designs like the first gen Creta, Elantra, present gen i20 etc. The Venue and the new Creta, both look absolutely terrible.

Sad part is: India will soon see tons of this new Creta on the road inspite of the terrible design - because after all, its a Creta!

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

This slit headlamp/DRL has gone too far in my opinion. It just about passes muster in the Harrier, only because the rest of the car is well proportioned in size . But with the likes of the Venue and now this, well, its becoming a “Me Too” parade of sorts.

You do realize, of course, that this DRL at eye level and lamps below was first introduced in Hyundai Kona and next with new gen Santa Fe, more than one year prior to Harrier launch. This is just to let you know that Tata is the one who jumped onto the "Me Too" parade of sorts and by that I mean the Harrier is a poor copy of the Santa Fe which looks much more proportionate given its size.

Of course, Hyundai clearly took all the ideas for this particular style from Citroen C4 Cactus which clearly was first coming from 5 years ago, however the car didn't sell given its overly quirky design aspects in other areas.

[fhdowntheline]

I am not identifying culprits per se, but rather making general observations on the lack of aesthetics in the car design that is prevalent . Of course, to each his own.

[drmohitg]

Initially the design language of the new Creta made me cringe and nauseated. Now I find it a bit more acceptable and not entirely appalling. I have a feeling that in our market, the focus will be on the cascade like central console as it would be a segment first and possibly unmatched in multiple segments above it also (or am I wrong?). The quirky exterior would take a backseat and Hyundai's overall presence and badge value will ensure that the car should do very well. Ofcourse I expect them to match the Seltos on the pricing front and hence expect a price tag of close to 21L for the top end variants.

[motorworks]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Initially the design language of the new Creta made me cringe and nauseated. Now I find it a bit more acceptable and not entirely appalling. I have a feeling that in our market, the focus will be on the cascade like central console as it would be a segment first and possibly unmatched in multiple segments above it also (or am I wrong?). The quirky exterior would take a backseat and Hyundai's overall presence and badge value will ensure that the car should do very well. Ofcourse I expect them to match the Seltos on the pricing front and hence expect a price tag of close to 21L for the top end variants.

Probably yes. All of us would agree that the Venue is not a great looker either and lacks the cohesiveness in design that say a Brezza or Ecosport has. And yet its gone on to become one of the top 2 sellers in that segment, mainly riding on its features. So for the Creta to make a comeback against the Seltos and even the Hector to some extent, the feature list and its centre console (which sort of mimics the Hector) would be its trump card.