[Paavan Shetty]

I agree with most above comments. Personally I feel the first time one looks at the creta gets totally confused with the in your face design. But I think it will grow on one over the time (because it is atleast not bland like the previous generation, the rear and front have good design link and if the AURA's rear design can grow on one why not this!). Some bits like the alloy wheel design is totally over done, but the common man will hardly care about that.

I think it will be a good fight between the two brands, both having some advantage over the other. The Hyundai will definitely try to play on the wide dealership network advantage and they also clearly studied the seltos and worked on the creta where the seltos falls short. Whereas seltos definitely has that looks on it's side and it definitely looks more SUVish with it's high bonnet line and the better side profile where the creta just looks like a crossover.

Inspite of all that, I have selected NO purely with the thought that KIA being new, brought such a revelation that pushed Hyundai to the limits, they will not give up easily and will fight back with something more in the coming months.

Thanks to these two for making our market interesting to discuss again!

[AZT]

Voted Yes
Hyundai service network reach could be the decider for many people. That beautiful panoramic sunroof will definitely sway some undecided minds.

[PrideRed]

I think its about time we start getting used to Hyundai design philosophy. The more you see on road, the more soothing it will look to your eyes. Heck I started finding Seltos too old from the back. The Creta also looks bigger on road(May be because of height?). Another important aspect is Hyundai's reach. They have presence in even small towns and will attract lot of buyers. In bigger cities Kia might have an upper hand but overall Creta has a slight edge to me.

[shabeermohamed]

Voted Yes

I feel looks will grow on you (the biggest example is Swift. I still remember how hideous Swift looked when it was launched. But the rest is history).
Creta as a brand is strong and it enjoys a better after sales service network and resale value).
I personally like Hyundai as a brand as an owner of Two Verna's between 2007 and 2018. Their vehicles are easy to maintain and the dealer network is much better.
Also the panoramic sunroof, paddle shifters, their better interiors and their aggressive and friendly dealer sales team (at least in Blore and Kochi where I have different experience) gives them a big thumbs up..!!

[shishir333]

Voted Yes!

Kia is new to Indian market, like Jeep or Hector were and they too had a great start. But Hyundai and for that matter Creta is a proven product. We already have more Creta sold in the month of May.
Besides, looks is subjective and I am not very fond of the looks of Kia Seltos either. It just did not click, there is too much going.

[JojyKerala]

Seltos has this shiny "new kid on the block" image compared to Creta. Because of this, a lot of people consider the Seltos as the younger and better sibling of the two.

I voted for Creta - I feel that Seltos' novely factor will fade away by this year-end with Creta eventually pulling ahead and winning the sales race.

[Dr.Abhi]

Recently I went to check nios in one of the Hyundai showrooms. There was a car in the podium whose front looked like Venue's base variant from a distance. It was only when I was leaving the showroom I realized that it was New Creta and not the Venue. The seltos on the other hand is very modern and imposing whatever way you look at it. New creta will really have to prove its mettle against the seltos to be successfull in the market.

[GipsyDanger]

Apart from the utterly disgusting Zen Classic (), I've seen my share of ghastly pink Zen Estilos and disproportionate Mahindra Quantos on the road to declare that Indian Market doesn't really show a cold shoulder towards polarising designs. Yes, the KUV100 is indeed a sight for sore eyes, but it's sold pretty well. Same goes for the TUV with the ungainly front. Heck, sub-4m cars here sell like hotcakes.

And well, looks are subjective, right? I believe the overdone design will grow on me; but then I'm the kind of person who thought the Verna Transform looked okay

Here, people look at other factors too. The Creta is backed by a much bigger service network, and is better equipped as well. And to be honest, it doesn't look that bad in black, so that'll do for many people.

The novelty value is an important factor too. It's what shoved the SX4 into a ditch when the Arrow City reigned in. The Creta is fresher in our minds albeit by a couple of months. So it's the one making the news. And that's what the Compass ran out of when the competitors woke up. No amount of minor tweaks will feign public interest again, it's an "old" car. And sadly, it's gonna kill the BS6 Harrier as well.

It's gonna be a close fight. Kia's service network is growing as well. And it looks better too. But I'd ultimately gotta hand it to the Creta. It has upped the stakes by bringing in more features for around the same money, comes from a trusted brand, and that's all matters for our market.

Voted for Yes. Atleast for the next couple of years until Kia will inevitably spark the public interest again with a facelift.

[philipmathen]

Voted Yes. I prefer the Seltos over the new Creta, definitely not a fan of the new design. It has it's strong points, but not to my taste. But Hyundai has a head start in terms of network, service support and others.

But i am betting on Hyundai coping better with the changed economic scenario. in times of uncertainty, having an established nameplate in your line-up goes a long way in my opinion, add to that the comfort a buyer has given Hyundai's consistent track record.

The experience Hyundai has gained over 10+ years in India, will see them course correct faster in case the Creta tapers off after the initial spurt.

[sammy_automoto]

Voted a YES for Creta.

A weird looking exterior design but which carries the legacy of Hyundai's Best Selling Car.
The reasons are:

1. 2nd row seats of Seltos are not comfortable at all, the media reviews of Creta suggests that the seats have better under thigh support as well a comfortable recline angle.

2. Plusher/Softer suspension tune in Creta - which is a must for Indian roads. You do feel the vertical inputs in Seltos on Secondary Roads surfaces which does not make sitting inside the vehicle too comfortable on most of our roads.

3. A simpler and non shiny interior which is integrated well with the dashboard.

4. Sunroof as mentioned by everyone is something which has become a must for Indian customers.

The above reasons will make it a people pleaser and makes me believe that it will out sell Seltos in the longer run as well.

[jithin23]

I'd go with neither of them because both these companies do not emphasize safety features for lower variants and the mid and higher variants are overpriced. 21L OTR for Creta SX(O)AT or Seltos GTX+ DCT is ridiculous. A decent variant will cost you close to 17-18L and by no means that's affordable for the middle class as well.

5 years ago, one could get a W8 or W10 XUV500 for 17-19L and now people are willing to pay so much for a small SUV with no ESP/TC or more airbags(except the top most spec gets it all) for this

For that kind of money, a top-spec Harrier/XUV 500 or a base Innova Crysta can be bought.

The less said about the braking issues, the better. Maintenance as well will cost more over the years as the no.of electronic parts are more in these cars.

[Mi10]

Indian Auto Market is very Brand Sensitive. The aggregate Perception of your Brand in People's Mind will ultimately seal the fate of the Brand. This will happen even to Sub-Branding at Car level and some cases to Variant levels ! It might not happen often, but in certain times, the Branding of a car will overtake the popularity of the Overall Brand Itself !

Few example:
Zen
Swift
Pajero
Qualis
Octavia

These cars enjoy a Superstar image and a fan following of their own. You can always find great things written and spoken above them, even if they are not present in today's market and even if they were insanely priced.

IMO, Creta started out as an overpriced Ecosport competitor and made all the right moves in creating its own fanbase. in last 4 years, they have managed to completely take contorl of the Crossover market even though they still have a overpriced tag, dangling from their hips! Today, with Creta as a name, one could showcase anything and get a decent goodwill from its followers.

The Kia did everything perfect and its a dream start for any Auto company . But, Its too short a time to see if Seltos will enjoy the fan following the Creta has today. It needs to up its game every face lift while still ensuring the value Proposition is maintained.

As of now, i think Creta will outsell Seltos , So voted Yes

[lamborghini]

Voted NO purely because of the looks.
The Fortuner aside, many brands have faced issues selling their uglier models - look at the S-Cross as an example.
Moving on, I found the Kia to be a lot more youthful on the inside, and it is supposedly that much better to drive than the Creta.

That being said, with the Hyundai backing & softer suspension, the Creta will continue to do well for those who want a simple reliable daily car.

[ramnaresh_2000]

Voted Yes.

Hyundai has blind followers just like Maruti. Creta pre-facelift model was ugly, new model is even uglier. The next model will sure be ugliest, still it was a best seller prior to Seltos. Maybe after 5-6 years when Kia is established in Indian market, it may beat Creta.

[Reinhard]

I voted "YES". The sales and service network reach that Hyundai has - itself can outsell the Seltos. Creta will be available and reachable for a lot more people than the Seltos would be in the short term while KIA network is still growing. This surely will give enough advantage to numerically outsell the Seltos.

Also - the interior of the Creta sure looks more tasteful than the Seltos & larger number of people will like the Creta's interior over the Seltos' IMO. We are not new to the scenario of weird looking cars being welcomed with open arms by our market & the Creta sure can convince people to buy it even with its polarizing looks. Its not "weird" at all, just different. The Venue with it's in-your-face grille has already mentally prepared the market for more than an year now.