[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by BNM

Points to Ponder

1. There has been a lot that has been written about the pricing (around 30 to 40 pages on the preview section) from the time of the launch. We can only hope there will be some corrections/discounts - provided the competition comes up with a few aces up their sleeves.

2. We have also beaten the feature omission aspect to death - both from people who own other Hyundai models (including myself in my review) and others who admire cars like the XUV, Linea etc., Again, We can only hope that Hyundai will include them in their next facelift like they usually do.

In spite of the above there is something about this car (I don't want to call it SUV, pseudo SUV etc) which has made it the Segment No. 1 within a month as per this article.

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/busi...04000320F.html

What is it that makes our Indian mentality to work like this ? Thoughts ?

One of the main reason helping Creta's sales is Hyundai's reach. Hyundai have a stronger dealership network than the competitor selling compact SUV.

To me this is the main reason why Maruti is also able sell cars in quite large numbers.

[BNM]

Originally Posted by adik1984

Moreover, New tucson could be called as a baby Santa fe , Creta looks like a Mini ix35/Tucson.
I so wish, ix35 should also be launched 2017 , if not 2016.

Here are a few reasons why Hyundai may not launch Tucson in India

1. Price. Certainly it will have to be priced over the Creta and even the Elantra for that matter - in the 20 to 30 lac bracket. The Creta itself at 17 Lacs is drawing a lot of flak because of its pricing.

2. Size: Tucson is smaller than the Santa Fe and is marginally bigger than the Creta. It is a 5 seater. People are already screaming hoarse about how XUV is more VFM with 7 seats and a host of other features.

3. Engine: 1.6 works on the Creta and 2.2 on the Santa Fe. Will Hyundai get a 2.0 litre engine with a dual clutch option for this - highly doubtful.

Except for its fantastic looks, the 2016 Tucson will serve no purpose - not a proper off roader nor a proper people mover with 7 seats !

[KiloAlpha]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

...
Thanks to Vid6639 for this! The Creta has one of the most convoluted air intake designs I've seen.

The air intake is located just below the left side foglamp. Air thus travels up to the air box. From there, it goes to the turbo. After the turbo, things gets really interesting. Since the turbo is at the back and the intercooler is at the front, the air hose goes from below the engine to the intercooler. The intercooler is stacked up vertically, and air enters it from below. From the intercooler's top, cold air finally goes into the intake manifold. Apart from these pipes crisscrossing the engine, the worst part is that the air intake's rubber pipe is the lowest point (below the engine). If it gets damaged, then dirty air or even water could enter the intercooler directly!

In summary, Air intake behind LHS foglamp -> air filter -> turbo behind the engine -> turbo to intercooler from underneath the engine -> intercooler to intake manifold.

That's front bottom -> back top -> front bottom -> front top!
...

Air intake being just below the front left fog lamp would imply that any kind of wading ability is pretty much ruled out! This strikes me as very strange in a vehicle marketed as a "SUV".

Looking at the pictures of the vehicle, the air intake is just about level with the centre cap of the wheel. So, if the water level exceeds about 250mm, you risk hydrolock? This isn't much better than my Figo

[nkghai]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

but it's the least compromise.

Very well said.
This is the basic reason why i have gone for it.
I dont think we still have near perfect cars/SUVs and each and every car/SUV has its own USP. Now what matches your requirements and which vehicle is the least compromise is your answer.
For good two yrs since launch of EcoSport , we had no new launches in this segment, updates to Duster and XUV not withstanding. So many buyers like me were eagerly waiting for the Creta and S Cross launch.
Post these launches Creta came out as a better option for most of us as against the Cross, which was given a serious consideration.
Also IMO, when you get these new launches people seldom go back to earlier choices and choose one of the new ones only.

[motorworks]

Originally Posted by RoadSurfer

Excellent review moralfibre & GTO. You just keep on raising the bar



Going through this review, I have to admit that Hyundai has hit the right nerve of Indian car buyers. When the prices were announced, I thought Hyundai has gone crazy. But with 30k bookings and a waiting period of almost 6 months in some cities has left me perplexed. In a budget of 12-17 lakhs there are so many options today. Yet Creta seems undisputed leader in this price band.



We Indians are known to look for maximum value for money in any product. Creta comes short in all the departments like;

1. You want maximum features - XUV500 in W8 or W10 avatar is available

2. You want maximum FE - S-Cross DDiS200 / Honda City / Duster 85ps

3. Low maintenance - Hyundais are quite expensive (I own an i10)

4. Ride & handling - Duster hands down

Then why Creta? What are its real USPs?



Only strong point with Creta is its looks.

I'm not a fan of Hyundai either, but you got to admit that they are getting their products bang on. You say there are enough options in the 12-17 lakhs range, but I think that's were there are no options. All proper D segment sedans like the Octavia, Jetta, and even the Elantra are 17+. Only the very basic variant of Corolla falls near 15-16 lakhs. Secondly all of the proper SUVs are closer to 25-30 lakhs today. Even the yeti is priced in this range.
What you really have in the 12-16 lakhs range is the terrano, duster, XUV5oo and the top end versions of the C segment sedans. The Creta seems to offer what the Indian customer wants. SUV looks, Car like ride,
fancy interiors and a safe Hyundai badge. It's similar to the ecosport, albeit slightly bigger and better specd. Forget about what the enthusiast wants, this is the verdict of the Indian customer, which cannot be ignored. I'm sure every manufacturer is wishing right now that they had a car like Creta, even Maruti which has brought S cross only because it doesn't have such an option. I'm sure you would see Maruti bring a very macho looking crossover in 2 years time.

I'm personally wishing VW/Skoda to do a crossover based on the Vento, hope they realise the potential.

[ramvenky74]

That's a very exhaustive review. I bought a Hyundai Creta SX+ Petrol. Previously I had a Manza Quadrajet. A diesel to Petrol is a breeze. The moment I started the car I felt the refinement and started enjoying the Petrol pickup in the city.

I'm yet to put the car on a highway. Got a chance to touch 100 in a bypass road and I did notice that the speed comes @ just 2.5K RPM in 6th.

Currently enjoying the car. I initially thought that there is no MID etc. But then a small miss should not be deciding factor for a purchase decision. Moreover I specifically wanted Petrol and felt Ecosport is overpriced for the size and Duster and Terrano are not there in the league.

[PetroTurbo]

One of my friend wanted to TD Creta and book it, he wants it by Feb 2016 and doesn't mind waiting period

We TDed it and the following are are our summarized observations (we both TDed it with different perspective);

1. Front view was awesome and the black Creta looked as if some wild beast is charging at you
2. Side and Back profile was not to the mark. And especially in the side profile looked disproportionate with respect to the bonnet
3. Get in the car and it took solid 5-6 mins for me to get into a comfortable seating position (am 5'7") and i had a feeling as if I was sitting on a bench. On the other hand my friend liked the seating position with the view. Even he took approx 5 mins to get a driving position after my TD
4. The suspension setup has improved a lot, but still doesn't inspire confidence to take corners at good speed. Infact the RM got scared when I took a familiar corner (for me & my Swift) at 60KMph. I was driving at 70+ and my friend (before looking at the speedo) said that am over speeding in this road at 100 . That's the feeling given by Creta to the co-passengers
5. I felt, the thigh support at back bench was not that great and it would be tiring for someone at back on a long journey
6. Ingress and Egress at rear was somewhat not that comfortable

After the TD, we compared the S-Cross TD we had on Monday. Now my friend is contemplating on going for S-Cross 320 Zeta

Note: All the above are just our personal opinions and not intended to offend any current/prospective Creta owners. And purely not to disrespect the reviewers

[swiftdiesel]

Saw a left hand drive silver Creta with red number plates at Besant Nagar, Chennai last night.

[Abhi99]

Originally Posted by PetroTurbo

4. The suspension setup has improved a lot, but still doesn't inspire confidence to take corners at good speed. Infact the RM got scared when I took a familiar corner (for me & my Swift) at 60KMph. I was driving at 70+ and my friend (before looking at the speedo) said that am over speeding in this road at 100 . That's the feeling given by Creta to the co-passengers

I guess we are comparing apples with oranges. The kind of turns i used to do at 60+ in my lancer, i could never do them in my swift at the same speed and those two vehicles are still comparable (to some degree).

For Creta you need to factor in the higher CG and you ought to feel the difference atleast during cornering.
As to giving confidence on higher speeds, my wife who was surpised to see 120 on odo on the highway as she felt we were around 80.

[arun.kulkarni]

Amazing review, thanks a lot Moralfibre and Kiran. I had been following this car since the China Launch and would have almost booked it. Personally for me it doesnt work for the donts called out by you guys.
I am waiting for the renault duster facelift and will then make the final decision.

Thank you!

[sandygordon]

Originally Posted by RoadSurfer

In a budget of 12-17 lakhs there are so many options today. Yet Creta seems undisputed leader in this price band.
We Indians are known to look for maximum value for money in any product. Creta comes short in all the departments like;
1. You want maximum features - XUV500 in W8 or W10 avatar is available
2. You want maximum FE - S-Cross DDiS200 / Honda City / Duster 85ps
3. Low maintenance - Hyundais are quite expensive (I own an i10)
4. Ride & handling - Duster hands down
Then why Creta? What are its real USPs?

Only strong point with Creta is its looks.

Why the creta?
Simple -
1.Road presence
2.Looks - Resemblence to Audi Q and landrover evoque
3. Hyundai is a dependable brand, more than say Renault
When S cross feels a couple of sizes smaller than what it really is, the creta feels a couple of sizes larger.

The same reason why Samsung galaxy S out sold the HTC Desire and the nokia phones and even outsold the iphone 3gs in many markets.

[thatsdileep]

Hello all,
I'm the new autohead (petrol/diesel 4 wheelers and motorbikes) on the block here and this is my first post. I chose this thread to post my first as I've being following Hyundai Creta from the time of its introduction as IX25 in global market and got even more into it once I saw the official team-bhp preview by Anshuman which almost hit 100 pages even before the launch of the vehicle...wow!!!
Once the vehicle was launched the ownership reports started trickling in. At this point I cannot go past without commending and appreciating Ravenavi's and BNM's detailed initial reviews of their incredible Cretas. Kudos boys!
I was always impressed with the team-bhp reviews for the impeccable attention to detail. It's been a while I've been waiting for this official review and boy it's one great writeup. Hats-off moralfiber!

Currently I've a 2009 Hyundai Verna CRDI SX ABS with about 64k km on ODO. It's my first diesel car and the test drive 6 years ago made an immediate impression and I fell in love with Diesel engine due to its torque. Although it was not the best handler in its class I was impressed with its surge of power post ~2k rpm. After having driven it for 6 years now The things love the most about my Verna are its pick-up/power and ease of drive in city traffic. Things I don't like are the lack of low end torque (as it requires lot of gear shifting in slow traffic), extremely soft suspension and the ever nervous light steering which has absolutely no feedback at higher speeds. I'm looking to change my car and keeping the above said negatives in mind (which I've also experienced in other Hyundais except Grand i10) I almost decided that my next ride will not be a Hyundai. But the ix25/Creta was always on the back of my mind. Once it launched, I took a test drive of Diesel SX(O) and I had a bright smile on my face. This Hyundai has come a long way and is way ahead than my 2009 Verna in all aspects (drivability in city traffic has improved dramatically as there is no need for frequent gear shifts, the suspension is much better and well suited for a crossover, steering has a lot more feedback, although not the best, it does weigh up quite well). The interiors also were very clean, ergonomic and the fit and finish was top notch. Before the TD of Creta I've TDed Ecosport Diesel. Although it was OK, I felt it was slightly cramped and the engine was running out of breath soon. On the other end Creta felt like very happy revving engine.

Creta is definitely on the top of my list for the next car. Although my yearly running would be not more than 8k km at the best, I still prefer Creta SX(o) as I'm in love with these modern day Diesel which are rev happy, awesome low end torque, quiet and it offers best safety features. I'm still holding off until I gather some funds and also more than the finances I want to go for a 2016 vehicle. So I'll finalize in November (most likely Creta SX(o) unless a killer machine comes up which I don't see happening) book the vehicle in December and take the delivery by the end of January 2016.

Let's hope things go as per plan!

Will keep posting and revving...happy and safe miles everyone!

[vjois]

Well this is my first post on team-bhp. I am from Bangalore and I own a VW polo 1.6, a Nissan Micra CVT for my wife and a XUV500 for my dad. I probably have no good reason to buy another car except now I have a baby girl Now being a survivor of 2 taxi car crashes and the only reason for me being alive is thanks to volvo's invention of the seat belt, I take her safety seriously. So off I went and bought the best chicco car seat money can buy only to realise that none of my cars had an ISOFIX to secure the baby seat.

(if you don't know what ISOFIX is then see the link below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMs8be1wapA

So off I went to check out cars with the ISOFIX with a budget of 20 Lakhs. Inspired by PM Modi, I check out Maruti and Mahindra to see what they had in store. To my shock, not a single car in their stable had it! Its like as if they don't care about babies in India. Being a big fan of Mahindra, I was soo disappointed it wasn't even funny. Make in India doesn't mean Made for India has to be inferior to what you sell abroad and frankly I won't buy any of their cars again. It was truly that pathetic and these guys ought to be ashamed of themselves. If you have a baby and don't want them ending up as just another statistic to India's roadkill, don't buy them plain and simple.

Same story with the Hondas, Renaults, Nissans and even the Toyotas. Only the Camry has it while even the mighty Fortuner doesn't have it. I mean thats your best selling SUV for crying out loud. The least you guys can do is put a few anchor points on the car after charging so much.

Then went to VW who were the inventors of the ISOFIX in the first place and all they had was the VW Jetta. Nice car but at 25 Lakhs on road was on the pricier side. Same story Skoda though they had the Yeti and the Octavia both at the same price range. Then I went to Ford and to my surprise the Ecosport had it and it was at 11 lakhs for an auto!!! I was thrilled and thought it was a bargain until I drove it and thats when it went downhill. Drove the ECO Boost and the powerful 1.5 and was left dumbfounded. They were probably the most underpowered cars I ever drove and I mean worst than even an Alto. Not to mention that the central locking is funny because a child can open the backseat when the car is moving even when centrally locked!!! Thats 1 lawsuit waiting to happen. It has tons of other good features I am sure but no it wasn't happening.

Almost heartbroken, I did what I swore I never ever do in my life... I went to a HYUNDAI SHOWROOM!!! Nothing against Hyundai. I loved to 1.6 Accent they had a couple of years back but since then every hyundai I ever drove (grand10, i20, versa) were completely underpowered and unbelievably boring. I however put all that aside in hope to see something different from the Creta. And well thats where things got interesting.

The Creta AT was the only car to have the ISOFIX and it only came with 2 airbags which sucked. The looks were nice and the interior was spacious and roomy. The trunk was descent and so was the infotainment system and what not have you.
But then you start the engine and thats when it hits you. The engine like the verna was not great. I mean I get it most Indians want a car with good fuel economy but all my cars hit 100 in 10 secs and thats the point and all those cars except the micra at times gives you love when you press that accelerator. They can easily touch 170 full loaded without a sweat and stop remarkably well. Sadly this car fails to do that. It has good torque but the acceleration is miserable.

My last hope was then my only hope. The Chevy cruze. It was only 3-4 lakhs more expensive than the creta and a lakh over my budget but it did have an auto with ISOFIX, cruise control and 4 airbags not to mention a 3 year maintenance free warranty. The test drive car I got was the GMs car and it drove about 50k kms and smelt of cigarettes which was not pleasing. But the minute you start that engine.....Well you get it. The sound, the power and that acceleration. An engine after driving 50,000 kms should not have more power than a brand new octavia or a creta but it does. It was spectacular not to mention the ground clearance was good and the fact that it was available in 15 days as opposed to 15 weeks for the damn creta.

But now came the point I have to make. Despite being such a beautiful car to drive, the cruze's backseat is well best word is cra(m)p and at the end of the day thats what the baby need. Space for toys, diapers and feeding which sadly the creta had and ultimately won the battle. Its got lesser airbags than even an eco sport not to mention the power of a 3 legged pony.

But at the end of the day, its about the ISOFIX and the safety and space it provides to my baby and frankly thats all the power I need.Which is why I booked the Creta and told them to give me whichever color they have I don't care. I only wish they had the 6 airbag option and had ISOFIX on all their models because I didn't mind the manual to be honest.

I bet I probably offended a lot of car owners and car companies who thought their cars were great. But I hope people start being more conscious to child safety and while I don't support rash driving one bit, I hope cars in India get more powerful for the pure joy of driving. And I also sincerely pray and hope that companies start putting ISOFIX in cheaper cars.

Oh and please don't put your child on your laps. Its probably the most dangerous thing to do with your child and even if you have to, at least ensure their head is not pointing at the door and they are in the back seat. (Doesn't do them any good but improves survival chances a little).They may cry a little initially but they will learn to sit strapped in the child seat at an early age which is great.

[RoadSurfer]

Originally Posted by motorworks

I'm not a fan of Hyundai either, but you got to admit that they are getting their products bang on. You say there are enough options in the 12-17 lakhs range, but I think that's were there are no options. All proper D segment sedans like the Octavia, Jetta, and even the Elantra are 17+. Only the very basic variant of Corolla falls near 15-16 lakhs. Secondly all of the proper SUVs are closer to 25-30 lakhs today. Even the yeti is priced in this range.
What you really have in the 12-16 lakhs range is the terrano, duster, XUV5oo and the top end versions of the C segment sedans. The Creta seems to offer what the Indian customer wants. SUV looks, Car like ride,
fancy interiors and a safe Hyundai badge. It's similar to the ecosport, albeit slightly bigger and better specd. Forget about what the enthusiast wants, this is the verdict of the Indian customer, which cannot be ignored. I'm sure every manufacturer is wishing right now that they had a car like Creta, even Maruti which has brought S cross only because it doesn't have such an option. I'm sure you would see Maruti bring a very macho looking crossover in 2 years time.

I'm personally wishing VW/Skoda to do a crossover based on the Vento, hope they realise the potential.

Originally Posted by sandygordon

Why the creta?
Simple -
1.Road presence
2.Looks - Resemblence to Audi Q and landrover evoque
3. Hyundai is a dependable brand, more than say Renault
When S cross feels a couple of sizes smaller than what it really is, the creta feels a couple of sizes larger.

The same reason why Samsung galaxy S out sold the HTC Desire and the nokia phones and even outsold the iphone 3gs in many markets.

Thank you motorworks & sandygordon for your insights.

So the 2 main reasons why people are buying Creta are
1. Looks
2. Hyundai brand
Sorry, no offence to any existing or new customers if they find something more. This is my perception as of now.

Why I said there are many other choices in 12-17 lakhs is because one can buy a proper SUV (Scorpio, Storme), excellent C segment sedans (City, Vento), good crossovers (XUV500, Duster, S-Cross) or even entry variants of D segment sedans.

Creta strictly is a crossover. For me it comes in C segment.
Sorry sandygordon, but I don't agree Creta has a road presence. Even our official review says that. It surely is a looker though.

Only thing I cannot digest is, why is it selling like hotcakes?

Originally Posted by Vid6639

We did beat up the Hyundai for all the points you mentioned but at the end of the day, for lack of choices, everyone settled down and compromised. In terms of compromise, the Creta is the least compromise.

Maybe this is another USP of Creta.

[kilireddy0]

Nice review. The number of bookings they are getting is insane even after the pricing was a off. That tells us that our customers are willing to pay the premium just to have the peace of mind after their purchase. Can not blame them.