[ashis89]

I drive a WagonR VXi 1.0 which has done 83k kms. I have been contemplating for quite some time to upgrade to a crossover. Today I saw an ad in TOI for 80k worth of offers on the Creta and it got me thinking if the time is right to make the move. Hot selling model such as Creta is seeing discounts!

Budget: ~12-13 lakhs OTR (at max).

I am 6ft tall and love driving long distances (1000+ kms) every few months in my car. My requirements are below:

• Tall and straight seating position like my current car and being able to 'walk' into my car rather than crouching

• Very effective AC

• Good in-gear acceleration as that is what matters in daily use

• Good low end torque. Call me stupid but I love it when the car can start in the 2nd gear or atleast clear the speed breaker!

• Neutral handling and very good braking

• Better cabin space than my WagonR

• Very good boot space as we travel for 2-3 weeks at a time and carry a lot of luggage

• On any normal day, it would be 1 or 2 people in the car but it should seat 4 people in good comfort.

Current shortlist:

1. Seltos HTE/HTK 1.5 Diesel

Pros:
+ 1.5L engine has better performance than 1.4L of the Creta
+ All round disc brakes
+ Better looks
+ More features (projectors, ICE,etc.)

Cons:
- Unproven engine and unproven car
- Unknown ASS

2. Creta EX 1.4 Diesel

Pros:
+ Proven platform and model
+ HASS network is good

Cons:
- Less powerful engine
- Missing good to have features
- Somewhat dated design
- I have read about quality issues plaguing the 1.4D engine
- Bad brakes

The price of the both the models(HTK vs. EX) are about the same, excluding the discounts. I am sure of getting a diesel car this time. Is there any other factor that I am overlooking which I should consider? Is it okay to wait till December/January to purchase either of the cars? I will keep the new car for the next 6-8 years at least.

Backup options:
1. Ecosport 1.5D
2. Freestyle 1.5D

I have driven the Ecosport and Freestyle diesels and like the cars very much. However the Freestyle lacks boot space while the Ecosport lacks cabin space, to the extent of big compromise. I haven't thought about the variants of the back up options as Ford keeps changing them every other day. I might just select one of the above and save a few lakhs in the process.

I don't want to consider the XUV300, Nexon, WRV and Brezza due to various reasons.

[Behemoth]

Both of these cars have a very small bootspace and the real usable boot space in these cars is actually around 300L below the parcel shelf.
If you really need a proper boot space, you should also look at the Nissan Kicks too as the boot is much larger than these cars. Do take a tape measure and check it out (I have actually measured the boot of all these cars myself!)
The Kicks also has a great suspension and will be a good enthusiastic car with the Renault diesel engine which is proven.

Also it has proper dual barrel headlamps in all versions, whereas both these cars have single barrel halogen projectors (in lower and mid versions) which are not too great for nighttime highway driving.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Both of these cars have a very small bootspace and the real usable boot space in these cars is actually around 300L below the parcel shelf.
If you really need a proper boot space, you should also look at the Nissan Kicks too as the boot is much larger than these cars. Do take a tape measure and check it out (I have actually measured the boot of all these cars myself!)
The Kicks also has a great suspension and will be a good enthusiastic car with the Renault diesel engine which is proven.

Also it has proper dual barrel headlamps in all versions, whereas both these cars have single barrel halogen projectors (in lower and mid versions) which are not too great for nighttime highway driving.

Just like the usual market sentiment, I don't trust Nissan (or even Renault) anymore. They might shut shop any time or at least most of their dealers will fold up. Had they been in a better shape, I would have considered Kicks and Duster too.

I had shared my thought on the Nissan thread few days ago.

Originally Posted by ashis89

Mr. Rakesh can't save the company right now. My reasons - the person can restore faith among few dealers but no customer is going to care who the MD of a company is while purchasing his/her next car.

Nissan has been out of 'radar' in Indian market. There's no good word of mouth publicity among people and Nissan cars are a unicorn on Indian roads. That means "out of sight, out of mind". Today, someone has to think real hard to come up with Nissan as a potential OEM whose car is available in the market. And that perception is extremely hard to change.

They will go the Fiat way. I perceive Renault would go the same way. Just that Fiat cars and Renault Duster have some fan following which are giving them few numbers every month. Nissan has perished before having any fans.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by ashis89

1. Seltos HTE/HTK 1.5 Diesel

Pros:
+ 1.5L engine has better performance than 1.4L of the Creta
+ All round disc brakes
+ Better looks
+ More features (projectors, ICE,etc.)

Cons:
- Unproven engine and unproven car
- Unknown ASS

Go for the Seltos. It is a top-class product. Plus, there is always something special about buying the latest model in town (especially when the other model is an old + ubiquitous Creta whose next-gen is around the corner).

I wouldn't worry about the points you've listed in your "cons" list. For one, Kia is a part of Hyundai and you can expect similar levels of reliability. Second, they are very well funded and are looking at India from the long-term perspective. The company is here to stay. It already has the learnings from Hyundai India & knows how important the service experience is.

[nikhilthegunner]

Originally Posted by ashis89

I don't want to consider the XUV300, Nexon, WRV and Brezza due to various reasons.

Why do you not want to consider the Nexon? It's a good vehicle! The diesel is an absolute gem of an engine.

[ani_meher]

Originally Posted by nikhilthegunner

Why do you not want to consider the Nexon? It's a good vehicle! The diesel is an absolute gem of an engine.

Nexon is simply uncomparable with next segment, be it Creta / Seltos / Duster etc. If one is looking at >4m, Nexon feels too small and rather a hatch on stilts. While OP is not looking at AT, for the sake of discussion, the AMT in Nexon is too basic in front of 6 speed AT in Creta/ Seltos.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by nikhilthegunner

Why do you not want to consider the Nexon? It's a good vehicle! The diesel is an absolute gem of an engine.

Two reasons:

1. After all this time, I am still unable to digest the design, especially the rear.

2. I keep reading about and witnessing niggling issues. The new-age Tata cars are not aging well as compared to, say Hyundai. From being a Tata fan, I am losing faith now.

That said, I would still put my money on a pre-owned Hexa but that's a story for another day and another thread!

Originally Posted by ani_meher

Nexon is simply uncomparable with next segment, be it Creta / Seltos / Duster etc. If one is looking at >4m, Nexon feels too small and rather a hatch on stilts. While OP is not looking at AT, for the sake of discussion, the AMT in Nexon is too basic in front of 6 speed AT in Creta/ Seltos.

+1. I am ready to pay that extra money to get that incremental extra space. At the same time, I don't want a big car as it would be my daily drive in city traffic. After a lot of deliberation, Creta and Seltos seem to be the best fit here. If I plan to save some money, I would go with one of the cars from Ford stable.

[greendream]

Originally Posted by ashis89

I drive a WagonR VXi 1.0 which has done 83k kms. I have been contemplating for quite some time to upgrade to a crossover. Today I saw an ad in TOI for 80k worth of offers on the Creta and it got me thinking if the time is right to make the move. Hot selling model such as Creta is seeing discounts!

The price of the both the models(HTK vs. EX) are about the same, excluding the discounts. I am sure of getting a diesel car this time. Is there any other factor that I am overlooking which I should consider? Is it okay to wait till December/January to purchase either of the cars? I will keep the new car for the next 6-8 years at least.

Backup options:
1. Ecosport 1.5D
2. Freestyle 1.5D

If you’re fine to wait till December/ January why not wait some more and we will have the new Hyundai creta in the market. Agreed there will be no discounts whatsoever irrespective of where the auto industry sales are at that time. The new creta definitely will be pricier than Seltos.
Who knows which variant of creta would give you the features you desire and maybe your chosen variant would be a little more expensive than your chosen Seltos variant.
When a new car arrives most of our prior decisions go for a toss.
I would say don’t be put off by what is being said about the new creta’s exterior design.The odd looking elements might be changed for the Indian market.Further more a car in flesh looks certainly different compared to pictures.Having said that,Hyundai can you do something about that front grill.
As it is evident that there is no immediate need for you to make a purchase, I would say wait for the new Hyundai creta.

[mh09ad5578]

I'm in the same boat. Just booked the HTE 1.5 D last week. This decision after the cons of service center 200 kms away and monthly running of 3.8k kms.

I think you've listed all the pros over the creta. Logically it makes sense to buy the newer more feature loaded platform. I thought the torquier more powerful engine was an added bonus.

The creta though good, but in current scenario is too common. SELTOS might be fewer atleast for 6 months.

[parik_ind]

My daily driver is a Creta petrol and I absolutely love it. We too do a lot of long trips (not the 2-3 week kind though ) with the entire family and have never faced issues with the boot space. Of course, it does not compare to the larger SUVs.

That being said, online reviews rate the Seltos high and if I was considering a car right now, I would definitely TD it. Like mentioned in an earlier reply, Kia is part of the Hyundai family and quality of the vehicle and ASS should be on par.

If you are willing to wait, then the 2020 Creta can be an option too. It is bigger than the current model and will pack in many gizmos and features that are currently lacking. The 2020 Creta will share the engine with the Seltos; the tune may be different though.

Parik

[vsrivatsa]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Both of these cars have a very small bootspace and the real usable boot space in these cars is actually around 300L below the parcel shelf.
If you really need a proper boot space, you should also look at the Nissan Kicks too as the boot is much larger than these cars. Do take a tape measure and check it out (I have actually measured the boot of all these cars myself!)

That is an amazing insight. As per the specs:

• Kia Seltos: 433 L
• Creta: 405 L

So the companies are quoting it incorrectly by 30% it seems! My Ignis has a bootspace of 260L
Have you measured the same in the Hector and what is it if you have?

[Behemoth]

I have measured the actual boot of a few cars and started this thread:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...-your-car.html (Measuring the actual boot capacity of your car)
I have seen the Hector too and its boot is also nowhere near the claimed figure. The odd thing about the Hector boot is that it has small compartments below the boot floor which are not too usable. The spare wheel is actually below the car and should not be part of the boot space.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Both of these cars have a very small bootspace and the real usable boot space in these cars is actually around 300L below the parcel shelf.

Are you sure of this fact?
It is scarcely believable.

My Father In Law has a Creta and I have a Polo (280L).

The bootspace in his Creta can swallow significantly more luggage than my German. (Without even removing the parcel tray)

[ani_meher]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Both of these cars have a very small bootspace and the real usable boot space in these cars is actually around 300L below the parcel shelf.


If you really need a proper boot space, you should also look at the Nissan Kicks too as the boot is much larger than these cars. Do take a tape measure and check it out (I have actually measured the boot of all these cars myself!)

Boot space:

• Kia Seltos: 433 L
• Creta: 405 L
• Nissan KICKS: 400L

How can Seltos/Creta can have 'very small' bootspace and Kicks has 'much larger'? I travelled in Creta with fair amount of luggage, and found the space to be quite adequate.


Visually too, please help us spot the difference.



Nissa Kicks boot space




Creta Boot space




Except the tire space jutting in in Creta, I can't see how the difference can be so vast.

[landcruiser123]

Hi Ashis89,
Let me throw a spanner in the works here. How about a used S-Cross 1.6? My friend in Coimbatore bought a used one 4 months ago for about 7.5 lakhs. He had similar requirements like you and was upgrading from a Zen Estilo. Only drawback is the turbo-lag but he says anything is an upgrade from the 1.0 of the Estilo. You're anyway not going to fit 2 weeks worth luggage for 4 adults into the boots of any of the cars you or I mentioned.

If a new car it must be, go for the Seltos with your eyes closed. I wouldn't worry about the quality and the dealer support as Kia is a sister brand of Hyundai and I expect them to fight tooth and nail.