[Ripcord09]

Hyundai Creta Facelift

2024 Facelift Review Link

First Review Link

Kia Seltos

2023 Facelift Review Link

First Review

Honda Elevate

What you'll like:

• Smart styling with the right amount of muscle and clean lines
• Reliable and proven 1.5L i-VTEC engine is rev-happy & delivers adequate performance
• Pick between a slick 6-speed MT for some engagement or a super-smooth CVT Automatic for effortless urban commuting
• Superbly tuned suspension! Comfortable ride quality with sorted handling
• Clean interior design with good cabin space. Has a big 458L boot too
• Honda's proven reliability and after-sales service should ensure a fuss-free ownership experience
• Safety features include ADAS Level 2 tech, 6 airbags, hill start assist, lane watch assist, ISOFIX and ESP

What you won't:

• 1.5L NA offers satisfactory performance, but the competition offers way more powerful turbo-petrols and faster dual-clutch automatics
• CVT is great for urban commuting but out on the open roads, it's more suited to a sedate driving style
• No diesel or hybrid powertrains on offer. Competition offers both for those with high-running. We can't figure out why the City's wonderful Hybrid system wasn't adapted for the Elevate
• Lots of missing features by current standards. You don't get auto wipers, ICE with a subwoofer, a 360-degree camera, a powered driver seat, ambient lighting and more
• Lacks the feeling of "contemporariness" or the "wow" factor, be it in styling, powertrain, features & technology
• Honda Sensing ADAS system is intrusive at times on the highway; requires the driver to adapt to it and be comfortable using it

Review Link

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

What you'll like:

• A competent hybrid car for the mass market
• 20+ km/l FE in city driving conditions makes the Grand Vitara cheaper to run than a diesel!
• Lower emissions will appeal to environmentally-conscious buyers. And those who aren’t ready for an EV yet
• Toyota’s reliability & expertise in hybrid systems is very reassuring in the Maruti
• Seamless Hybrid system that makes driving a breeze. A car you will enjoy driving in traffic
• Maruti's AWD system provides impressive soft-roading capabilities. Can get you out of tricky situations when touring
• Compliant ride quality coupled with balanced driving dynamics
• Well-equipped with features such as driving modes, panoramic sunroof, 360-degree camera, ventilated seats, wireless smartphone charging, connected car features, wireless Android Auto + Apple CarPlay and more
• Maruti’s excellent after-sales service, wide dealer network & fuss-free ownership experiences
• Does most things well, but doesn’t excel in any particular area (other than fuel economy)

What you won't:

• Practicality is compromised due to reduced boot space in the full-hybrid variant
• Interior quality and fit & finish are underwhelming at this price point
• AllGrip AWD is only available in a single MT trim. Missed opportunity to market a USP
• Interior is narrow and doesn't feel as roomy as some competitors. Rear seat is best for 2 adults
• Lacks the outright performance of the competition. Runs out of steam above 110 km/h
• Not as engaging to drive as the German competitors, or the Creta / Seltos turbo-petrols
• NVH levels from the drivetrain are surprisingly poor for a hybrid. Sounds from the 3-cylinder engine, electric motor and brake vacuum pump filter into the cabin
• The Honda City’s Hybrid system is smoother, more sophisticated & more refined
• Missing features such as rain-sensing wipers, premium audio + subwoofer, electric seats, electric parking brake, LED interior lighting, etc.
• Does most things well, but doesn’t excel in any particular area (other than fuel economy)

Review Link

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder

What you'll like:

• Very good attempt at making a mass-market hybrid car
• 20+ kmpl FE in city driving conditions makes the Hyryder cheaper to run than a diesel!
• Seamless hybrid system that makes driving a breeze. A car you will enjoy driving in the city
• Lower emissions will appeal to environmentally-conscious buyers. And those who aren’t ready for an EV yet
• Toyota’s reliability & expertise in hybrid systems is very reassuring
• Compliant ride quality coupled with balanced driving dynamics
• Well-equipped with features such as driving modes, panoramic sunroof, 360-degree camera, ventilated seats, wireless smartphone charging, connected car features, wireless Android Auto + Apple Carplay and more
• Only Crossover in this segment to provide AWD capability
• Toyota’s after-sales quality is usually regarded as top-notch by owners
• Does most things well, but doesn’t excel in any particular area (other than fuel economy)

What you won't:

• Practicality is compromised due to reduced boot space in the full-hybrid variant
• Quality of interior plastics feels more “Maruti” than Toyota. Frankly, the S-Cross cabin feels better in quality
• Interior is narrow and doesn't feel as roomy as some competitors. Rear seat is best for 2 adults
• Missing features such as rain-sensing wipers, premium audio + subwoofer, electric seats, electric parking brake, LED interior lighting, etc.
• Lacks the outright performance of the competition. Runs out of steam above 110 kmph
• Not as engaging to drive as the German competitors, or the Creta / Seltos turbo-petrols
• NVH levels from the drivetrain are surprisingly poor for a hybrid. Sounds from the 3-cylinder engine, electric motor and brake vacuum pump filter into the cabin
• AWD available only on the MT (not the AT) and the mild-hybrid (not full-hybrid)
• The Honda City’s Hybrid system is smoother, more sophisticated & more refined
• Does most things well, but doesn’t excel in any particular area (other than fuel economy)

Review Link

Skoda Kushaq

What you'll like:

• A breath of fresh (European) air in a sea of Korean, Chinese & Indian SUVs
• Classy exterior & interior styling matched with solid European build quality
• Cabin has good legroom to offer, supportive seats, perfect ergonomics & lots of storage
• 148 BHP engine makes the Kushaq one of the most fun-to-drive crossovers in the segment
• Sporty 1.0L & 1.5L turbo-petrols are mated to slick 6-speed MTs & smooth ATs
• Sorted suspension offers a balanced ride & handling package
• Safety features include 6 airbags, ESC (all variants), 3-point seatbelts for all, electronic differential lock, brake disc wiping, multi-collision brake and more
• 6-year extended warranty & 4-year all inclusive service packages available
• Features like active cylinder tech, ventilated seats, sunroof, wireless Android Auto and CarPlay, audio system with a punchy subwoofer, auto headlamps & wipers etc.
• 5-star GNCAP safety rating - full details here!

What you won't:

• No 1.5L diesel is a major disadvantage in a world where petrol costs over 100 bucks / litre
• DQ200 DSG transmission has a history of poor reliability & breakdowns in India
• Narrow width makes a 5th adult completely unwelcome. Best for 4 onboard
• Lovely 1.5L TSI is only available on the top variant
• At 385 litres, boot space is lesser than its direct rivals (Creta & Seltos = 433L)
• Sure lacks the street cred / presence offered by some competitors
• Skoda’s notorious dealerships & after-sales horror stories
• Missing some now expected features [b]such as driving modes, panoramic sunroof, 360-degree camera & regular USB ports
• Turbo-petrols are very sensitive to driving style. FE will drop drastically when you drive hard

Review Link

Volkswagen Taigun

What you'll like:

• Has its own fresh, European character and complements its cousin (the recently launched Skoda Kushaq) nicely in a segment dominated by Indian, Korean and Chinese SUVs
• Unmistakably VW styling matched with solid European build quality
• Cabin has good legroom to offer, supportive seats, perfect ergonomics & lots of storage
• 148 BHP engine makes the Taigun one of the most fun-to-drive crossovers in the segment!
• Sporty 1.0L & 1.5L turbo-petrols are mated to slick 6-speed MTs & smooth ATs
• Sorted suspension offers a balanced ride & handling package
• Safety features include up to 6 airbags, ESC (all variants), 3-point seatbelts for all, electronic differential lock, brake disc wiping, multi-collision brake and more
• Features like active cylinder tech, ventilated seats, sunroof, 10-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and CarPlay, auto headlamps & wipers etc.
• Advantages over the Kushaq = a top AT variant with 6 airbags, design that stands out more, cabin 'feels' better, fabric seats are executed in a nicer manner...
• 5-star GNCAP safety rating - full details here!

What you won't:

• No 1.5L diesel is a major disadvantage in a world where petrol costs over 100 bucks/litre
• GT customers will need to choose between the rock (potential DQ200 transmission problems) and a hard place (GT manual variant misses out on many top-end features)
• Narrow cabin width makes a 5th adult completely unwelcome. Best for 4 onboard
• Interior colour scheme and quality don't feel up to traditional VW standards. Some polarising details too (chrome outside, painted plastics inside...)
• Sure lacks the street cred / presence offered by some competitors
• VW’s after-sales service can be a hit or miss. Many VW owners find it expensive too
• Missing some now-expected features such as driving modes, panoramic sunroof, 360-degree camera, electric driver's seat adjustment & rear window blinds
• Turbo-petrols are very sensitive to driving style. FE will drop drastically when you drive hard
• Kushaq's 'clever' touches are missing = no spot on top of the dashboard to place a deity, no smartphone holders on the front seatbacks, no ticket clip on the windshield, no elastic band in the doorpad to keep items in place, or even something as simple as the small reflective tapes on the doorpads

Review Link

Citroen C3 Aircross

What you'll like:

• Well-sized crossover with a funky yet likeable design
• Offers the practicality of a 5+2 seater. Many families will like having that option
• Good-looking cabin that's practical too. Plenty of storage spaces
• Quick 1.2L turbo-petrol mated to the 6-speed MT is fun-to-drive
• Sorted suspension offers a very good ride & handling package
• Massive 511-litre boot that can be expanded to 839 litres. Flexible cargo and seating options are available
• Features like a 10.2-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, connected car features, a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, indirect TPMS, and a rear parking camera with sensors
• Lots of customization options and accessories to make your car truly unique

What you won't:

• Missing plenty of features = side & curtain airbags, ISOFIX child seat anchors, sunroof, climate control, wireless charging, cruise control, rear AC vents, auto headlamps and more
• Single powertrain on offer. No Hybrid or diesel engine options
• Quality of cabin materials doesn't feel great; cost-cutting is pretty evident in certain areas
• Third row of seats is best for kids / children only
• Cabin width makes the middle row seat suitable for 2 adults, not 3
• Very sad audio. 4 speakers + 2 tweeter system feels very basic
• Long-term reliability & after-sales service quality are big unknowns; dealer network is tiny

Review Link

MG Astor

Review Link

MG Hector

Facelift Review Link

First Review Link

Tata Harrier

Facelift Review Link

Automatic Review Link

First Review Link

[Omkar]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[vattyboy]

I will go with the Korean Twins.

1. Reliability.

2. Low maintenance.

3. Better Resale.

4. Widespread Service Network.

5. Engine + Gearbox combos for everyone.

6. Strong Performance of 1.5 Tgdi and 1.5 CRDi.

[07CR]

Voted for Seltos facelift.

The car's got it all. Excellent ride and handling balance (yes, even in the 18 inch trims), sufficient space, quality interiors, eye catchy exteriors, absolutely less to 0 niggles, a FAST and efficient turbo petrol, smooth and refined NA engine, and a refined yet frugal Diesel. All these engine combos are available with a myriad of combinations, MT, iMT, TC,CVT, DCT!
Aftersales too is splendid and fit and finish is top notch. Equipment for the price is next level, and ADAS is extremely well tuned for Indian conditions (especially highways). Safety features available as standard are a plenty, and all features/safety features work as intended and are not just for name sakes.

Only fault I find is despite the myriad engine and gearbox combinations, I wish they had offered a Hybrid engine too. Something to think about for Kia!

Hyryder comes a distant second for me, (still hate Creta's design).

[Small Bot]

Voted for my favourite Alien Car, Creta.

Outside of this forum, not many customers might give a damn about power, torque, handling, ADAS, etc. All they know is that Creta has launched a facelift and they're buying it. The earlier versions of the Creta have been pretty decent cars for the price too.

Creta has its cult following in the urban middle class. And however different it's made to look, or probably because of it, it will sell by the truckloads.

Hyundai will not let go of their current cash cow. They'd rather cannibalise their hatchbacks and sedans in order to sell these compact SUVs now.

[PrasannaDhana]

Voted for Creta Facelift

Specially in 1.5 diesel MT.

Reasons :

1. Legendary name plate, which has been a result of over a decade of reliability, comfort and good after sales service

2. Looks good. Many may disagree, but the new creta looks good on road

3. Very comfortably reclined rear seat. Decent music system, nice AC, good quality interiors, panaromic sunroof makes it a good place to be

4. 1.5 turbo diesel is among the most refined, punchy motors. Great fuel efficiency too

5. Amazing resale value

6. Better brand value and service reach than Kia. Cabin feels bigger too

7. Very decent handling too. Not a boat like early Hyundais


I really like how good the kushaq looks (Montecarlo red ). But Skoda/VW afterwards and frequent niggles being reported by owners, mediocre FE and substandard interior quality makes it hard to be chosen.


All said, safety of creta/seltos is a big concern. A barely 3 star car they were, prefacelift. I don't think there are substantial structural changes in the facelift. We need to wait for actual crash test results.

Harrier belongs to a segment above. For a 20L budget, Creta will be my choice. For a 25L budget, Harrier wins.

A strong 2.0L fiat diesel engine, nice interiors, much more space, gorgeous looks, great ICE, comfortable ride quality, much better EPS steering and handling, road presence. Above all, 5 star safety rating. Achilles heel is the Tata QC, recurring niggles and worse service centers across the nation, barring a few good ones.

[pepega]

The new Creta looks better than the new Seltos in my opinion. I used to think that Seltos looked better earlier, but these recent facelifts switched that for me. Especially because the last Creta facelift looked horrendous. This one looks so much better that it blows away the competition.

I don't really consider cars beyond Hyundai and Maruti due to service convenience, so the rest of the options don't really consider for me. While the Grand Vitara hybrid is tempting for its excellent fuel economy, it pales in the looks department. The cheap FE is the only thing it has going for it, but that might be offset later by a battery replacement or hybrid tech failure, so hard to judge if cheap is really cheap. The non-hybrid with its NA engine is too anemic to be a real consideration.

Between Seltos and Creta in these recent facelifts, it's gotta be Creta for me. Now if I only had 25 lakhs laying around, and the garage space.

[FAIAAA]

Voted for the Kia Seltos in this (4.3M) segment

As mentioned earlier on the forum, I would prefer Korean and Japanese cars for their reliability, durability, relatively better product quality and definitely better ASS compared to European and Indian peers.
Where the Koreans ( Hyundai /Kia) edge the Japanese ( Maruti/Toyota) is on performance, features and NVH. I haven't driven the Creta/Seltos facelifts but can tell you this - please take one drive in the new Verna Turbo petrol and you will realize how far the Koreans have taken the game forward.
Agree with point made above - Harrier, Scorpio-N, XUV700 are a segment above and shouldn't be compared with the rest here.

[sjain2054]

So, we are just comparing cars for their engine+tranmission+suspension+chassis capabilities? Because you have taken cars at very different price points and clubbed them together. These are all very different cars. One cannot be better than the other. Hyryder brings wonderful Hybrid tech and is a car that does most things right but does not excel at one thing or the Harrier is a macho (read big) car that brings good diesel power or the Kushaq brings good driving pleasure because of the stiff suspension, engine and transmission combo.. So every car here is the best basis what you want out of your car. When you say "vs" I do not know how to judge them!

For me, driving a car/loving a car is all about how fast I can drive it with maximum control over it. That encapsulates things like -
1. The ability of the suspension and chassis to handle my maneuvers
2. The power in the engine
3. The ability of the transmission to transfer that power to the wheels as per my inputs
4. The sheer fun I can have with the car because of the above three points

Everything else like ventilated seats, 360 degree cameras and other features are all good to have add-ons. Not must-to-have things in a car.

From the list above, after having driven some of these cars and not all of them, I have to say that the engineering Citroen brings to the table is really fantastic. I praise Citroen does not mean I belittle other cars. For example, the sheer capability of the VW cars' TSI engines cannot be scoffed at.

But, in my opinion, the feeling I got after driving that 1.2 turbo petrol in the Citroen was something I have not felt while driving some of the other cars.

I vote for Citroen here.

[ashvek3141]

Voted for the Seltos.

IMHO it's a superior car vis-a-vis the Creta (it's primary rival) followed by others. I would list down all the pros and cons v/s the competition as we have enough on the forum already.

Aside, it's commendable to see that the Seltos for C-SUV and Sonet for the SC-SUV segments ruling their respective polls. Sonet is leading by a terrific margin than its strongest competition, the Nexon. Having said that , the general public feels otherwise and Nexon / Creta continue to top the sales charts. There are myriad reasons for the same , like Hyundai / TATA are established brands with wide network & ASS presence , Kia being a newer brand , the unaware public has some reservations , etc.

[TheStoryweaver]

Kia seltos is a near perfect car. Everything is sorted. Good design, interiors , engines. Just the safety skip in terms of body shell. They can export 5 star Seltos to other countries then why not here? This bias is questionable.
Much potential sale they can grab if they just go 5 star rated. It’s the why fix if its working philosophy they using as they can crunch out big numbers without addressing the shortcomings.
Certain blame goes to competitors too, trying not to match up in good QC and great ASS consistently. People prefer fuss free ownership.
I hope the competition surpasses them, compelling Kia to raise their standards on their poor safety ratings.

[dieselteen]

Hands down Tata Harrier, but it is a segment higher than the other cars mentioned above so that won't be an apple-to-apple comparison.

The second pick will be the VW Taigun GT+.

Both of the cars look so great in person and have a great ride and handling balance.

Also, both have the worst ASS among others

[sachin_cs]

Voted for Creta, specifically for the S(O) variant, it has got everything one needs and also the price is reasonable (going by the current standards). Never have I ever thought that I would vote for a Korean, that too a Creta. How service experience and brand perception go hand in hand. Having burnt my fingers with VAG and Tata A.S.S., Koreans make a lot of sense, hope they really sort out their Safety records and they have a winner.

Went to the local dealer to have a look.

[satish.gawai]

Voted for Harrier.

Though it is a league above, it looks so handsome in person + the engine & gearbox marriage is perfect for the ride and handling.

[sud153]

Honda Elevate. it does all things decently well and no nonsense car. It does not have anything best though. Will change my vote to Seltos, if they come back with a good crash test rating.