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Pricing it at par with or lower than the Verna would eat up all the Verna sales.

Verna 1.6 Petrol starts at 8.8L. No way Hyundai Creta would be able to match that price. And look at the AT, which borrows the gearbox from the Elantra. How would it be possible for them to price it at par with the Verna that comes with an inferior gearbox?

My dealer called me up and wanted to know if I would like to see the car in their yard, I immediately lapped up the chance and looking forward to see this SUV in flesh and make my decision on pre booking. Also the booking amount has been reduced to 25,000. They are yet to confirm the cancellation fee though.

Maybe because some people would still prefer a sedan to a SUV? :confused:

I've been reading a lot of the threads and had been waiting for the first preview for a long while. Right after reading the preview, I happened to be driving down to Mahabalipuram and saw a silver SUV whiz past.
It looked quite different so I pulled closer to it. Lo & behold it was the Creta! It had a temporary number plate on it and was being driven by some sort of test driver.
I thing I can attest to is that it looked real quick on the Bangalore-Chennai road and might I add that it looked terrific! I'm waiting for the official review to book it.

Can I know who the dealer is? I have also planned to book. If you don't want to disclose the name in the forum, please PM me.

Thanks.

Logic also suggests that the price should be around the Verna. The list of features cannot allow it to be placed above 12Lakh bracket.


But if it does then expect repetition of Jazz episode.lol:

If the ride quality was paramount to Indian buyers then the Polo & Punto should top the sales chart but its the i20 that has always managed to charm itself into the lives of people much more than the rival well handling cars. I hope I'm not wrong in assuming that the same feature-filled, good looks and bling factor of the Creta will continue to woo buyers. The Duster, in its current offering, I feel has ran its course and it also didn't have strong rivals which is all about to change now. Your avg. Joe car buyer will sure tilt his favor of the Creta in the coming months.

I see a lot of posts bashing Hyundai for the ride quality and handling. While this is fine, what is not fine is "looking down upon" consumers who do not give ride and handling the same importance as enthusiasts do. Everyone must understand the market is a place with all kind of animals, and it's not necessary that what a few people like must be liked by all - else they become an average Joe in the auto world.

Different customers have different perspectives when buying a product and should not be ridiculed for their choice. What is wrong with falling for the lovely interiors and bells and whistles that Hyundai provides, in bargain for a somewhat inferior handling. I have owned a couple of Hyundais and yes agree on handling part, but the rest more than makes up for it. Even here, I have found them mostly acceptable if not great for all practical purposes

Not everyone does a 3 digit speed all the time, or on the curves. Going by speed limits in this country, and the roads and the road sense it is neither advisable. So why should one give up on goodies which are there for you all the time, if you are hardly going to do 3 digits.

Ultimately its a matter of choice - different people and different choices - each must be respected.:thumbs up

The question is something else. How many car consumers care about engineering, rather than only futurist looks, bling, the tangible and visible? How many consumers who care actually understand the causes and effects of say feel-less, weight-less steerings, deficient suspension architecture and chassis torsional rigidity, high body roll, choppy ride, low gc, higher-speed road holding etc?

Ride and handling and steering, alongwith braking system quality, are first and foremost about COMFORT and SAFETY (of both car and its occupants) and only secondarily about driving pleasure for an enthusiast.

IMO Hyundai skimps on these intangible, invisible, easy-to-ignore engineering aspects, at least in 'Third World neo-aspirational markets' like India, in order to both meet price targets and net high profit margins.

Other firms, especially say Renault, Ford and Fiat, VW, even Tata don't allow themselves such engineering slackness. And so have to meet the same or worse pricing/costing targets in other ways: fewer gizmo-s, harder plastics, and so on. Of course, there are other factors too in play as regards sales success or failure.

It will be interesting to see how the Creta compares with the S cross, for example, version-for-version, when it comes to build quality, ride, handling and steering+braking: i.e., comfort and safety for car, driver, and passenger, rather than just 'enthu' kicks.

The thing is Suzuki have an old 'pedigree' (one might say) at making crossovers and suv-s (from the Samurai and SX4 to the excellent G Vitara), the essential trait of which surely is, sure, looks etc but more ride-handling balance despite riding-high, even at higher speeds, even on Indian state and district highways/roads, toughness of build and suspension, etc.

It is not at all clear Hyundai have or care to ensure these essential CUV/'SUV' virtues in at least their 'emerging market' mass-market-car-model-avatars. Or that 'the market' expects/requires them to.

Hope the Creta surprises on these accounts, but one does suspect/fear the Duster/Terrano, the Avventura, the Ecosport (to a lesser degree) and esp the S Cross will handily outdo this Hyundai, as usual? Not that they're lacking either in looks or pricing or gizmo-list, either.

It is probably true though that the Creta will sell very very (too?) well!

Very nicely written preview! And cannot wait to see the official launch, Hyundai has a sure shot winner on their hands with hate to say buy Nexa Scross is not even close.

Not looking down upon anyone, I seriously pray for better ride and handling characteristics in Creta. I am OK if the prices are comparable with Duster/Terrano sibling for SX variant ( No, I don't expect and it will not be in Verna range) but I want Hyundai to surprise market with decent steering, suspension set-up.

The preview clearly gave us hints on the body roll and driving dynamics. Its no brainer that handling would be ideal for city but definitely average on the highways. The only reason I am considering this is because of the crazy traffic conditions. There is no other automatic diesel SUV at this budget and have been tired waiting for one. I for sure will miss my Fiesta's dynamic driving but I can live with it for city driving is going to be 80% and highways 20 %

CRETA - a better name could have been coined
GC is not appealing, wish the driving dynamics are better...

Since Honda City diesel's launch, Verna has been hitting new lows month after month on sales front. Even a face-lift did not lift things up. So, may be, Hyundai thought since it is not selling much anyway, why not slip in Creta at same price slot and rake in moolah.

I agree that most Hyundai cars are not great at handling. But that did not prevent them from creeping up the sales ladder and close gap with market leader MUL. The rate at which Elite i20 is increasing its tally, we shouldn't be surprised if it starts snapping at Swift's heels. Most of average Joes do not bother about handling. If it were so, then Polo and Punto would have been chart toppers, as someone has rightly pointed out.

Pricing posted by RavenAvi is mouth-watering and I seriously believe it iis too good to be true. It is like a pseudo-SUV costing me lesser than a Verna and a City. The market will lap it up and Not only Verna, Duster, Ecosport, City and Ciaz will also feel the heat.

However, in my opinion, Hyundai will price it slightly above Verna especially considering that it gets many features not available in Verna and also SUV (even if it is a pseudo) has a higher market value than sedan. They will not worry about the falling Verna sales - it has fallen to a level that it will not rise till the next gen comes to India. But pricing it below Verna might spoil the market perception of the product. It might strike gold or might even backfire. The general perception is "More Expensive = Better" and Certa priced below the Verna / City might give an impression to buyers that it is an inferior product. I don't think Hyundai will afford the risk. I am sure MOST buyers will still buy Creta over Verna and City even if it is ~25k above Verna. However, if it is priced below Verna / City, there is a probability that people might feel it is a less premium product. Well, I might be totally wrong here, but I am just thinking out loud.