Preview: Hyundai Creta

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by abhjain

You get a baby Santa Fe in half the price! What else do you want?

Sorry but it hardly resembles Santa Fe which looks much better. I dropped in a second time to take a long hard look at it from all sides and here is what I observed.

Side view -- too boxy and folded paper lines.

Rear view -- reminds me of Dolphin hatchback of mid 80s (remember that?). Elite i20 tail-lights look much better.

Front -- bonnet too low and sloping. Vertical grill would have been better than horizontal slats. Also bonnet length is disproportionately small. Somewhat like Qualis which had big boxy body but very sloping and short bonnet.

Three-quarter front view -- Looks very tinny. Like a huuge toy car.

Before people start flaming me, I've also booked Creta and still weighing options like Scorpio AT. But to be honest, Ecosport is looking better to me now than this. And so does Terrano (not Duster but ). If only these two had diesel + AT.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

- NVH level in petrol is awesome. Ampere couldn't even figure out if engine was running or it was off.

Well said. Coming from Duster (almost like a truck when I look at the Creta!) I stalled it many times. (The clutch is that light). People stall diesels and I successfully stalled a naturally aspirated petrol!

In closing. If the Creta was available 2 years back, both Ampere and myself would be having a Creta in our garages than the Duster/Ecosport we currently have.

+1
I would have taken it hands down. The ride quality also felt quite good. It was not that soft (the one which we are used to with Hyundais). But then again, it was just a very short ride on a good road. Need to traverse more terrains to assess it better. But all in all; surely the game has moved on. If this is what Hyundai (and Maruti) have to offer, god save Renault/Nissan. Honda should surely think of getting Vezel to India.

[NaveenKD]

Went today evening to Advaith Hyundai Bangalore. They had 3 cars for test drive - SX+ Petrol, SX+ AT, and SX(O) and one display SX Diesel. The petrol had very few takers for test drive. I used it to check the car in flesh for first time since the display vehicle was having a crowd around. Later did a back to back test drive of both AT and SX(O). In traffic and stand still conditions AT is awesome, no turbolag whatsoever. MT has predictable turbolag and takes some time getting used to, especially in 1st and 2nd gear. Front seats are comfortable. Rear can fit in 3 slim adults. However I found the middle seat is practically not usable because of the armrest embedded into back rest is hard and bulges out of the contour. Your back will never be comfortable and not at all suitable for long drives. Interiors are decent, but didn't find any wow factor. Especially SX+ looks cheap even with the same IP set-up, may be because of the Seat texture in use. SX(O) relatively looks good because of the leatherette in use. But when it comes to body design and exteriors its definitely a stunner. Paid 10k and made booking for SX(O) in white and have said that will confirm by Saturday if its SX(O) or AT.

I was told that they have 240 bookings so for and no cancellation (at least till now). Most of the bookings are in SX(O) and AT, white being the popular choice for color followed by Red. Expected lead time is 3 months, will confirm the exact time by end of the month. AT will take more time since bookings are more than anticipated.
Otherwise I saw the staff eager and helpful, fighting among themselves to get their customer an early test drive.
I will visit Renault (Duster AWD) and Mahindra (XUV W10) take a spin and will decide for sure before Saturday.

[RavenAvi]

Thanks for the wonderful analysis, Vidyut.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

- Overall visibility is not as good as Duster as per Ampere. I didn't mind it cause Ecosport is not great. Basically window line is very high to look out of.

Did you have the front seats set some way back when you checked this? Because I found the front seats to be the best place to be in. The all-round view from the driver's seat is excellent, and the front passenger feels absolutely at ease with the all-round visibility.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

- Rear shoulder line is very high. Rear passengers wont get a very airy feeling but i prefer this for privacy these days.

This is inherent in most Hyundais. The main reason for this being the lower bench of the rear seat. You almost squat on the floor in the Verna! What this does is help immensely with the headroom at the rear. No knocking on the roof like other cars!

Yes, privacy in the rear seat can be felt for sure. But most Indian families prefer a lower window line when they are in the rear, reason being that the average height of Indians is around 5'3"-5'4". One thing Hyundai needs to rectify soon, specially in their Indian offerings.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

- We got barely 5 minutes with the car so cannot comment on handling.

Did you get to check out the braking, specially panic braking? I am impressed by the bite in a straight line, albeit the brake feels softer than the City.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Overall we came away very impressed with the package. As I mentioned Hyundai is really charging big money for the Creta but you won't feel like anything is missed out if you spend 17 big ones for this.

One of the main reasons why I won't feel shortchanged even when paying 13 lakhs for the SX+ petrol. As a complete package, the Creta petrol is a compelling option in this segment.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

In closing. If the Creta was available 2 years back, both Ampere and myself would be having a Creta in our garages than the Duster/Ecosport we currently have.

Originally Posted by ampere

I would have taken it hands down.

If this is what Hyundai (and Maruti) have to offer, god save Renault/Nissan. Honda should surely think of getting Vezel to India.

Biggest compliments the Creta can get from our forum. Thanks, guys!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Because I found the front seats to be the best place to be in. The all-round view from the driver's seat is excellent, and the front passenger feels absolutely at ease with the all-round visibility.

I was not happy with its visibility. I think I also found the pillars to be obstructive. And surely the all round visibility was poorer compared what I am used to in the Duster.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Did you have the front seats set some way back when you checked this? Because I found the front seats to be the best place to be in. The all-round view from the driver's seat is excellent, and the front passenger feels absolutely at ease with the all-round visibility.

You get good view but the high shoulder line does hamper it. This is what Ampere found better. Vs the Ecosport it's better since there's no front quarter glass.

Did you get to check out the braking, specially panic braking? I am impressed by the bite in a straight line, albeit the brake feels softer than the City.

Too short a drive to test the braking but there was nothing alarming in normal braking. If it was not linear I would have noticed it.


PS: Just added some photos in my earlier post.

[xjosephjacob]

Checked out Creta today. I test drove the Petrol; they said Diesel isn't ready for test drive (i sat inside the Diesel and turned on the engine though ). The Test drive was really short and these are my preliminary observations. Surprisingly there weren't many prospective customers at Popular Hyundai, Kochi.

• The car looks 'okay'. It certainly lacks the SUV DNA in design department. I'd say Terrano is handsome, Duster is butch, XUV is menacing, Ecosport is space-age and Creta looks confused.
• Creta Petrol is super refined. Below, say, 2000 rpm, you won't notice that the engine is running. Refinement is almost on par with Honda 1.5 i-vtec, if not better. I didn't find the sound absorbing material underneath the hood of 1.6 crdi !!!
• Gear shifts (both Petrol and Diesel) are smooth and slick.
• Performance of the Petrol engine is good, but not as impressive as the Honda 1.5 i-vtec
• It's a pretty spacious 4 seater. There's ample knee-room and two 6 footers can sit back to back without much squeeze. However, the rear seat is Ecosport like, and 3 in that bench would be a squeeze. Dusters rear bench is wider and more supportive. Also, rear seat cannot be reclined, as in the Ecosport.
• The Boot is quite big and easy to use.
• Doors and the hatch close in a typical Korean/Japanese way. Don't expect the solid thud that we hear in the Europeans. Doors open in 2 stages, like the Duster. Those stages are far more well defined in Volkswagen's or any other European.
• Interior looks and feels nice. Fit and Finish is in line with i20 elite/Verna; Again, I'd say Vento/Polo has an upper hand here and feels more premium. The interior quality is definitely better than a Duster/Terrano, however 2 or 3 generations ahead of them is an exaggeration.
• Rear shoulder line is pretty high and the rear passengers might find it a bit claustrophobic.
• I felt the ride quality is like i20 active.
• Steering felt light and I didn't feel much feedback. I didn't take it out on open highways, so cannot comment if it weighs up appropriately or not, or the dynamics.
  
  

[deetjohn]

Does anyone know the gross weight of the Creta? I am real curious to know the relative difference in weight of the Creta, Verna and Elantra.

For some reason Hyundai doesn't publish that in the official web pages.

And saw an advt. in the Hindu today about a "Mood Change Bar" within the ACC module. Any clue what that is?

[BoneCollector]

I was wondering if the 16" alloys found on variants other than SX(O) can be painted to matt grey or blackish-grey ? Will the paint hold or just peel off? Can anyone with good Photoshop skills do it?

[RobC]

Would anyone who has had a drive on the MT be able to confirm the clutch travel as compared to the i20? One of the major gripes I had with the i20 (across generations) was the unusually long clutch travel.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by xjosephjacob

I didn't find the sound absorbing material underneath the hood of 1.6 crdi !!!

We noticed this too. Good that you brought it up. They don't even need an absorbing material! A real testament to Hyundai on their diesels and to the refinement levels they have attained.

[//M]

Went to Garve Hyundai, Pune to check the Creta last evening. There were some test drives happening, but the showroom in general was not crowded. No SA attended us, me and friend had to go and see the cars as if we are on a window shopping spree.

The Creta felt good inside and out, however it didn't feel really exclusive for a 16 lakh car. Maybe my personal opinion, but the XUV feels more premium even though it may not have very rich quality interiors. The rear window line in the Creta is too high and will feel claustrophobic for an average height Indian. The boot space is good, the Creta looks good in white shade but not as big as I expected.

Overall the Hyundai Creta felt good but a tad overpriced IMO. What really disappointed us was that we spent a good 30-40 minutes in the showroom and none of the Garve Hyundai sales staff were even bothered to ask us why we were there. Also the pamphlet they were distributing for the Creta was of low quality. I am not nit-picking here, but a 16 lakh car ought to have a well designed good quality brochure atleast !

[sups]

One of the main advantages of the Duster is the carpet ride at all speeds. It will be interesting to see how Creta compares on that part in typical Indian roads. The low speed ride quality seems to be good in Creta from many reviews. But what about mid to relatively higher speeds and body roll in undulating roads?

[anantu2001]

Can someone please tell us what the ground clearance in Creta is?

Regards,
Anant

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by anantu2001

Can someone please tell us what the ground clearance in Creta is?

As per Hyundai's press-publication, it is 190mm. Source is on just the previous page - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post3759952