[NaveenKD]

@Carfreak, the story doesn't end there. I decided to take my spouse to have a look at Duster and XUV.

Duster AWD: Today the SA took me to some roads behind the showrooms where I wouldn't even think of walking, forget driving a car. Some of the pits were big enough to bury a body, but duster did not complain. He made me to drive the car with one wheel on tarmac and another on a 2 ft inclined sand mound on the sides. Uhumm.. Duster still did not complain and no scrapping. We came to showroom and wifey said that she had her heart in her mouth when I was doing all these stunts. But anyway she striked it off owing to the interiors, too spartan.

Next we went to Mahindra and she liked all the features and real estate available. But again she striked it off saying it is too big and doesn't make sense me driving this to office everyday.

We were heading home and my phone starts ringing, Relation ship manager from Nexa. She was dead against Suzuki vehicle after we had upgraded from WagonR to Jazz 5 yrs back. She finally agreed to visit the Nexa showroom since its close to commercial street where she had shopping to do.

Enter Nexa, both of us bowled over by Scross. What a beauty! This is the best Car yet from Suzuki. Since we both like black interiors, we felt Scross interiors better than Creta or almost same. Even after knowing that we have booked Creta, SA insisted on booking SCross with 11k since there are no cancelation charges. While I was OK with Creta being 17.2 Lacs, when SA told that top end 1.6 320 DDiS will be priced at around 14 lacs OTR it got me interested. Best part was they have quoted 3.65 for my 2010 Jazz. So finally booked a 2nd car within 3 days. Now the price announcement on Aug 5th, few test drives and Team BHP reviews will decide which of my bookings get cancelled.

[k_ajay]

So the thread is slowly warming up to the high prices that are somewhat made to look appropriate after a few positive posts.

After checking the Creta for 3 times and 1 reasonably useful test drive, I'm convinced this is not the car I would want to stretch myself crazy and pay 17L (and go broke). The build quality is still suspect for me and I not sure what measures were employed when I read here that the doors offer solid feel and closing thud mirrors the European car build quality feel. Not so, in my opinion and that's as objective as it can be. The doors are still light and not heavy, even compared to my early 2009 Fabia, the VWs or even Fiats.

Other things that matter also is calling this a perfect SUV and well appointed and all that, and it still misses a simple mirror on driver side sun visor, central arm rest does not slide forward, no auto-dimming electro-chromatic (?) internal rear-view mirror, no damped release in glove box, no cooled glove box/storage space (I've used this feature on long drives, it is useful), the considerable bulge in the center of the rear seat making it a restricted 4 seater, etc.. These may not be deal breakers but small things that will matter and come into play during daily ownership. I would not dismiss them so easily, over other eye grabbing features.

But I found the engine to be powerful, turbo lag negotiable and not much of a bother and the main thing I was interested in the Creta for ---> the raised seating position. At maximum seat height adjusted, the view is far higher and better compared to any hatchback and it appears taller than the EcoSport, too. The buyers of this perfect SUV will definitely benefit from the heightened seating position. But for this main draw, the price for the top diesel trim, to me, is simply asking for too much. Premium appointed plastics be damned!

A Correction!! After my 1st observation of this vehicle, many pages prior, I posted my initial experience. In the post, I had mentioned that the rear A/C vent is not adjustable vertically. But after Vidyut's initial impressions post, I understood I may have erred and had it checked again when I had the next opportunity. And I found I was indeed wrong. The rear A/C air vents can be controlled to move vertically as well. The error is regretted; Sorry for the misinformation.


I wish the buyers of this vehicle the best ownership experience. I'll just wait a couple of more years for a more suitable mini-suv that matches what I need from such a vehicle and my affordability. (but be assured this post isn't a reflection of the current un-affordability, in fact, I was fighting internally to see how this purchase can be justified and I just couldn't come to terms. And I tried very hard).

[Doge]

Originally Posted by sourabhzen

I am criticizing because Hyundai made me believe that they are launching something against Ecosport but they launched it against XUV.

It may be niggle free but safer and far more polluting than XUV is highly unlikely.

I think Hyundai should have pitched it as a compact but luxurious SUV.

What makes you think that it's not as safe? The XUV's front crash was not very impressive and I'm sure the Creta would do better. I don't think I said that the Creta will be more polluting, I said the XUV will be more polluting.

[sourabhzen]

My mistake. I wanted to write "non polluting". However I do not think that Creta will be safer than a XUV.

[epuneet]

Went and had a look at the Creta yesterday. The car looks very good and the alloys on the SX(O) are stunning. The interiors are well appointed but I didn't go 'Wow' - perhaps because I was judging it vis-à-vis the asking price. Ample space upfront with very good seats. In my opinion the rear seat is only about okay to seat 3 moderately built adults but the low seating and rising window line makes the car feel more claustrophobic than it actually is.

Only the AT was available for TD and there was a long queue of people waiting, so didn't TD the vehicle. Might do so on a weekday when relatively lesser crowds and preferably on an MT. Dealer said that they have 685 bookings for this car & 185 of those are for the SX(O) variant. There is an ~3-months waiting period. Interestingly, the sales rep mentioned that the actual price will be determined at the time of delivery and not now. Is that a standard market practice? I've never purchased a car with such a long waiting period and not aware of the conditions - but I find this odd - carrying price risk despite booking.

The sales rep had poor knowledge of the product. Overheard him mentioning that the SX+ AT had 4 airbags to another customer. When we asked what's the child seat anchor in the AT - he explained how child lock mechanism works. I don't think these are the same things. All this combined with poor attitude! I really hope Hyundai keeps churning out good products as the sales people definitely don't add to their sales.
Will definitely check out S-Cross and the overall Nexa experience before taking a final decision.

[sohu9]

I could not locate the kerb weight of Creta. I wonder why would Hyundai not specify the kerb weight of Creta? It would be nice to know the difference in weight between Chinese ix25 and Indian Creta. Could that give clues on the structural cost cutting? Someone had remarked after looking at the photographs from the Creta accident that certain cost cutting measures were apparent on the underside of the front bumpers.

During media reviews, the actual FE figures from the media drive are published by the reviewers in many cases. Is it possible for the reviewers to get that information during those media drives? Or may be someone will take the vehicle to a weighing scale during TD.

[gsratta]

I have been wondering about the kerb weight of Creta, hyundai has not mentioned on its website/press releases, no reviewers have mentioned it. Anyone having any info regarding this, because kerb weight gives a rough idea about build and to some extent crash worthiness. What is the kerb weight of ix25?

[printh]

Originally Posted by gsratta

I have been wondering about the kerb weight of Creta, hyundai has not mentioned on its website/press releases, no reviewers have mentioned it. Anyone having any info regarding this, because kerb weight gives a rough idea about build and to some extent crash worthiness. What is the kerb weight of ix25?

Maybe I am ignorant but is kerb weight related to safety... I mean .... at all??? That means the most heavy cars should be the safest rated shouldn't it they be? But to my best knowledge , the Honda City or many Korean cars for that fact, despite being termed as flimsy, score 4 to 5 stars in crash test whereas VW and fiat known for their heavy build score average . Maybe tech gurus can show some light on this !!!

[Turbo_asd]

I just got a short(don't ask the duration) TD of the Creta diesel SX(o). Our family came away very impressed.

We went to Advaith Hyundai, which is literally a stones throw away from home, and with which we have had many pleasant experiences. Unfortunately, their much famed customer service really dipped this time. Ocean floor deep.

The dealership has only 3 vehicles, one on display. The SA had little, or possibly no knowledge of the vehicle and wasted time reading everything out of the brochure. She claimed the hive structure was only useful for hill driving. She refused to tell us where the six airbags were located. Sigh...
My mom, visible annoyed, directed her questions to me instead. That got the job done much faster, credit Team BHP

Rant aside, the car:


Exteriors
The vehicle on display was a red SX. It sure grabbed eyeballs. I prefer the polar white, the colour of the TD vehicles, though. The chrome on the grill looked out of place on the red. I would definitely get it painted black. The 3D headlamps won't have a nice time in Bangalore traffic. They simply jut out too much. The 'floating' A pillar looks contemporary. The bonnet is a bit long, but I like it that way.

The side profile is proportional, much like the overall design. The creases give it character, but do not come across as flashy. The rear window looks a little odd due to its size, however.

The rear looks a little too tall and a little too narrow. It seemed a little weird at first, but it doesn't spoil the looks by any means. The tail lamps have a beautiful design. I won't even talk of the rear chrome garnish. Ugh.

While the 16" alloys cannot hold a candle to the 17"er's , they look good on their own. The tires on the SX were Goodyears, 205/55R 16.

Interior
Ingress and egress was a cake walk for the youth and elderly alike. No issues there. The doors shut with a nice thud. Much better than the Duster, but not as good as the Polo. It was easy to find the ideal driving position. The seats swallowed our narrow frames. They kept us comfortable.

The front seats are well bolstered. Unfortunately the front armrest does not slide. The recline handle was positioned unlike other cars. It was where you would find height adjustment.

At the back, there was quite a lot of space. The seat base was quite soft, as was the seat back. I still think long duration drives will be OK for the back. As most of our immediate family is short, space was really good. With the front seat set to my 5" 2 mom's position, my still-growing 5"4 body's legs could stretch to glory. My dad is out of town at the moment, so we couldn't check with him. Since is also less than 6 feet, so I'm confident of never being crunched for space. Headroom is more than sufficient as well.

Ergonomics, as on any other Hyundai, were perfect. The beige portion of the dash carries plastic of excellent quality. The other plastic on he dash was good too. The only place where I found shiny plastic was on the door panels. This drags the sense of quality down, but it was acceptable. The art leather on the top end looks smahing and was supremely comfortable. All door armrests are clad in leather, with white contrast stitching. True workmanship.
The SX had fixed grab handles, courtesy cost cutting. Does the SX(o) get these as well? I forgot to take a look.


The drive
We were only allowed a short spin on the flat outer ring road. The diesel motor was super silent. My mom had to reconfirm that it was the diesel. This, along with the superior cabin insulation, made for a peaceful cabin.

The pick up was great. The gearshifts were smooth and very accurate. Overall, a very refined drive. My parents are not enthusiasts, so light steering was fine by them. They do not know of turbo lag. It did not bother them either.

Verdict
We are looking to purchase the SX(o), primarily due to the extra airbags.
My dad is due to return this week, post which he will test drive it once. He already loved the mechanicals in the Verna, which are shared with the Creta. As for my mom, she's approved it. Blown away in fact. The waiting period is around 3 months here, irrespective of colour. White was given as our colour of choice, followed by red. The booking amount is 25k.
Exciting times ahead for us. Our last few days with the i10 have started.

[sohu9]

Originally Posted by printh

Maybe I am ignorant but is kerb weight related to safety... I mean .... at all??? That means the most heavy cars should be the safest rated shouldn't it they be? But to my best knowledge , the Honda City or many Korean cars for that fact, despite being termed as flimsy, score 4 to 5 stars in crash test whereas VW and fiat known for their heavy build score average . Maybe tech gurus can show some light on this !!!

IMHO comparing weights of the SAME car that is available in two different countries could provide clues to the structural components (and hence the clues to inherent safety). Indian Creta is similar to the Chinese ix25. If there is a large variation in the weight of these two cars then I would assume that certain invisible metal components are missing in the Indian Creta. Chinese ix25 has received highest safety crash test ratings whereas Indian version does not go through the crash testing so we would never know.

Plus, whenever a manufacturer is hiding certain information then it does raise suspicion. Wouldn't you agree?

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Looking at the price list I see a price difference of 1.5 lakhs between the 1.6L petrol SX+ and the 1.6L CRDI SX+. On road price in Bangalore as a result varies by 2 lakhs for the same variant but petrol to diesel!

Earlier cars used to have 80-1L difference between petrol and diesel. Then recently the difference went up to 1.2 lakhs. No Hyundai is keeping close to 2 lakhs!!!



There's no D segment sedan for 17 lakhs! All D segment sedans now start at 20 lakhs and go till 26 lakhs. Total market shift which sucks big time but is happening.



LOL. You do know the S cross is coming soon as is similar to SX4 and will probably touch 15.

Not to forget the XA Alpha compact SUV expected to go against the Ecosport. That's a crossover version of Swift.

It's interesting to see this market shift in prices. May be people are better off now, so they can and would pay a higher price for the same car.
It also highlights sheer value for money of Indian car makers, suddenly a Storme at 16 lacs, or a Xuv at 17/18 lacs makes a better reason compared to Creta at 17 lacs. This makes the really understated and good Aria a compelling buy.
If Tata is smart, this is the right time to play the real SUV campaign again...

[xjosephjacob]

Originally Posted by printh

Maybe I am ignorant but is kerb weight related to safety... I mean .... at all??? That means the most heavy cars should be the safest rated shouldn't it they be? But to my best knowledge , the Honda City or many Korean cars for that fact, despite being termed as flimsy, score 4 to 5 stars in crash test whereas VW and fiat known for their heavy build score average . Maybe tech gurus can show some light on this !!!

NCAP ratings simulate crashing a car into another of similar mass and structure. Those 'stars' are a combined safety rating given to vehicles taking in to account many parameters. When a collision happens, the vehicle with greater kerb weight always has an advantage no matter what the safety rating is. Normally, overall star rating can only be as high as the lowest score that the car scores in a particular test. It’s possible that a 0 star SUV is safer (For the passengers) than a 5-star hatchback. Do check out how NCAP and other assessment tests are carried out. We may have threads on that here in Team BHP.

[Arjun Reddy]

Originally Posted by gsratta

I have been wondering about the kerb weight of Creta, hyundai has not mentioned on its website/press releases, no reviewers have mentioned it. Anyone having any info regarding this, because kerb weight gives a rough idea about build and to some extent crash worthiness. What is the kerb weight of ix25?

Isn't it mandatory to mention the kerb weight in the RTO paperwork? Anyone who has registered a Creta should give us the answer.

[noopster]

Saw the Creta in the flesh today at Kundan Hyundai in Pune. They just had the 1.6 SX diesel variant in passion red, which by the way is a gorgeous colour. From the outside it is quite a looker. The boot is spacious with a raise-able parcel tray. The rear seat is not bad in terms of space and comfort (not that I'll ever spend any time there). The car is decently loaded for an entry variant (am talking diesel, the petrol variants are a joke). The 126 bhp engine mated with the slick 6-speed MT is sweet.

But you look at the price tag (14.1 on road Pune for the SX diesel) and that gives you pause for thought. Am paying THAT much and no leather trimmings? And what's with that puny (5") ICE touchscreen? The doors don't thud shut either. No keyless entry either which Hyundai has plonked into the 6L grand i10 for Godssakes!

And that's just the start...the SX(O) which is the one to get features wise, is a whopping 16.7L on road. And it doesn't come in an AT variant. Plus despite all the hype Hyundai doesn't seem to have invested a cent in dealer training. The feature list cyclostyled sheet the dealer is handing out is laughable: typos galore (the AT is listed as SX not SX+) and the haphazard way it lists the variant wise features is laughable. There was a whiteboard where someone had blandly entered 12 weeks as the waiting period (same as the i20 active and elite BTW). Shoddy.

Came away feeling very underwhelmed. As we returned to our nearly 5 year old VW Vento gleaming in the parking lot despite the monsoon slush all around we asked ourselves, would we really want to replace our primary ride with that? Unanimous answer: naaah. Let's wait for sanity to prevail and a better variant/price strategy to emerge, then we'll see!

[srinih75]

Originally Posted by noopster

would we really want to replace our primary ride with that?

The answer would be a majority Yes, if there were AT in from the starting of the range in the offering. This would have trumped most of its competitors in that range. Good daily runner with that comfortable long drives - it would have been a game changer of all sorts!