[vanchi_s]

I was among the first few who bought Ford Fusion Diesel as soon as it was launched in Jul 2007. After crossing 1.07 Lakhs happy KMs, started looking for a new car. Search started at the end of Apr-2015. My usual drive is around 1000 to 1100KM in a month with 95% city traffic and one or two highway drives in a year.

Expectations of New Car: Following are some of the common goals my wife and I had during the search. These goals formed over period of time when I started to test drive.

• SUV look (yes, not for off-roading) and no sedan
• Good 2nd row seating: 3 people seating with minimal constraint and good leg room
• Height adjustable driver seat and tilt steering is a must to suit two different frequent drivers (my wife and me)
• Should not be very huge (<= 4300 mm) (for ease of maneuvering in city)
• Excellent interiors, finish and premium feel
• Automatic transmission
• Preferred more western than eastern

Confusion and conclusion: After numerous test drive including Q3, V40, CRV, Yeti, Pajero, Terrano, Jazz and i20, got confused and started to love my current fusion more (in terms of value for money it provided so far).

• Q3 is too much money on a depreciating asset
• V40 & Yeti second row seat was inadequate (not a flat floor in Yeti and shoulder room appeared almost same as Fusion in both the cars). I personally love both the cars. I tried a lot to convince myself for Yeti by test-driving it thrice. However, I never felt that it has more space than Fusion. I collected shoulder room dimensions for all the cars. Yeti had shoulder room more than Fusion, but still Yeti did not appear bigger for me. My guess is that this is because of the rear side AC pillar in middle and combined with non-flat rear seat floor.
• Terrano: Low driver seat and height adjustable seat only in high-end model. I am not impressed with interior.
• Pajero: I liked it but it is very big and started seeing facelift news in our forum. Hence removed it from my options
• Jazz & i20: Could not feel like a upgrade from Fusion
• CRV – petrol mileage and Sales Advisor’s poor response was a turn-off. I almost went ahead and initiated booking process but SA didn’t show keenness in closing the deal or guiding me which left a bad taste and eventually lost interest in it
• I loved the Ford Everest (Endeavour) specification and review. Car looks bigger though. I will be test-driving it when it gets launched. One of the messages in our forum mentioned that this is going to be available for delivery only early next year. Hence, it has been removed from my list.

It came to the point that I had to compromise on my expectations. Finally, we chose Creta as it appeared to be a better choice comparing space, features and money. Then, was contemplating between AT and SX(O). Safety features (additional air bags, Vehicle stability management system and hill ascent control) have pushed me towards Creta Diesel 1.6 L SX(O).

Delivery Experience: I purchased Frank from Hyundai Motor Plaza and no discounts were offered to me. I only got the floor mats. I booked the car on 20-Jun-15 and hence I was promised a car in the first batch. I could not verify the car using our PDI as I was asked to give cheque and told that car will be allocated from the factory. I gave the cheque on 30-Jul morning and got the VIN number in night. I checked using my contact in Hyundai factory about the status of the car. I got a message from my contact on 31-Jul saying QC okay, No denial and the vehicle dispatch was on that day. I also received a message soon after it was dispatched. I asked my SA to call me as soon as car was received in showroom. On 1-Aug, I received the call, I went to the showroom and checked the car. I was not allowed to start the car but I looked around the car. Car went for registration on 3-Aug and took delivery of the car on 5-Aug. I asked for the demo of the car (as seen in our forum) and patiently listened to SA. Entire delivery ceremony happened very well and I took car for my own Pooja and reached home in evening. When I took the car ODO meter reading was 15KM. I am planning to get 4th & 5th the year extended warranty later point (in-line with our forum recommendation).

Now, having driven my [b]White Frankenstein[b] for 350 KMs, I have listed my personal experience and opinion below. Some of these opinions are possibly influenced by the upgrade from my current car (Fusion).

Likes:

• Pleasure of driving in city traffic (Due to soft clutch, light steering and gear ratio)
• Excellent front seats, driving position (view, getting in & out and seating comfort) and well positioned controls
• Very good pick-up, responsive engine and balanced suspension
• Quite Cabin, Good Space & good interiors (Very good OEM leather seats)
• Very stylish look and white Creta appears very big in road
• Safety features - 6 air bag, ABS, VSM and Hill Accent control
• Enjoying features like touch screen HU, reverse view camera and electrically adjustable ORVM

Dis-likes:

• Poor second row seating visibility and overall design of 2nd row seat
• Steering feel is missing
• Gearshift to first gear often gets into 3rd (don't know if it is my problem)
• Missing few features – automatically closing OVRM, Both side door unlocking, under seat storage, back light not on all the controls, HID lamp and Traction Control

[vanchi_s]

Interior

• Excellent driver seat, very comfortable for medium built persons: I love front seats, both accommodates me very well. I got the same feeling when I drove Yeti. I am getting (176CM) good support for my both arms in my driving position.
• Driver-side seat height adjustment has very good range. We are able to find a comfortable driving position for my wife with height adjustment and steering tilt adjustment. It would have been nice if we had reach as well in steering.
• ORVM size is big in my opinion and gives very good visibility. Rear view mirror provides limited visibility.
• SX(O) seats and door panel gives premium feeling. I am pleased with my Frank’s interior quality. Many of my friends asked if I have upgraded seats by seeing its fit & finish (Note: I have upgraded Fusion’s seats in Stanley as soon as I bought it).
• Quiet cabin, outside noise & engine noises are well controlled. When I drive in bridges, the noise from bridge gaps heard minimal inside the cabin. I have not gone for long highway drive and hence I could not comment on wind noise.
• Mood adjusting feature works very well, need to see its impact in long night drive. However, not all buttons has backlight. For example, Front door window button has backlight and other three buttons for handling windows in driver side did not have backlight. Similarly, buttons to adjust OVRM, Central lock / unlock of door and Window mirror lock did not have backlight.
• Climate control: AC is very effective and I am pleased with its quickness. Cabin temperature is very comfortable during very hot time of the day as well as early morning drives. Manual suggests to set the temperature at 23C for the optimized operation. I use 23.5C. Rear side AC is very effective and good.
• Yet to find the pattern for Air-recirculation button functioning: When I switch off AC, by clicking “OFF” button, to switch on the AC, I need to switch on AC by pressing circular button. At that time, Fan Auto will not be there. When I press auto, air circulation will switch off. I then need to switch on air recirculation. Not sure if this is intended behavior.
• Door bottle holders hold most of the water bottles I use at home.
• Touchscreen Head Unit is very responsive, works very well with Bluetooth audio, iPod connection, USB and Radio. Speakers are good but I am looking to upgrade the speakers. Configuration and setup is very simple and intuitive.
• Passenger side has vanity mirror and decent size to give very good view but there no lid to close it.
• Boot is illuminated and very good when compared to other cars. But it is not significantly higher than Fusion. But it does not matter to me. Safety net(@boot) to hold moving parts is a good thought.
• Concerns

• Height of the second row seat: My wife and kids are not happy about the visibility.
• I struggled to lock the second row seat after folding it to flat position. I am getting near flatness and not perfect flat.
• Missing few storage areas when compared to Fusion for example, under seat storage & dash storage. I used to store all manuals & docs under seat storage. Now, Glove box is good sized but I am not able to keep manual and paper tissue box at the same time.
• Sometimes I am hitting the MID change button, I guess I am hitting while trying to press horn (may be my handling issue)

Driving

• Powerful engine and very good response. The vehicle moves swiftly at lower speeds and during controlled acceleration. I could move my Frank in first gear without acceleration as well.
• Excellent maneuverability: almost like a bike (please don’t take it at the literal sense). Steering is leather wrapped, little thinner than Fusion. I notice that I hold Frank's steering tighter that Fusion. I guess it may be because of my practice of driving a hydraulic steering for more than 7 years.
• Turning radius is smaller than Fusion. I am able to take turn easily in smaller roads. Gives lot more confidence to explore in unknown area.
• Superb gear ratio: I was able to manage all speed variation due to traffic disturbance without changing gears. I don’t know if this is because of 6 gear nature, but very comfortable to drive. Very soft clutch when compared to Fusion.
• Frank handles turning and driving in sharp curve roads very well, even at relatively higher speed. It is fun and effortless when compared to Fusion where I need drag the steering to main stability of the car. I guess this is intended features of VSM.
• Suspension is very good. Travelled with 5 well-built adults without major issue (albeit at relatively slow speeds)
• Breaking is very good and very sharp.
• Concerns

• After the U turn, the steering turns slowly to the normal or center position i.e., car makes slight curve in opposite direction; I need to alter my driving style.
• I am finding little discomfort in gearshift. Shifting is very smooth but I engage 3rd instead of 1st gear more often.

Exterior & Features

• Build quality is very good, sound & rigidity of the door gives comfort. Having used to Fusion (which is heavy built car (~1500 Kgs)), I am very much pleased with Frank’s build quality. I am not able to assess paint quality though.
• Exterior styling is very much comparable to Santa Fe and car appears very big from outside (of course inside as well). Most my friends & family felt the same.
• I love gorgeous 17’’ diamond cut alloy wheels and wowed everyone. Many people have asked if I have upgraded the wheel.
• Headlight is very stylish and I have seen benefit of cornering light while making the turns.
• Central locking control is not linked to the driver side door, i.e., even if, I unlock driver seat lock, central lock does not get unlocked. This helps to maintain all other doors locked when I step down for some reason. However, I struggle to unlock the central lock of doors using the button. I need to search for the button to unlock. I see positive and down side of this design. I don’t know what is intended.
• Reverse Camera shows very good visibility behind the car. I used to bring the car out of my home in reverse (I don’t do back-in due to laziness after hours of work). I usually bring 50% of car out and look for any approaching vehicles. Now, I am able to see approaching vehicles in the reverse camera unit, I found it very useful for me.
• Navigation unit – provides alert (“around the marking point”) when I come near my home (I marked home address) even when navigation is not in use. Don’t know if it’s intended behavior but surprised me. Also alert during corners is one of the settings in AVN. Sometime it alert saying “corner ahead”. Yet to read AVN manual.
• Concerns

• Sharkfin antenna does not gel with overall style and design flow. It appears added by me (I guess this is was referred as after-market fitment)
• It would been great if automatically folding OVRM during door lock feature is provided. I never use electronically folding button when I switch off. I need to practice to do that.
• Passenger side door unlock button on the handle is another feature that I am missing in Frank. When I parked Frank in home, as the walkway to home (from car) is on the passenger side of the car, If I forgot something & walked towards home, I need to come to driver side to open the door (Yes, I could use car key, I have started doing everything by keeping the car key in my packet. Frank already corrupted me)
• Boot opening button: securities struggle to open. I need to get out and help them at least in my wife’s office. This should be the case for all key-less vehicles isn’t it?

I am planning to shop for the below add-Ons – Don’t know what is feasible

• Jopasu duster and microfiber cloth (Already ordered)
• Car Charger (Already ordered)
• 3D floor mat
• Window roll back curtains (Sun shade)
• Speaker upgrade
• HID light upgrade for head lamp
• Roof 3M 1080 black sticker (can it be removed if I don’t like?)
• Electrically adjustable driver seat (is it feasible?)
• Height addition to second row seat (is it feasible?)

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Turbo_asd]

Congrats on the new ride sir! This is the fourth Creta ownership review!
Interestingly, 3 out of the 4 are white.

I would greatly appreciate more photos of both exteriors and interiors. Of course, there have been tons uploaded already, but I can't get enough of it.

Good luck with your planned mods. Eagerly waiting for them.

[sourav9385]

Originally Posted by vanchi_s

I am planning to shop for the below add-Ons – Don’t know what is feasible

• Jopasu duster and microfiber cloth (Already ordered)
• Car Charger (Already ordered)
• 3D floor mat
• Window roll back curtains (Sun shade)
• Speaker upgrade
• HID light upgrade for head lamp
• Roof 3M 1080 black sticker (can it be removed if I don’t like?)
• Electrically adjustable driver seat (is it feasible?)
• Height addition to second row seat (is it feasible?)

Congratulations on your new acquisition! The Creta looks brilliant in white!

Just curious, what prompted you to name your beautiful car Frankenstein

Regarding the mods you've planned, I've recently got my elite i20's roof wrapped with a glossy black vinyl from 3M.

Regarding mats, I'd recommend the 3M Nomad mats. They're excellent!

Check out the pics of the job on my thread.

The post with the pics are here.

I don't think it is feasible to put electrically adjustable seats as an accessory.

Perhaps you could look at adding some padded seat covers to increase the height of the second row seats?

Enjoy your car & drive safe!

[praveen_v]

Congrats on your new ride and a nice ownership report. Keep us posted with the accessory status and cost. And wishing you the best of times with your Frank!!

[naveen.raju]

Congrats on your new ride. More pictures please. Ownership thread is complete only with the pictures. . Enjoy your new ride and I am sure you will.

To answer some of your concerns.

1) Traction control is available. Check near the headlight level adjuster.



2) I am finding little discomfort in gearshift. Shifting is very smooth but I engage 3rd instead of 1st gear more often. - Yes, I make this mistake too.

3) Navigation unit – provides alert (“around the marking point”) when I come near my home (I marked home address) even when navigation is not in use. Don’t know if it’s intended behavior but surprised me. Also alert during corners is one of the settings in AVN. Sometime it alert saying “corner ahead”. Yet to read AVN manual. - Check Avi's thread. He suggested a way to overcome it. I havent tried it. As of now, I have just kept the navigation volume to mute since I dont use it in the local run.

4) Boot opening button: securities struggle to open. I need to get out and help them at least in my wife’s office. This should be the case for all key-less vehicles isn’t it? - You dont need to step out each time. When you reach for security check, just press the "unlock" button on the door. No need to fiddle with the key each time.

Interested in seeing your accessories. Kindly update me on the following. I am planning to get these too.
3D floor mat
Window roll back curtains (Sun shade)
HID light upgrade for head lamp

Keep the thread updated and enjoy your ride.

[RavenAvi]

Congratulations, Vanchi!

He's a beaut, and I am sure he will serve you and your family well in the days to come. Excellent post, detailing various aspects of the car from your point of view.

Originally Posted by vanchi_s

Gearshift to first gear often gets into 3rd (don't know if it is my problem)

Haven't had this problem even once. (Left Up is 1st, Straight Up is 3rd) Maybe it's just a matter of time before you get into the habit, I guess.

Originally Posted by vanchi_s

Missing few features – Both side door unlocking

Didn't get you there, pal.

Originally Posted by vanchi_s

Traction Control

It's present in the SX(O), like Naveen pointed out in his post above.

Originally Posted by vanchi_s

Yet to find the pattern for Air-recirculation button functioning: When I switch off AC, by clicking “OFF” button, to switch on the AC, I need to switch on AC by pressing circular button. At that time, Fan Auto will not be there. When I press auto, air circulation will switch off. I then need to switch on air recirculation. Not sure if this is intended behavior.

The FATC first blows in fresh air from outside to freshen up the cabin, and then starts about it's work to chill. But yes, Re-circulation mode needs to be selected by us only after a few minutes. A problem which might be rectified in the future by a software update, I guess.

Originally Posted by vanchi_s

Speakers are good but I am looking to upgrade the speakers.

Go for an all-component setup, if you can. Some excellent options in the JBL GTO series & the Infinity series will vy for your attention.

Originally Posted by vanchi_s

I struggled to lock the second row seat after folding it to flat position. I am getting near flatness and not perfect flat.

I struggled with this in the beginning as well. The trick is to snap the rear seat directly into the locked position with applying pressure directly on the locking top part of the seat.

Originally Posted by vanchi_s

Central locking control is not linked to the driver side door, i.e., even if, I unlock driver seat lock, central lock does not get unlocked. This helps to maintain all other doors locked when I step down for some reason. However, I struggle to unlock the central lock of doors using the button. I need to search for the button to unlock.

Central lock/unlock buttons are on the driver's door panel (top right). Easier to operate through that.

Originally Posted by vanchi_s

Navigation unit – provides alert (“around the marking point”) when I come near my home (I marked home address) even when navigation is not in use. Don’t know if it’s intended behavior but surprised me. Also alert during corners is one of the settings in AVN. Sometime it alert saying “corner ahead”. Yet to read AVN manual.

Go to the NAV settings, and delete the Routes. Problem solved. LINK

Originally Posted by vanchi_s

Boot opening button: securities struggle to open. I need to get out and help them at least in my wife’s office. This should be the case for all key-less vehicles isn’t it?

Best thing to do is hold your keyfob, stretch your hand outside the driver's door, and hold-press the boot release button.


Wish you plenty of happy, peaceful and contented (s)miles ahead with your wonderful steed!

[S2!!!]

Congratulations for your purchase.

Originally Posted by vanchi_s

[*]It would been great if automatically folding OVRM during door lock feature is provided. I never use electronically folding button when I switch off. I need to practice to do that.
[*]Passenger side door unlock button on the handle is another feature that I am missing in Frank.

It's a shame that Hyundai has skipped out these features (even when they're charging over 15 lakh for the higher variants). My Rs. 6 lakh Grand i10 is equipped with these (and it isn't even the top variant). It is only when you have these that you realize how convenient they actually are.

Originally Posted by vanchi_s

[*]Boot opening button: securities struggle to open. I need to get out and help them at least in my wife’s office. This should be the case for all key-less vehicles isn’t it?

As everyone else mentioned, the boot will lock / unlock each time you centrally lock / unlock the car from inside / outside. So as everyone else mentioned, just unlock the car from inside and the security guards will be able to lift the tail gate

A quick question: did you even consider the S-Cross? I found a lot of similarities between the Fusion and S-Cross especially the high speed manners. If you didn't like its looks then I understand, but it is a very competent car otherwise.

[BNM]

Congratulations Vanchi on your purchase. Safe driving. Today while I was driving to office, another white Creta drove up next to me and the owner waved to me - some sort of camaraderie amongst the proud Creta users I guess.
Have fun !

[karthick_b]

Congrats Mr. vanchi_s. Your Frankenstein looks very beautiful. Not sure why you named her Frankenstein though.

Please do share more pics of the interiors, especially the second row. You can show us the real time space when adjusted your seating arrangements.

Regarding the gearshift accidently thrown to 3rd gear, please try to give a firm push to the left, then move it towards the 1st gear position. It happened to us in the XUV too, but you will get used to it.

Happy motoring with your new ride.

[vanchi_s]

Sorry I could not respond immediately. Thanks to mods for considering my report for posting in our forum. I feel happy for making it live.

Originally Posted by Turbo_asd

Interestingly, 3 out of the 4 are white.
I would greatly appreciate more photos of both exteriors and interiors. Of course, there have been tons uploaded already, but I can't get enough of it.
Good luck with your planned mods. Eagerly waiting for them.

Thanks Turbo_asd, Creta appears very big in white and cladding & chrome looks best in white in my opinion. I will post more pictures in-line with my report. Yes, I am doing mods slowly as and when I get more time.

Originally Posted by sourav9385

Congratulations on your new acquisition! The Creta looks brilliant in white!
Just curious, what prompted you to name your beautiful car [i]Frankenstein

Thanks Sourav, after seeing RavenAvi thread, I started thinking about a name. White Monster came to mind immediately. When I searched for synonym for monster, I saw Frankenstein. I liked the way it sounds and hence went ahead with the name.

Originally Posted by sourav9385

Regarding the mods you've planned, I've recently got my elite i20's roof wrapped with a glossy black vinyl from 3M.
Regarding mats, I'd recommend the 3M Nomad mats. They're excellent!
Perhaps you could look at adding some padded seat covers to increase the height of the second row seats?

I am planning to make visit to 3M to check 3M Nomad mats as well. Your car looks fantastic. I saw that you have 3M CR70 sun film on windshield and front windows, will that catch traffic police eyes?
For second row, anything I do will impact 2nd row folding and may not get flat floor. I am thinking on what to do. But thanks for suggestion.

Originally Posted by praveen_v

Congrats on your new ride and a nice ownership report. Keep us posted with the accessory status and cost. And wishing you the best of times with your Frank!!

Thanks Praveen V, sure I will post the costs.

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

1) Traction control is available. Check near the headlight level adjuster.

Thanks Naveen.raju, I noticed Traction Control message. But as per Hyundai website features, lists only ESC, VSM and HAC. I am guessing that Santa Fe has traction control in addition to the above features. Hence I assumed that this is missing. Am I missing something here?

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Interested in seeing your accessories. Kindly update me on the following. I am planning to get these too.
3D floor mat
Window roll back curtains (Sun shade)
HID light upgrade for head lamp

Yes, I will share the details once I get accessories.

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Congratulations, Vanchi!
Didn't get you there, pal.

Thanks RavenAvi. You are have shared more news during launch timeline. Thanks for all the updates, it really helped during my car search. Regarding your question, I meant Passenger side front door handle don’t have unlock button. I will take picture and post later.

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Best thing to do is hold your keyfob, stretch your hand outside the driver's door, and hold-press the boot release button.

Thanks, I will try the suggestion.

Originally Posted by S2!!!

Congratulations for your purchase.
As everyone else mentioned, the boot will lock / unlock each time you centrally lock / unlock the car from inside / outside. So as everyone else mentioned, just unlock the car from inside and the security guards will be able to lift the tail gate

Thanks S2. I getting used to some of the features slows. I will explore more on central lock and other button usages.

Originally Posted by S2!!!

A quick question: did you even consider the S-Cross? I found a lot of similarities between the Fusion and S-Cross especially the high speed manners. If you didn't like its looks then I understand, but it is a very competent car otherwise.

Yes, I am not quite impressed with S-Cross looks, but I still don’t know why I didn’t test drive S-Cross at least once to see if the other aspects of S-Cross override the look factor, before making the buy call. But I am enjoying Frank and thrill is increasing each day.

Originally Posted by BNM

Congratulations Vanchi on your purchase. Safe driving. Today while I was driving to office, another white Creta drove up next to me and the owner waved to me - some sort of camaraderie amongst the proud Creta users I guess.

Thanks BNM, yes, I have experienced similar feeling, at least I am able to get eye-to-eye contact unless driven by driver.

Originally Posted by karthick_b

Congrats Mr. vanchi_s. Your Frankenstein looks very beautiful. Not sure why you named her Frankenstein though.
Regarding the gearshift accidently thrown to 3rd gear, please try to give a firm push to the left, then move it towards the 1st gear position. It happened to us in the XUV too, but you will get used to it.

Thanks Karthick, I explained earlier in my post, I will post more pictures.
Gearshift, I am thinking to do as you suggested in mind. But sometimes we change gear without consciousness and more by practice, at that time, I face this issue often.

[sourav9385]

Originally Posted by vanchi_s

I am planning to make visit to 3M to check 3M Nomad mats as well. Your car looks fantastic. I saw that you have 3M CR70 sun film on windshield and front windows, will that catch traffic police eyes?
For second row, anything I do will impact 2nd row folding and may not get flat floor. I am thinking on what to do. But thanks for suggestion.

You're most welcome.

The 3M CR70 is pretty much invisible to the naked eye, unless you're specifically looking for it and you already know how it looks like.

Besides, there are plenty of vehicles plying around with super dark tinted windows and not one po-po bats an eyelid.

So I think I'll be safe for now. Fingers crossed.

If you're hesitant to go for it, I do understand.
However, I can tell you that the 3M CR70 does work very well indeed in lowering the heat levels inside the car.

And, considering it's always sunny in Chennai, I'd like to think of it as a worthy investment, though slightly pricey!

[vanchi_s]

I have been thinking to update my thread with additional details like accessories, mileage and service cost. But my car is affected in recent Chennai flood and insurance made it 'Total Loss'. I had a pleasant drive and enjoyed for almost 3 months. Now I am back to my Ford Fusion. Mods, please close this thread.