[RavenAvi]

(Source)

"From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king..."

- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (1954).

Like every other parable in this vast journey we call life, this little story is also riddled with twists and turns. And it was aided in no small part by the six previous car ownerships and their experiences in the past 8 years.

Wait?

6 cars in 8 years?!

Am I crazy, one might ask.
No, I answer.
Not crazy, but unfortunate.
Because it has been the result of one, single bad decision which was made 6 years ago and which has led to a chain reaction of misfortunes thus far.

And, to add to it all, my hectic lifestyle finally caught up with me last year when a detailed MRI made my worst fears come true, and recently it has aggravated so badly that I fear I might be put on the shelf sooner rather than later. But, as they say, till the boat is afloat and sailing, one has to keep paddling. So, I continue the fight. With physical limitations and the bipolar conditions which has caught my brain's fancy recently.

Anyway, coming back to the chain of events which led me back to a car brand which I had swore off 3 years back.

May-June 2015 :- Really frustrated with the continuous issues plaguing my 2014 Honda City V MT i-DTEC. Honda India had well and truly taken the new-gen City "mainstream", and how. When the company questioned my issues and claims' validity, I had enough. Sold it off.

(Was this the one, single bad decision, you might ask? No. It was selling my 2012 City to "upgrade" to this 2014 City. If not for that one fateful decision, I would still be driving my Silver Pegasus today!)

21st July, 2015 :- The Hyundai Creta was launched in the Indian market for the first time with much fanfare. The car caught my fancy big-time, and a week later, on 28th July, 2015, I took home an SX MT petrol and called her Lazarus.

16th May, 2017 :- A blissful and trouble-free Hyundai ownership experience of nearly 2 years marred badly - the brakes failed at 90-ish speeds on the highway and I went off the road to save our lives - me and my mother's. The ABS had finally caught by then, but it was really, really late.

29th June, 2017 :- Got a fantastic, tempting offer from a huge fan of the car brand. Didn't think twice and let Lazarus go, as if I needed a bigger invitation. Also made me realise how good the resale value was for Hyundai brands.

August 2018 to now :- Upgraded to the Mahindra XUV500 which was affected with unsolved clutch + gear shift issues from the beginning, jumped ship to the Tata Nexon which underwent an unwanted & unwarranted comprehensive surgery in the name of a recall which was never issued for my car's VIN in the first place (this mess ended with plenty of Service Center fights, corporate video conference explanations, absolvement of all blame which the service staff had dumped on me, and permanent all-round bitterness in all local Tata relationships) which made me dump all the Tatas in our garage (Nexon, Tiago & Nano), and took ownership of the Ford EcoSport Trend MT petrol meanwhile which was a company-lease car given to me as a field tourer for my job promotion in Sales in July 2018.

In between, a silent enemy was slowly springing up like the Gmork from the Neverending Story who had relentlessly pursued Atreyu. That enemy was sacro-lumbar levoscoliosis - first effects felt in October 2018 and diagnosed through MRI with an 8-degree bent in March 2019. One of the main reasons why I reverted back from my promotion and let go of a potential corporate career in my life. Also, being an only child of rapidly ageing parents, I had to decide upon my priorities, and I chose family and health over a (possible future) budding career.

Driving the EcoSport became tougher and tougher, with our family doctors saying earlier this year that I should stop driving cars! I felt that a bigger, more spacious car would help my condition. Looked at the updated 170HP Tata Harrier 2.0 and booked it, only to cancel it later because of the kind of attitude I was subjected to by the local Tata dealership due to my previous bitter Nexon experience. In between, the world suddenly came to a Covid-19 standstill, wheels stopped rolling, and my condition worsened. Went over to Mahindra again for the XUV500 AT after getting positive feedback for the Aisin gearbox but my luck - no AT was launched in BS6 guise. Booked the MT because of the need of a big, spacious 7-seater due to parents' health getting worse and for which I was willing to overlook my own condition but, call it good or bad luck again, Mahindra struggled to deliver a car within their stipulated time and the delivery date & commitments kept leap-frogging by months!

Meanwhile, I had let go of my EcoSport Trend for a fantastic deal (bought at 9.4L OTR (8.25L ex-S) in 10/2018, sold for 7.50L in 06/2020 with ~11,500 kms on the ODO) in the first week of June and so I was without a car for nearly one and half months. Long discussions at home followed the non-availability of the XUV500, and then a collective decision was taken to defer the big 7/8 seater purchase by at least a year till the events around us became more "normal", and there were a few more options available. That brought us back to getting a car immediately for me - Automatic (which Dad & wife could drive too when the need/emergency arose), readily available in local dealerships and spacious enough for a family of 5. Out-of-city running was ruled out except for medical emergencies (we are skipping family functions & weddings since February 2020 due to the Covid situation), so the running wouldn't be more than 700-800 kilometers a month or maximum 10,000 kms a year, optimistically speaking.

I looked around. No more Marutis for us, Tata had ousted themselves from the equation, and that left Hyundai, Honda, Mahindra, Renault & Ford as local options. No Kia, Toyota, Jeep or Nissan present here.

Ford - The EcoSport had petrol AT options, but selling it off and buying it back again didn't make sense. A big question mark on the future of the local sub-dealership also didn't inspire much confidence.
Renault - The outdated Duster isn't appealing anymore. Not going for the Captur, even if you put a gun to my head. Plus, this is a sub-dealership which could disappear at any moment.
Honda - The WR-V is a great option. But, no AT. The 2020 City was another, but ingress/egress on a daily basis with a low-slung sedan would kill me.
Mahindra - Only option was the XUV300 AMT in diesel. Extremely limited boot space & lack of rear AC vents were big deal-breakers. Plus, running didn't warrant diesel and that too with the jerky AMT? No thanks.
Hyundai - ATs in the Venue, Verna & Creta. Verna being a low-slung sedan was crossed off. Venue was too cramped inside.

That left us with my 2017 nightmare.

All over again.

Not again?!

Surely!

This made me think - between July 2015 and June 2017, my first-gen Creta (Lazarus) didn't give me any cause for complaints except that one super-scary moment when the brakes (more specifically the ABS unit) failed. There was the problem of lack of pull in very steep ghat sections but I attributed that to my driving style which was too laid back and I ended up taking the engine off the boil many times. Lazarus never threw any tantrums like my earlier 2014 Honda City or the XUV500 or the 2018 Tata Nexon (which had the infamous sliding-back-to-neutral-from-3rd-gear problem while the car was on the move, and the steering wheel getting stuck/really hard when reversing + turning fully to any side).

And, all the positive feedback from contemporary owners of the Creta made me think of her again.

First pics of the all-new 2020 Creta started rolling on the net, and the all-new generation looked bloated from the front and back, as if someone had turned younger sister Venue into a full-sized hot-air balloon! I had been invited to the new-gen's launch in March 2020 at the local Shivnath Hyundai dealership, and had completely dismissed it back then.

Local launch on 17th March 2020.

But, over the past couple of months, the new Cretas started rolling around in my city which made me take close notice of the car again. The design when seen in person grows on you, although the rear is still an unforgivable mess in terms of design. Still, being a nearly de-facto choice for me, I started digging into improvements in braking (if any) made in the 2020 all-new generation.

Well-placed sources inside Hyundai reassured me that Hyundai has taken all the feedback regarding the braking issues and iffy ABS of the previous-gen Creta seriously and has thoroughly worked on them (our dedicated Team-BHP threads could have also contributed to this, I feel). A new ABS vendor has been lined up (possibly Bosch? Couldn't confirm till now) and the previous vendor had been dumped. I repeatedly questioned new-gen owners on Facebook, Youtube and made direct contact with many of them. The response was positive - most of them had crossed the 2,000 kms mark on their ODOs without a single braking issue. In fact, the braking is now linear and progressive, I am told.

Armed with the positivity of this feedback, I renewed my fascination with this feature-overload Korean compact SUV. I put a few calls casually to the local dealership, expecting a response in the negative and a waiting period of at least 2 months! The initial call did elicit the above-said response, and some other calls made to a few close sources weren't positive either. I was beginning to re-evaluate the choices in hand and possibly go back to MTs or the 2020 Honda City, when the phone rang.

A delivery truck was en-route with 2 automatics in tow - a petrol SX IVT in White and a diesel SX AT in Red! Although the IVT was allotted to some other customer, he wasn't prepared with the necessary finances and had asked for 15 days' time. I was offered this car, VIN was sent over, and I promptly booked it when I decoded the factory roll out date to 26th June 2020. The diesel SX AT was unavailable.

First glimpse!


The delivery truck reached on the afternoon of Sunday, 19th July, which was when I got to see our white steed for the first time. The front and sides had grown on me by now, but the rear was still unpalatable. A wash later, I checked out the car thoroughly and did the PDI. She passed all checks and was completely free of dents. Only thing which I didn't like at all was that she had come with JK shoes! Either way, I didn't have much choice here because it was either her, or at least 2-3 months waiting. With more lockdowns looming ahead and my lower back condition worsening by the day, I gave the green signal and returned home.

Now, where did the name come from, you might ask?

Later on that same Sunday evening, I was casually looking through my favourite Greek/Roman/Hindu mythologies and spaceship names from movies and other related stuff, searching for a suitable name for my new steed, when my little soon-to-be 8-year-old daughter and a fellow Marvel/X-Men fan walked over and said,"Let's name her Phoenix, Papa. My favourite superheroine!"

Of course, she was speaking about the Marvel character Jean Grey, a powerful telekinetic who is possessed by the Phoenix Force in the Dark Phoenix storyline/saga (which has inspired 2 Marvel films and some long comic-book story arcs).

Phoenix.

How apt.

The Creta has risen again from the ashes in which I had buried her permanently, previously. Possibly for good.

But, the Creta was reborn. In my life.

So be it.

She is christened Phoenix.

Which reminded me of Tolkien's immortal verse from his immortal fantasy story, quoted at the beginning of this post.

[RavenAvi]

Delivery Day - 20/07/2020:

I received a call from the dealership in the morning regarding online booking of a choice number on the Parivahan website, and they guided me through the entire process. It went smoothly and I was allotted the choice number within minutes.

Meanwhile, Phoenix was thoroughly washed and cleaned before being fitted with ribbons on all sides. I had left strict instructions that her complete sanitisation would be done after I reached there, in front of me. I had work to do at my office so reached the dealership by 4:30 PM with my little one and my Dad. Phoenix looked majestic in the center of the showroom, being saluted by an Elite i20, a Verna and a Grand i10 Nios standing in a line on one side, joined by a Santro and a Venue on the other side. The dealership had done an exemplary job in cleaning the interiors and exteriors. I had taken a nice little gift for Ritesh, the sales guy who was handling the entire delivery process. We also distributed sweets among the entire dealership staff, including the after sales service team.

"The moment!"


Complete Break-up for one Polar White Creta 1.5L SX IVT:

Ex-showroom = 14,94,000/-

RTO Charges = 1,36,810/-
TCS @ 0.75% = 11,205/-
Insurance Premium = 56,254/- (1+3 cover from Reliance, including Zero Dep)
Choice Number = 5,000/- (online from Parivahan website, done by me)
Fast Tag Charges = 500/-
Handling Charges = 3,000/- (not waived, billed with GST bifurcations by the company itself)
Anti-Rust Coat = 3,304/- (underbody from Jopasu Car Care, with 3 years warranty)

Grand Total = 17,10,073/-

Only freebie given = Mudflaps set. They politely excused from everything else I asked for.

I opted for the 5 years/50,000 kms standard warranty under Hyundai's new Wonder Warranty scheme. The 2020 Creta also comes with a 3-year Road-Side Assistance package, so that's covered as well. Service interval is at 10,000 kms/1 year whichever is earlier (except for the first formal one in 2 months), so it should be (hopefully) a fuss-free machine.

The insurance process was taking some time so delivery happened at around 6 PM, with bursting of twin confetti guns. Ritesh and my Dad accompanied us to the fuel station where we deposited our 5 liters fuel coupon for a refill, plus I filled up some more. The ride home was through a short jaunt of the highway and back through the main entrance of our city, so I got the chance to briefly stretch Phoenix's legs till a maximum speed of 60 kmph before entering city traffic again, till we reached home.

"See how she flanks almost the entire width of our garage!"



LIKES:

- Perfect size for an in-city 5-seater. Take her anywhere and park her anywhere. The smaller turning radius contributes to this ease of driving too. No issues.

- The super convenience of the AT!

- Crank up the engine by pressing the Start/Stop button and after a gentle roar, you are greeted with silence. Only if you have the window glasses down you will notice the soft thrumming of the 4 cylinders of the 1.5L petrol heart. Once the glasses are up, silence.

- Low-end pickup of the 1.5L MPi coupled with the IVT. Absolutely no lag. Haven't stretched her legs yet. This lady needs a good highway jaunt soon.

- The drives so far are as buttery smooth as silk ("makkhan", as they say). When did the gears shift, I keep wondering. Not felt even for one moment.

- No rubber band effect felt so far (up to 60 kmph inside the city), even after sudden dabs on the throttle. Hyundai has done a commendable job mating this IVT transmission with the 1.5L MPi engine.

- The firmed-up suspension is good at low speeds. Small bumps, potholes and speed-breakers are almost negligibly felt, but you feel them. Sudden and sharp speed-breakers or open potholes need slowing down. But the ride at in-city speeds is decent overall. Hasn't bottomed out or scraped even once so far. No corner carver this, but it doesn't throw you around in your seat either. Should be good at highway speeds, but yet to test this aspect.

- Brakes are good and inspire confidence, but it's still too early to tell. I am wary of this aspect, and will need a good number of kilometers under Phoenix's belt to bring a change in my view on this particular aspect. Let's hope she rises to this test in the days to come.

- Absolutely no tyre noise inside the cabin, even with the window glasses down. Yet to test this on highway speeds.

- Very comfortable to drive inside the city limits. The easy steering coupled with the smooth IVT ensures there is absolutely no fatigue at the end of each journey.

- Handling is quite predictable. Road manners have improved immensely. The Creta holds it's line very well and never for once loses it's composure.

- The UX Royales are decently grippy. Under wet/muddy conditions, they have kept things sane. Out of 10, I would give them a 7.

- FE numbers for her first drive from the dealership to home stood at 14.8 kmpl. Subsequent in-city drives have hovered around the 12 kmpl mark. This car is quite fuel-efficient! If driven better and with a more opened-up engine, I am confident she will give beyond 15 kmpl which would be great for a 1.5L Naturally Aspirated petrol engine mated to a 7-step IVT transmission.

- The Electric Parking Brake makes things so easy. Even if you forget to disengage it first thing in the morning, it disengages itself when D or R mode is selected and you dab on the throttle to move forward or backwards. Come back to a standstill anywhere, shut off the engine, slot back to P and it re-engages itself again.

- I am totally addicted to the Auto Hold button now. It is immensely helpful in start-stop traffic and whenever I have to do a quick stop. I engage it immediately after I start moving out from our garage, and have made a habit of shifting to N-Neutral whenever I come to a short halt. It engages itself as soon as vehicle speed is 0 (indicated by it's white marker turning green). Need to start moving again? Shift back to D-Drive and just dab on the A-pedal! (Note - Auto Hold needs to be enabled every time you shut off and restart the engine).

- Quirky looks ensure people turn back to look at her when she's running on the roads. Maybe it's the "unique" styling or design, or maybe the onlookers are thinking that the owner needs to get his/her brains checked for selecting and buying such a "looker".

- Features, more features and then some more features! It seems like I keep finding a new feature every day. Unlike the SX variant of the newly launched 2015 Creta, the new-gen SX is loaded to the gills! Add a few more which are exclusive to the AT, and the car ups the desirable factor by plenty of considerable notches. Just take a look:

• panoramic sunroof,
• Traction Control modes,
• Drive modes,
• paddle shifters,
• Electric Parking Brake,
• Auto Hold,
• in-cabin air purifier,
• trio-beam all LED headlamps with Auto & Follow-Me-Home functions,
• LED taillamps + LED DRLs,
• all-disc brakes,
• Electronic Stability Control,
• Vehicle Stability Management,
• Hill Start Assist control,
• reverse camera with dynamic adaptive guidelines,
• Emergency Stop Signal,
• puddle lamps on ORVMs,
• auto headlamps,
• Blue in-cabin ambient lighting,
• leather wrapped steering wheel,
• leather wrapped armrest,
• separate headrest cushions,
• D-cut steering wheel,
• cruise control,
• smartphone wireless charging,
• all LED in-cabin lights including separate reading lamps for rear passengers,
• huge rear armrest for 2 persons with cupholders,
• USB charger ports in front and rear,
• rear AC vents,
• 2-step recline adjustment for rear seats,
• a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System,
• a huge and fast 10.25 inch touchscreen HU supporting Android Auto AND Apple Carplay,
• Bluelink for smartphones & smartwatches..phew!

And it is not even the top variant!!

- Build quality both inside and out is absolutely top-notch. No two opinions on this - the Creta makes you feel that you are owning a luxurious and premium compact SUV. (huge addition to the feel-good factor)

- Fit and finish of the body panels and the plastic sections is A+. You will be hard-pressed to find a single misaligned section anywhere on the car. The dashboard feels premium to the touch.

- The panoramic sunroof makes people go W-O-W! Make no mistake, this is one feature which is ensuring that the Creta is selling in truckloads. Such a feature in a sub-14 lakh car (the petrol SX MT retails at 13.46 lakhs ex-showroom) is unheard of!

- No compromise on safety features - the Creta SX gets almost all of them which are offered in the SX(O), except for 4 more airbags. Must-haves like Stability Control (ESC & VSM), Hill-start Assist, Rear discs, ISOFIX anchors, etc. all add immense value.

- Paint quality of the age-old Polar White shade feels good. Not sure how long-lasting it will be, though.

- The driver's seat is the place to be - with adequate lumbar and back support and gentle cushioned sides which hold you in place. More than decent thigh-support as well. I am heavy, mind you, and the seat snuggles around all 88 kilos of my heftiness.

- Fairly spacious from all sides, shoulder-room, headroom & legroom-wise.

- Excellent view of the road ahead from the driver's seat for a tall 6'0" fellow like me.

- Quality of materials used for the seats feels premium and long-lasting.

- Ergonomics are spot-on. All controls fall easily to hand (no stretching whatsoever).

- All buttons - steering-mounted controls, the HU's physical ones, ACC controls, Traction/Drive knob, EPB, Auto Hold, buttons on all doors - all exude top quality.

- Analogue dials complimented by a semi-detailed MID in the speedometer. Just the way I prefer in my cars.

- A very useful dead pedal provided. Most cars in the segment just don't bother. (just ask Honda!)

- Storage spaces abound throughout the cabin. You can go on a long vacation in this car, if you want to.

- The touchscreen HU is angled towards the driver, which makes it easier to read and use. Touch response is too good. It is quite zippy to respond, once the USB drives are fully loaded. (it takes a few seconds to initialise music from big 32GB USB drives, though)

- The Automatic Climate Control is superfast in cooling. Most effective even when the panoramic sunroof is open.

- The rear seat is the place to be, with all-round roominess to the maximum. The 2-step recline + huge rear armrest + huge parcel tray only adds to the practicality and comfort. 2 passengers at the rear will feel great, while a 3rd won't be an unwelcome addition.

- Huge and practical boot space for dumping plenty of weekend luggage.

- The horn is still L-O-U-D! People turn around annoyingly when you get too close to them and honk. (don't try this at your city!)

- Wonder Warranty package ensures there's one for every customer - high running gets 3 years/Unlimited kms and low runners can opt for 5 years/50,000 kms.

- 3 years' standard Roadside Assistance bundled in the package too. For that extra peace of mind.


DISLIKES:

- That atrocious front grille! Design team started with the idea of copy/pasting the Venue's front into the Creta? Bet they made some very easy money.

- The stretched silver garnish from the C-Pillar towards the top of the driver door. Complete mismatch. Why couldn't they just make it piano-black or just plain black?

- The terrible, terrible rear! The HMSL shifted into the black garnish connecting the two trapezoidal tail lamps, the garishly huge "CRETA" badge, the rounded design - really, what was the designer team smoking when they sketched this monstrosity on their laptops/touchpads?

- The steering wheel has acquired some artificial weight over the earlier generation Creta, which was simply too light. Still, there is no feedback from it. The EcoSport's & Tiago's steering is at least a league above in this regard.

- Rough roads and potholes affect the Creta's composure a bit. You cannot zip across them like a Hexa or a Duster.

- Silent feature deletions - cornering lamps, DRLs doubling up as turn indicators, smart key band, sliding front armrest, mood change bar, luggage net, coat hooks on grab handles, etc., spoil the experience of owning a true-blue loaded car.

- Boring & busy alloy design for the SX. It can be painted in dual-tone shades to make it more exciting and liveable but honestly, why should one bother?

- JK Tyres on a car costing 17+ lakhs on road. Well..?!

- Gear shifting requires a slight effort, moving all the way from P to D (since we need to lift the knob on the underside of the gear lever to move from P-Park to R-Reverse & vice versa).

- Off-white colour palette for the central part of the seats, dashboard and the door rest points will be a challenge to maintain in long-term usage.

- Hard plastics at some places which a keen enthusiast will spot immediately. Not cool.

- No backlit buttons (except driver window glass switch) in such a pricey car. Are occupants supposed to fumble in the dark for their switches?

- The Climate Control panel. Borrowed from cars at least 2 segments below. This deflates the interior's ambience which exudes premium-ness from every nook and cranny.

- The steering wheel should have been one size bigger.

- For all the features it comes with, there is still no telescopic adjustment for the steering wheel. It's the smaller things, really.

- The IRVM is still too small to be of any real use. Also, manual day-night adjustment in a 15-lakh car? Come on, Hyundai!

- The glovebox is small to be of any good, practical, everyday use. Owners in this segment are used to dual gloveboxes like in the XUV500, or separate storage spaces above the normal glovebox.

- Only a single vanity mirror provided (in the passenger sunvisor), that too without a lid or a light. Ugh!

- No rain-sensing auto wipers present. The XUV500 W7 MT (at 14.18 lakhs ex-showroom) gets it.

- Output from the stock Arkamys setup needs to be improved. Tata provides better sounding JBL setups in cars costing half of what Hyundai is charging for the Creta.

- Sometimes the HU reverts to playing the radio at startup, with the current song from the USB starting to play suddenly a few seconds later. Gets annoying.

- The HU gets cranky once in every blue moon. Couple days earlier, it couldn't read some of the folders in one of my USB drives. Shutting off and restarting didn't help either. Once it couldn't read the USB drive at all - the radio kept on playing until I unplugged the drive and plugged it back in!

- No headrest for the 3rd passenger at the rear. Not even a faux one.

- Missing rear fog lamps, which is quite an useful feature for those residing in the hills.

- One size lower tyre provided as the 5th (spare) wheel. Not useful in the long run.

- Rear windshield doesn't have a sunshade/sunblind section, while other in-segment competitors get it. A miss, again.

- Ultra-heavy bonnet lid doesn't get even one gas-powered strut to prop it up. Cumbersome and a chore every time.

- Fuel tank size has been reduced to 50 liters (earlier-gen Creta came with a 55-liter tank).

- Atrociously priced for a C2-segment offering. Top variants are in D-segment territory!

A pictorial of the 2020 Hyundai Creta

The longer wheelbase (up by 20mm), length (up by 30mm) and width (up by 10mm) has translated to a slightly wider, more spacious cabin, when compared to the previous-gen Creta. Some clever interior & engine compartment design has also contributed graciously to this. Of course, in it's Polar White shade, the Creta looks much larger than it is, aided in no small part by it's B-I-G grille up front. My family keeps commenting on how huge the Creta has grown! I have to admit that it's slightly larger dimensions all around is making me do a bit of careful maneuvering when entering/exiting our garage, while this wasn't an issue with our older Creta.

The overall height has gone down by 30mm, though. Should translate to a more pliant riding experience, but will it? We shall know in the days to come.

I am sure our fabulous Mod team will do an exemplary job when they finally get their hands on the 2020 Creta for a full-blown, in-depth official review.

Till that is out, here is my humble effort at a guide.

Notice the bulbous contours? The two creases on the bonnet make the car look muscular.
Venue-esque grille is too big and too blingy. Will be doing a wrap on this soon.
Skid plate is subtle in dark-silver shade.
Dual horns are well-hidden.


Similar side silhouette to the older-gen. Looks fab from this angle.
That said, I hate that silver garnish from the C-pillar to the top of the driver door. Will get it wrapped.
Rounded out front & rear ends makes you think - an SUV borrowing design cues from a coupe?!
Also note the complete absence of any protection from the front and rear bumpers.


Unpalatable rear - Hyundai's fascination for the trapezoidal design can only go as far.
Also, whoever at Hyundai thought of this HMSL contraption needs to be shot! The most disappointing mismatch in the history of car design?
More straighter, Polo-ish tail lamp sections + a conventionally placed HMSL could have made it very cool.
Note the big C-R-E-T-A branded chrome badge dominating the center + the very useful rear wiper.


Rear two-thirds. Slightly better.
Shark-fin antenna provided.
Notice the very prominent rear spoiler? The High Mounted Stop Lamp (HMSL) wouldn't have looked out of place here.
If Hyundai designers wanted their car to stand out in a crowd, they sure as hell succeeded!


Front two-thirds.
The best view of the 2020 Creta IMO, other than the side view.

The panels are built solidly and the car passed the thumb test.
Panel gaps are consistent, with shut lines being just that - shut.


I love the trio-beam LED headlamps. Comes with Auto & follow-me-home functions too!
There is sufficient illumination of the road ahead in both low (upper 2) and high (lower 1) beams, and they are aided well by the glow of the crescent-shaped LED DRLs.
No cornering lamps present, however. Silently deleted by Hyundai.


Notice the hexagonal detailing in the black reflective part of the headlamp housing?
Neat attention to detail.


The fog lamp section houses the turn indicators. Placed lower than ideal.
Hyundai should have integrated turn signals with the DRLs - would have added to the WOW-factor and made the Creta feel more premium.
Also notice the air dam on the extreme right, for passage of air flow from the front.


Car is shod with JK Tyre UX Royales (215/60/R17) manufactured in the 24th week of 2020, on 10-spoke "Clean Silver" alloys.
A thankful change from the Goodyears most of my earlier cars came with.
The ones on the SX(O) have the same pattern and are just painted in silver-black for the dual-tone, "Diamond Cut" effect.
The Creta SX gets all 4 disc brakes too!


Partial wheel-well claddings.
The black coating is the underbody Anti-Rust by Jopasu, which I have opted for.


No indication is given anywhere on the Creta about the kind of transmission it is carrying inside,
except for this small badge on the driver side.


Long wiper blades ensure a much bigger cleaning sweep of the front windshield.
Spray jets are hidden below the bonnet line, out of sight.


The piece-de-resistance of the 2020 Creta - the panoramic sunroof is a sight to behold!
Be it day or night, it adds a completely different atmosphere to the cabin.
The UV glass keeps the stern heat of the sun out quite effectively.
My little one just can't get enough of it.
Roof rails are for aesthetic purposes only. Form over (no) function.


The tail lamp section's detailing - looks absolutely terrific at night.
The LEDs light up by default with the headlamps, while the 3 lights inside come on every time when the brakes are pressed.
If only they were designed in a more squarish shape.


Rear reflector housing also has the reversing lights on both sides.
Rear fog lamps are absent.
Also notice one of the four reverse sensors in this pic.


The area below the huge C-R-E-T-A chrome badging houses the reverse camera,
an electric, soft-touch button for opening the boot lid and a pair of license plate lights.


Trunk lid is quite heavy but thankfully it comes with struts on both sides.
Also visible here are the defogger element lines on the rear windshield.


XXL-sized rear parcel tray with 3 useful recesses.
Things placed here won't be thrown/sliding all over when the car is in motion.


Boot space has grown by 33 liters (433L > 400L) over the previous-gen.
Extremely useful, despite the slightly intruding wheel wells.


Storage pockets on both sides of the boot space - left one houses the boot light while the right one has a hook for small bags.


5th (spare) is a steel rim, ridden with a lower specc'd 205/65/R16 Apollo Alnac 4G tyre.


The least Hyundai could have done is given a spare tyre in the same default size. Note the differences:

(Source)

Bonnet is heavy as hell and needs some heft to be lifted.
It should have had struts to prop it up on both sides, or at least one side.
Under hood insulation present (absent in my earlier gen Creta).


The BS6 1.5L MPi heart which also powers the Kia Seltos.
Battery is from Amaron (maintenance-free).
Notice all the empty space on the left and in front? A 2.0L engine wouldn't be out of place here!


The MPi is well-insulated from behind.
I couldn't see any shared parts from Kia-Hyundai's common bin.


The ORVMs are sufficiently wide and provide an unrestricted view of the happenings at the rear.
Welcoming function also provided. (opening outwards when the Creta is unlocked and closing inwards when the lock button is pressed)
The outer cover also houses the turn indicator bars and..


..also comes with entry-assist puddle lamps!

(Continued...)

[RavenAvi]

The driver door houses the door control panels, door handle and lock, a speaker section and a tweeter above.
Note the off-white plastic sections, specially where your right arm would be resting on a long cruise.
Ample storage space given for a 1 liter bottle + snacks/mags/papers.


Driver door control panel.
The switch to toggle between the left and right ORVMs looks a generation old!
Driver-side window also comes with Auto Up/Down functionality + anti-pinch function.
Cost cutting = only the driver window switch is backlit!

The plastics feel smooth to the touch for the most part of the cabin, unlike the hard plastics of the earlier generation.
Faux stitching design for the added plushness. The dashboard's central portion, however, feels hard to the touch.
Overall, it adds to the premiumness most modern Hyundai interiors have come to be well known for.
Bummer = the SX variant comes with just dual airbags. Hyundai should have provided at least 4 for the $$s charged!

The view from the driver's seat for a person of my 6'0" height.
Front visibility is good, with both edges of the bonnet seen.
The cowl does an excellent job of masking the sun from the MID.

The A-Pillar doesn't block visibility much and is of minimal bother while taking an U-turn.


The leather-wrapped steering wheel is one size lesser than ideal for me.
Hyundai has tried to make it sporty with the bottom D-cut which also aids in sliding into the driver's seat, but a slightly larger steering wheel would have complimented the cabin ambience & feel much better.
Comes with thumb contours and two silver spokes. Horn pad is excellent, and the horn is quite loud.
Also make a note of the paddle shifters on either side.


Steering wheel is equipped with Tilt function only. Decent range.
Telescopic adjustment is sorely missed.


The steering-mounted buttons feel tactile and direct in their feedback and are built to last.
Voice Commands, Audio Modes & buttons to pick up/disconnect phone calls, switches to increase/lower the volume (press to MUTE) & to toggle between previous and next songs are on the left, while the button for the MID display, toggling up and down through the menus, Cruise Control, Increase/decrease Cruise speeds, Pause/Reset the Cruise Control & the select "OK" button are on the right.
Also, the MUTE button works by muting AND pausing the current song - prefer this setting.


Front & Rear wiper settings on the left lever, while the headlamp & front foglamp switches are on the right.
Headlamps get the AUTO function, but Auto (rain-sensing) wipers are still missing.


Press this Start/Stop button on the right of the Steering wheel to start/shut off the engine.
Don't touch the button on the right (Traction Control). Leave it ON always.
Next to it is the Headlamp leveling roller.


The Creta starts with a full systems check when the Start/Stop button is pressed twice (press once to enter "Accessory" mode).
Clear Analogue dials for the Speedo, Tacho, Fuel levels & Engine Temperature - love it! (I am old school).


The small MID in the center relays all information quite clearly and legibly.
Clockwise - Accessory mode, startup screen, ready for ignition displaying the last FE numbers, comprehensive information, current drive information updating on the go when the car is in motion, speedo only, Mode button toggle to the Compass display, and a final summary of the current drive before shutdown & exit.


The 7-step IVT (Intelligent/Infinitely Variable Transmission) with infinite gears.
From top - Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive & Sport (Manual).
"+" for climbing up the gears, "-" for coming down.
On the right, from top - the Drive Modes/Traction Control Modes knob, the Electric Parking Brake, the Auto Hold button and a button to display the view from the Reverse Camera in the Head Unit.


The closest thing you will get to a 4WD/AWD system in the Creta - this knurled rotary knob engages the Drive Modes (press the button and rotate knob to left to the desired setting and leave it for a second), OR the Traction Control Modes (press the button again and rotate knob to the right and repeat as above).
Drive Modes = Comfort (balanced), Eco (best FE) & Sport (best performance).
Traction Control Modes = Snow, Mud & Sand. Self-explanatory.
Mind you, the Creta is still very much a 2WD.


Pull this knob up to engage R (Reverse).
Without pulling this up, the lever will refuse to slot out of P (Park).


The storage space in front of the transmission constitutes of a 12V/180W socket, a regular USB port, a charging USB port, and a space to charge your phone wirelessly (if your smartphone supports it).


The ACC panel's display is a big sore point of the Creta.
Seems like it was borrowed from lower variants of the current-gen i20, which will be replaced in a month!
Cars from a segment lower (read: Venue) get better-looking ACC panels.
I guess Hyundai had to cut costs somewhere to keep the pricing acceptable (not like it was sane in the first place!).
No issues in chilling the cabin within minutes though, even with the sunroof's inner lid open during noon time!


The huge 10.25-inch touchscreen Head Unit is divided into 3 display sections - the NAV map displaying the car's current location as a blue arrow inside a circle, the current music source & a Compass showing the car location's longitude, latitude & altitude from sea level.
On top - Menu, the Air Quality Index (AQI inside the cabin), time and Bluelink connectivity, in that order.
Sound quality from the Arkamys setup (4 speakers + 2 tweeters) is decent for casual listeners - audiophiles will be fussy and disappointed.
I shall cover the detailed functions of the HU in a separate post.


Two types of front AC vents in the Creta - the one on the left is above the HU on top of the center console, while the one on the right is on either side of the dashboard for the driver and the front passenger.
Vents are adjustable for top/bottom and left/right directions.
No option to fully shut them off.


The A & B pedals. Lots of free space to the left of the brake pedal.
The dead pedal is decent. Finally the left leg can have a much-deserving rest!


Pull this lever on the right of the A-pedal towards you to open the bonnet to access the engine compartment.


The fuse box, OBD port and relays section is behind this lid, just below the Start/Stop button on the right of the steering wheel.


The glove box is narrow and has limited usage but (thankfully) comes with cooling function.
Come on, Hyundai! Your Creta customers demand bigger boxes!


The roof-mounted panel has a pair of LED map lights, their buttons (right-doors open/left-always on, with theater dimming effect)
and a central toggle button to operate the sunroof.
Press back with a short action to open the inner lid only, or press longer to open the sunroof fully.
Press forward to close it with the same actions as above.
Look closely and you can spot the Bluetooth microphone just below the driver side map light.
Sunglass holder provided in front.


IRVM has manual adjustment for day/night modes?!
Visibility is limited and is hampered by the thick C-pillars.
Comes with 3 handy buttons - a red SOS button to call for for instant help, an RSA button for a towing call, and a Bluelink button.


Passenger side sun visor comes with a vanity mirror and an airbag warning sticker, but the driver side visor has to make do with a ticket holding strap only.


The lver to open the fuel tank lid is on the floor below the driver seat.
Fit for a budget hatchback half the price of the Creta!
Also note the anti-skid hook provided for in-cabin mats.


Finally, a driver's seat with much-needed, semi-decent lower back lumbar support!
My bad back and left leg are thanking me now.
Nicely contoured 6-way adjustable seats with decent side/thigh bolstering and adjustable headrests.
Off-white colour palette in the center - seat covers are a must!
Also note the leather-wrapped driver armrest on the right. Although fixed, it is more than useful for a tall fellow like me.

(Continued...)

[RavenAvi]

A bird's eye view of the central console. Not having a physical handbrake is a boon and liberates a lot of space.
The armrest proper is equipped with the in-cabin air purifier unit, with a display of the current AQI and settings for the rear passengers.
Armrest, though fixed, is quite useful and well-placed.
(Note - Hyundai has stopped supplying the trashcans in new cars. Ritesh put one in for me - thoughtful gesture by the lad.)


The in-cabin air purifier display. Fully controlled by the Head Unit display.
(Mode = Auto/Turbo/Normal, Lock = locks the display of the air purifier seen on the left pic, Rear Screen = toggle the display ON or OFF, Filter = check how many hours are left before the purifier filter is to be changed)
Also, you can toggle between Dust purifying or In-cabin perfume for in-cabin settings.
Note the leather wrap and stitching on the armrest - a neat premium touch.



The in-cabin air purifier unit eats into some storage space on the underside of the armrest's lid.
Also seen is the forward-facing exhaust vent for purified air on the top, between the two protrusions.
(the rear-facing one is just below the digital display, placed on the other end of the armrest)
Also check out the actual storage space inside. No cooling function provided here.


Rear doors now come with sunblinds. (the rear windshield doesn't get a sunblind/curtain, however)
They house a power window button, storage spaces for maps/mobiles/papers, the rear speaker and a 1 liter bottle.
Window glasses roll all the way down.
Fit and finish are top notch.


Note the detailing of the speaker housing.
The Creta also gets steel scuff plates on all doors. Longer ones up front.
Please excuse all the dirt - it's been raining cats and dogs here!


Rear seats come with 60:40 tumbling capacity and are also equipped with separate "Creta"-branded cushions on the headrests. Very comfy for the rear passengers.
No headrest provided for the 5th passenger though. (a subtle one was given in earlier-gen)
Seats also have recline-adjustment in 2 steps.
Dedicated slots on door jambs for tucking the seatbelts away when not in use.
(Apologies for not removing the plastics till seat covers are installed - not taking any chances due to the COVID situation + my field duties)


XXL-sized rear armrest with cupholders.
Wide enough for both passengers on either side to use it to rest their arms.


ISOFIX mount points on the rear right passenger's seat.


Both front seats are equipped with seat back pockets - extra storage options for the rear passengers.


The rear ACC section has separate adjustable vents for both rear passengers.
It also comes with a nifty pocket to stow away the phone, while it's being charged by an USB charging socket on it's side.
Also seen here is the purified air exhaust vent on the very top, from the in-cabin air purifier.


Floor hump makes itself noticeable, although it shouldn't affect the 5th passenger much.


With the driver's seat adjusted to my comfort (I am 6'0"), I have ample legroom at my disposal here.
The Creta's rear seat is a very comfortable place to be in.


Each rear passenger gets a personal LED reading light with an ON/OFF switch inside the grab handle section.
And, foldable grab handles! Yes. Really!


Blue Ambient lighting makes the car look cool during the night.
Would have preferred these ambient lights in the footwells too.


We have seen the 3-part touchscreen default display of the head unit's Home screen.
These are all the options you get by swapping once towards the right from the Home screen.
In addition, you can customise any 1 of the 3 default Home screens and also swap it with a Clock widget.


Complete list of voice commands for the HU.
Either press the "Speak" button on the steering followed by speaking the respective command, or just say "Hello Bluelink" followed by your chosen voice command.
Words highlighted in Blue are keywords.
(CLICK on the pic to *OPEN* in a NEW window)


Pressing the "Home Screen" option in the lowest pic (Advanced settings) takes you to customisation options shown in the top pic for the Home screen icons.
Enter the "Settings" option to customise Settings related to the vehicle, navigation, phone, Bluelink, Advanced settings, General, sound, display & to set up Voice Recognition.
You can also assign a custom function to the "Star" button just below the HU. (2nd from left in the HU's physical button array)


Steering mounted MODE button can be customised to show/hide the following options.
One can also customise the split screen display by showing/hiding the widgets.


Changes in media sources will be notified if the option is enabled, you can import/export your Address Book if it is stored in your USB, and you can opt for a permanent view from your reverse camera, too!


Phone settings menu takes you to phone connections made with the HU through Bluetooth, details about vehicle name & the passkey, and an option to revert to the Default settings.
You can add new Bluetooth devices or remove older ones.
You can also customise your vehicle's name here and provide it with a custom passkey.


The HU supports both Android Auto AND Apple CarPlay.


The map can be altered to show either 2D or 3D views.
Points of Interest (POIs) include Hyundai touchpoints, too.
Navigation volume & priority can be adjusted from here too.


Under Map Settings, you have options to change the colour theme, display & view of the map shown.
You can also change the vehicle symbol (default is blue arrow inside a circle).
Guidance settings takes you to the previous destination (if enabled) and the speed limit menu (if opted & customised).
Under Route, you can opt for a Multi-route plan to your chosen destination, which helps in choosing the shortest distance or the route with less traffic, to your place.


The Reset menu will revert all Navi settings to default, shows the current software & map data versions, and you can also check out the satellites in orbit which are currently connected and used by your Creta. Neat!


The USB section for playing Music looks like this - Sort by File/Artist/Song/Album or Recently Added, scroll through the folders, or just "Play All".
Touch on the "Menu" to access Sources, songs for a particular artist/album, access the Sound Settings, or check the Split screen box.
"Media Sources" brings you to the sources where your songs are stored.


Under Sound settings, you can adjust the Fader & Balance settings, adjust the various volume levels, and also adjust the Phone projection volume levels for Android Auto & Apple CarPlay.


Equaliser settings. I keep them nearly maxed but the output is strictly average.
Options for Volume Ratios & Navigation volume can also be adjusted from here.


Speed dependent volume control can be accessed from Advanced Sound settings.
Arkamys Sound Mood is more of a gimmick than a real help: Natural doesn't help, Lounge adds artificial effect, and Live is too loud. Only the "Club" setting is decent, with low-ends and mids sounding better.
Overall, liveable, but not great.
A good help is the Automatic Volume Controller, which saves you from too low/too high - sounding soundtracks and constant fiddling with the Volume switch.

Advantage SX(O), over the SX: (for paying ~1.40 lakhs extra, one gets)

• Side and curtain airbags (must have),
• Electro-chromic mirror (must have),
• Height adjustable front seatbelts (must have),
• Lane change indicator flash adjustment,
• Diamond-cut alloys,
• Grey & Black leather seats upholstery,
• Door armrest in leather,
• Fully digital MID & Speedo,
• Highline TPMS (must have),
• Front ventilated seats,
• 8-way powered driver's seat,
• MT remote start,
• Bose sound system,
• Front central speaker,
• Subwoofer.

My initial impressions over the past 7 days and running of close to 100 kms:

My daily drive is ~10 kms to my office and back, with an in-city run for essentials every 2nd or 3rd day. I accumulate around 600 kms running in a month overall, mostly by in-city runs. The decently powered 1.5L NA petrol coupled with the smoothest AT transmission (IVT) in existence has become a real boon for me now.

Granted that it seems like a downgrade from the 1.5L Dragon heart of my 2018 EcoSport (8PS & 6Nm less), but let me tell you that that Ford crown jewel is in a different league altogether. One of the best NA petrols I have ever driven in my life - period. Not many can come close to the Dragon in the sub-15 lakh segments in terms of response and performance, not even the famed i-VTECs (apologies to all Honda fans).

If only Ford had an offering in the Creta/Seltos/Duster segment.

This 1.5L, naturally aspirated, inline 4-cylinder, "Smartstream G1.5" engine under the hood (shared with the Kia Seltos) is neither a tarmac scorcher like it's 1.4L Turbo sibling, and nor is it a torque builder like it's 1.5L diesel half-brother. But what it has is linear power delivery, oodles of smoothness, and gradual build of power (peaking at 6,300RPM) and torque (peaking at 4,500RPM) - the perfect ingredients and a recipe tailor-made for a laid back driver. Mated perfectly to the 7-stepped IVT transmission (intelligent CVT, in Kia/Hyundai jargon), the engine is a gem. Just put the gear lever on D, lean back in the driver's seat, relax and forget everything else. (Haven't yet got the chance to test the manual mode (S) yet)

The high-seating and commanding driving position of an SUV aids in fantastic visibility in all directions. Even the A-pillars are not of much bother in the Creta, unlike some other cars which have such thick ones they hide an entire car behind them! Most of the controls are steering mounted so removing the hand from the steering wheel only happens when you have to shift from D to N/R/P. Else both hands stay firmly on the steering all the time. The MID displays exact and accurate info and is also reminding you of the real-time FE figure which constantly updates itself according to the fluctuating/rising bar just below it - you can make it a tool for driving more economically and keeping your speeds around the 40 kmph mark, which is actually the most ideal speed to extract the best FE figures out of the engine.

Performance inside the city is good enough for casual driving. This car is meant to be driven in a relaxed manner, and laid-back drivers such as myself will appreciate it. Except for the no-feedback steering wheel, the car is very neutral in it's driving mannerisms. No turbo lag felt at all, from teeing off first thing in the morning. It does take a quarter of a second to pick up when the A-pedal is dabbed with the Auto Hold enabled, but that's more to do with the auto brake releasing itself. The engine is silky smooth and extremely silent.

NVH levels are outstanding. Engine starts off with an audible thrum and then settles down to a really low beat after idling for around 20-25 seconds. No vibrations are felt inside the cabin or through the two pedals in the footwell. No tyre/road noise intrudes into the cabin either. But there is some traffic noise coming in from the (relatively) thinner door windows when the Creta is on the move. It's not a completely detached-from-the-rest-of-the-world cabin, for sure.

The suspension at low speeds reminds you of the things which are on the road's surface and have passed under your Creta's wheels, whether they be soft thuds or hard. They are not of much bother. On higher speeds, the ride quality is plush. You don't feel like the suspension is working overtime or sweating it to keep you snug. Overall, it's pretty good.

Handling is very predictable and neutral. No hidden or sudden surprises from the Creta yet. A point, drive and reach no-fuss car. Superb for commuting from point A to point B. Stability is excellent in a straight line. Body roll is nearly non-existent, except for that really sharp pothole or breaker which you fail to notice till the last moment, or when swaying suddenly away from hitting a stray animal. Yet to test her composure on really bad roads or through corners.

The braking has been linear and solid so far. This is the only aspect of the 2020 Creta which I will be apprehensive of for a while. Hopefully this won't be an issue with the new-gen and I can get back to driving her with full confidence. But, till now, no complaints at all.

The IRVM is disappointingly narrow for checking out the rear action. The ORVMs and the reversing camera are of immense help during backing out of spaces. The sensors take half a second to update their beeps so they are not completely reliable yet, unless you are reversing at very low speeds.

The ACC is a chiller. Today afternoon Phoenix was basking directly under a hot sun at my office and it had soared to 38 degrees outside. With the dial set to 23°C and with the front windows rolled down, the cabin was cooled within a minute. No complaints.

I am told that the ground clearance of the 2020 new-gen is up by 5mm from the earlier-gen (195mm > 190mm). The new Creta sits a bit lower than the previous-gen car so this doesn't seem to be a big improvement. However, the car hasn't scraped anywhere till now and we have some really big and nasty speed-breakers and potholes in our city. The main exam ahead would be the water-wading capacity. With the start of seasonal rains in our city which will continue till Diwali, this would be THE REAL litmus test for the 2020 Creta (one which I hope she will pass with flying nee wading colours!).


Thank you, team, for sharing my journey through this initial ownership report. Hopefully this will be the start of a long, fulfilling, blissful and worthy ownership experience, and I am able to bury the horrors of past experiences for good with the kilometers building up in the days to come.

(That rotating Honda keychain from 2014 is a permanent keep.)

Coming soon - A detailed report on Phoenix's night lights and the "moody" Bluelink service.

Ciao for now!

[GTO]

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

Wishing you a minimum 1.5 lakh happy km with your new Creta! This car is going to our homepage today .

[naveen.raju]

So it's out finally! I really lost count on the number of ownership threads you have here .

Coming back to the car, it looks so much better in white when compared to other colors. I see only Maroon Creta daily and I completely fail the car enthusiast's test (looking back at the car twice as you walk past it). But I wish you had gone with the black as it masks all the weird styling. There's one blacked out Creta here (someone should spot and post it on tastefully modded thread soon).

So they have accepted the fact that the previous ABS vendor had supplied with a faulty part. So they have silently followed the thread and corrected. To bad they didn't support affected parties like us.

What's with the wireless charging unit - Is that a hole or am I missing something here?



One thing I have noticed is that the window glass is very thin (old Creta) when compared to the other cars. What do you feel about the new Creta (I know it's something few owners notice but eager to know).

How about a small comparison between the old and new Creta? Not the feature list, but the drive-ability, comfort, NVH, mileage (I know it's too early) etc?

And no, am not after the new Creta , it will be useful for potential owners.

[Kosfactor]

I saw one on the road last week in White , of course brand new. I liked it a lot and unlike online comments it looked very nice, fresh design. It has this side profile that reminds me of Alturas G4 and that's a good thing. Much better road presence than previous models and the vehicle looks even more expensive that it used to be. This one should fly off the showroom floors in no time.

Congratulations

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Congrats RavenAvi.

I'm glad that fate intervened and brought you a Creta instead of the planned XUV 5OO, though I understand one is not a replacement for the other. Hope you get a better 7-seater soon as well.

Coming to the Creta, I'm still not able to like that face although it is slowly getting familiar - saw a couple of cars on the roads as well already! But - I love that interior! Hyundai has always excelled in quality interior space and I really, really love this one. If it looked like the Seltos from outside and had this interior - this product would have been the ultimate package IMHO.

Couple of things that stand out from your review pictures - 1. That gear lever looks nice. 2. Same old key as my Xcent. Hyundai should really get another one. 3. Spacious rear seat with good legroom - not cramped even by C-sedan standards, considering the higher up seating as well. 4. Is the seating position higher than Lazarus? I like the way it is towering over the Ritz is one of the pictures. 5. Pano sunroof and that screen - class!

Wish you a happy ownership, and hope no troubles this time around!

[Reinhard]

Hearty congratulations RavenAvi. So a Raven would be riding a Phoenix! Wish you & your loved ones unlimited happy & safer miles with the new Creta. Loved the review, thanks for sharing it & the story behind the new car & previous ones.

Its the interior design where the new Creta sure does well. Its very sedate. Simple straight lines & things exactly where they should be. I haven't noticed a single ergonomic blunder anywhere & its like a gift for muscle memory. Feeling at home in the cabin would take about 2 minutes from delivery of a new car I think. And that's really how it should be I must say. Good luck & we'll look forward to this thread being updated often. This must be one of the first new Creta reviews on the forum if not THE first. So a valuable input to a lot of prospective buyers.

The one thing I just can't understand from car-makers is - they load the car as much as the USS Enterprise star-ship on features & gizmos. But then they omit a simple cheap auto-dimming IRVM. Beyond my grasp really.

[FIAT3031]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

The one thing I just can't understand from car-makers is - they load the car as much as the USS Enterprise star-ship on features & gizmos. But then they omit a simple cheap auto-dimming IRVM. Beyond my grasp really.

Its the limitation of the buttons on the IRVM (already 3 present) which otherwise restricts the Auto Dimming IRVM to be added to the Creta or Venue for that matter.
The older generation had it, but if you observe the Verna, Creta & the Venue do not have the Auto Dimming Function

[ashlil]

Congrats RavenAvi on the new car. Hope, you have a fuss free and scare-free ownership of this car. I have one question. How would you rate the NVH level (engine+road+traffic noise) compared to your Ecosport petrol?

[CEF_Beasts]

Congratulations sir,

Welcome back to the Creta Club, this is nothing short of like an official review! This car definitely stands out among competition(and other cars as well), other cars will soon become dated but this one will surely remain relevant for a long time. Saw a SX white recently and it surely looks classy IMO!

Some very interesting touches;
Gearlever feels like it's straight out of a much premium car, panoramic sunroof is just next-level, electric parking brake is unique to this segment, auto-hold function, awesome & responsive 10.25inch touchscreen and the blue ambient lighting looks pretty cool.

A few features that I expected considering Old gen Creta had;
Cornering Lights(a boon on poorly lit roads), Full-size spare expected for top variants (my Creta gets a 17inch spare wheel albeit a steel one). Also SX variant (particularly the Auto variants should get diamond-cut alloy wheels of the SX(O) considering last gen Creta got them in the Auto variant.

Again Sir hearty congratulations, wish you a happy ownership and a long one this time around!

[DusterBoy]

Congratulations Sir,
I am not an automatic gearbox driver and last time I remember to have driven automatic gearbox was couple of years ago when I had chance of checking out "Ignis". Sadly after driving it in manual mode for some distance I stalled the car by pressing break considering it as clutch while changing gear. This happened amid traffic flowing on the road.Very scary experience that was for me. I vowed not to touch automatics since then.
And yet I read every line of your detailed review about your new purchase.
This detailed review has been able to change my opinion about Creta in a positive way as against what I used to think about Creta to be nothing but i20 with more ground clearance before.
Such is the success of your writing style and choice of words. Simply flawless.
BTW did you keep "Lazarus" or exchanged with the dealership? And how much price you got for it if exchanged? Thanks.

[CEF_Beasts]

Originally Posted by FIAT3031

Its the limitation of the buttons on the IRVM (already 3 present) which otherwise restricts the Auto Dimming IRVM to be added to the Creta or Venue for that matter.
The older generation had it, but if you observe the Verna, Creta & the Venue do not have the Auto Dimming Function

It's not available in the Venue, but Verna gets it both in the SX and SX(O) variant, cheap cost-cutting in the Creta(it is more expensive than the Verna). Also the top-end Creta SX(O) gets it, why couldn't they have given it on the SX as well. At most it is a matter of 4-5K for them!

[sv97]

Originally Posted by FIAT3031

Its the limitation of the buttons on the IRVM (already 3 present) which otherwise restricts the Auto Dimming IRVM to be added to the Creta or Venue for that matter.
The older generation had it, but if you observe the Verna, Creta & the Venue do not have the Auto Dimming Function

The new generation also has it in the top spec SX(O) trim.

@RavenAvi Sir congratulations again!!!
As I had already expected the ownership review is awesome almost feels like reading an official T-BHP review.

I had a doubt you have mentioned that the car has UV glass all around whereas it is not mentioned in any of the reviews or maybe I am missing something. I thought only the Seltos in its HTX+ and GTX+ trim gets the UV cut glass.

In addition to this, I would like to say you should swap those rims for the diamond cut ones of the SX(O) trim or at least paint them dark grey just like the ones on the Turbo models. This would make the alloys look hot and have an impact on the overall look of the car.

I think some of your grouses would have been resolved had you gone for the Seltos HTX IVT had the dealership been present in your city which has most of the must have features you have mentioned like High Line TPMS, Auto Dimming IRVM, height adjustable seat belts,5th headrest etc. But at the same time you would have lost out on safety features like VSM, ESC etc. As is always the case with cars these days you gain some you lose some.