2020 Hyundai Creta: Choosing between the 1.5L CVT & 1.4L DCT petrols

We looked at the Taigun, Grand Vitara, Magnite but found that Creta was the best of the lot for 3 rear passengers.

BHPian vkbs recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have almost shortlisted the Creta S+ DCT but after going through some posts here about stability and issues with the DCT and not sure if I should choose the Sx(O) IVT(costlier too).

We looked at the Taigun, Grand Vitara, Magnite but found that Creta was the best of the lot for 3 rear passengers. Also the panaromic sunroof looked very good. Yet to take a TD but the sales guy said they don't have a DCT for TD and they can provide a IVT for the TD.

Most of our driving will be in Bangalore. I am an experienced driver and can learn the quirks associated with driving a DCT but my wife and daughter are relatively inexperienced drivers but want to drive too. This is why I am worried about buying the DCT.

While I saw many threads and posts on this topic, most of them were before 2022.

So my question is to the owners of Creta ICT and DCT in 2022 as to why they chose the specific version and their experiences with those in terms of City driving, highway driving, mileage, features etc.

Thanks a lot

Regards,

Vijay

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

99% of Creta DCT owners are non-petrolheads who don't understand the quirks either. If this is your only concern, go ahead with the DCT as it's a faster gearbox with a more powerful engine

CVTs generally got a bad name globally due to the many failures of Nissan CVTs (like VW DSGs), and a few in India too = 2nd-gen Honda City's CVT, but that was more because owners / dealers didn't change the oil on time or filled the wrong fluid.

CVTs are very sensitive to transmission fluid changes.

In the long-term, I do think that a CVT will be more reliable than a DCT. Plus, the Creta CVT comes mated to a simpler engine too, rather than the more complex turbo-petrol.

Here's what BHPian ValarMorghulis had to say on the matter:

I have driven both DCT (my Venue) and IVT (sister's Creta).

• DCT: If your car will be mainly used on highways pick the DCT which is more responsive, faster and allows for easy overtakes and better driving experience on open roads. However, you do need to manage it well on traffic jams. Gearbox overheating has to be taken into account if you are in crawling traffic, especially if it is start stop traffic. That is a concern.

• IVT: The gearbox is smooth and pretty sedate, and you might have a tad bit of rubber band effect characteristic of CVTs. Overtakes, need to be planned and the gearbox takes a second to respond. However, in crawling traffic haven't faced any issue in terms of gearbox heating (of course, don't ride the clutch).

tl;dr

Highway driving: DCT

City driving: IVT

Here's what BHPian bijims had to say on the matter:

Having driven both the Creta IVT and the Creta DCT, the Creta DCT definitely has the more powerful, torquier engine of the two ( 1353 cc turbocharged petrol engine producing 138 bhp of power and 242 nm of torque) and a faster quick shifting 7 speed DCT gearbox, performance is definitely the strong point of the DCT.

The Creta IVT comes with a less powerful 1497 cc naturally aspirated petrol engine producing 113 bhp of power and 144 nm of torque mated to a CVT gearbox. Not the best for performance but definitely gets the job done.

As far as reliability issues are concerned, I would recommend you to get the maximum extended warranty, Hyundai provided up to 7 years of extended warranty too, so that shouldn't be an issue.

You should definitely test drive both the cars back to back before finalizing your decision.

Hope it helps.

Here's what BHPian Chhanda Das had to say on the matter:

I completely agree with our fellow BHPian GTO's statements here about the CVT/iVT. Additionally, the 1.4 petrol engine in the 2nd generation Creta is based on the GDi (Gasoline Direct Injection) technology. The newer GDi engines used by most brands today are becoming increasingly infamous for reliability issues in as early as 5-6 years with issues like injector failures, broken piston rings, high cylinder wear, bent rods, bent valves, etc. Add a turbocharger into the mix (T-GDi, TSi, etc) and we have a recipe for even earlier engine failure due to higher overall pressures that come dangerously close to diesel territory. The car forums of many countries (where GDi engines have existed for a few years) are full of people complaining about such engines. Even motorcycle owners who have GDi engines from brands like KTM, Husqvarna, etc are facing issues in the long term.

Here's what BHPian Arun Varma had to say on the matter:

I used a Honda City CVT for six years and loved it.

Before that, I used to have a Cruze manual with the aspirations of being an enthusiast driver with the definition of enjoying the thrill of acceleration, power on command (post the turbo lag), and ease of overtaking on highways. Unfortunately, the overall experience was terrible. I suspect it had to do with my limited skills and scope of usage (80:20 city vs. highway) rather than the limitations of the vehicle.

The City CVT changed my very nature of driving and allowed me to embrace defensive driving with no mind for the need to overtake every vehicle in sight. The limitations of the CVT allowed me to enjoy the drive better, and I realized that I arrived at my destination in a much better frame of mind. In fact, this also made me appreciate automatics in general, and when the decision for the next car came about, I had no second thoughts about going for IVT even when a CVT was readily available, and I had to wait a couple of months for the IVT. Now, as someone rightly said, I am one of the 99% of the folks who are not petrolheads and who drive Creta. But I love the car and I have fully reconciled with my changed mindset of comfort and safety and enjoying the drive than the need for speed. The engine is smooth as butter (like the City), and notwithstanding the differences in the driving dynamics of a sedan vs. a mini SUV, considering I am driving like I am in no big hurry, it doesn't make a difference for me.

This, of course, is highly personal. Hope it helps.

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