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2021 Hyundai Creta Diesel MT: Ownership Experience

13th October 2021, 10:20 by Dev Shah

The primary reasons that sealed the deal were the excellent diesel engine, cushy ride, and the vast service center outreach.

BHPian abhishek46 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A Brief Background

It was Circa July 2021, after having used a Polo 1.2 MPI for close to a decade, I finally decided on acquiring a new vehicle.

Few months back, I had replaced our 10 year old i10 1.2 (which was primarily used by my father), with an Ignis. The Ignis would be a separate story, on a separate day.

This thread, however, would be a record of How I ended up owning a Creta Diesel MT, and my experiences with it.

The Buying Process

2.1 Criterion

    •    Should fit into a budget of around Rs 13-17 Lakhs On-road.
   •    High Ground clearance.
   •    Punchy & powerful Engine, preferably Diesel.
   •    Adequate seating space for 5 with decent boot space.
   •    Fuss-free service center experience.

Based on the above criterion, I started out the buying process by shortlisting the following vehicles:

    •    MS S-Cross
   •    MS XL6
   •    Honda City
   •    KIA Seltos
   •    Hyundai Creta

2.2 Notes:

My existing vehicle was the VW Polo (which is already a 4m vehicle). Therefore, I did not consider any 4m Compact SUVs/Sedans.
Vehicles like Tata Harrier, XUV700, Hector etc., were not considered due to their massive footprint, which would have been difficult to accommodate in my tight parking slot. Vehicles like Taigun, Kushaq were not considered because of their high price (1.5 TSI variants) & unreliable nature.
In addition, paying Rs 16.xx lakhs for a 1.0 capacity engine is not acceptable for me.

2.3 Test Drive Methodology

All of those above vehicles were test driven under the exact same test drive route (which is a 10Km route around my neighborhood). All of the Test drive vehicles, were neatly maintained, and rattle free for most part.

2.4 Test Drive Impressions

The Test Drive impressions are not intended in any way to demean anyone.

Hyundai Creta (Diesel)

Likes:

    •    Traditional, beige colored interiors which gives an airy feeling.
   •    Good, cushy ride quality.
   •    Excellent diesel Engine - Scores well in refinement, efficiency, performance.
   •    Good ground clearance and satisfactory under-body protection.
   •    Adequately feature loaded. The basics are pretty much covered, even in mid variants.
   •    Very good service centers reach. More than 1200+ service centers.
   •    Body panels do not flex much on application of finger tip force.

Dislikes:

    •    Lack of some important features, compared to equivalent Seltos variants. In spite of higher sticker price.
   •    Controversial design will not appeal to everyone's tastes.
   •    Poor expected safety record.
   •    Fit & finish though good, are still not up to VW levels.

Overall: An almost perfect vehicle (Except for the safety concern). No Major short-comings found.

S-Cross

Likes:

    •    Decent equipment levels, at an affordable price tag.
   •    Good ground clearance.
   •    Superb ride quality.
   •    Smooth & silent engine, with good low rpm response.
   •    Excellent service center reach.

Dislikes:

    •    Black Interiors look uninspiring, and borderline dull.
   •    Petrol only option.
   •    Petrol engine has no punch in mid range.
   •    Hatchback appearance.
   •    The MID along with it's adjustment 'stick' is a pain to use.
   •    5-Speed gearbox is a serious handicap on the highway.
   •    Absolutely zero under body protection.
   •    Unnecessary hassles of hybrid engine issues (ISG recalls, long term reliability of the Li-Ion battery)
   •    Thin body panels. Door panels flex easily in the finger tip test.

Overall: It came across as a very unexciting, under-whelming vehicle, I simply could not 'connect' with the vehicle.

XL6

Likes:

    •    Decent equipment levels, at an affordable price tag.
   •    Decent ground clearance.
   •    Reasonable ride quality.
   •    Smooth & silent Engine, with good low rpm response.
   •    Literally acres of Space of the inside.
   •    Decent output from the all LED headlamps.
   •    Excellent service center reach.

Dislikes:

    •    Puny tyres, undeserving of a vehicle of this size.
   •    Petrol only option.
   •    Petrol engine has no punch in the mid range
   •    The MID along with it's adjustment 'stick' is a shame.
   •    5-Speed Gearbox is a serious handicap on the highway.
   •    Absolutely zero under-body protection.
   •    Unnecessary hassles of hybrid engine issues (ISG recalls, long term reliability of the Li-Ion battery)
   •    No 7 seat option. I needed 3 seats in the middle row.
   •    Thin body panels flex with a finger tip force.

Overall: A very competent vehicle. The primary reasons of not considering this were the VAN type appearance, Puny wheels, and unenthusiastic engine.

Honda City

Likes:

    •    Very good equipment levels.
   •    Superb safety Kit even in base variants.
   •    Smooth petrol Engine, with decent low rpm response.
   •    Efficient diesel engine.
   •    Spacious cabin.
   •    Huge boot.
   •    Good ride quality at low speeds on broken roads.

Dislikes:

Low ground clearance due to the lower positioning of the engine guard & the Precariously long front overhang.
On a 10 KM test drive around my neighborhood, it scraped it's belly 3 times, & the front bumper kissed the asphalt once.
Flat mid range of the Petrol Engine. The Engine gets a bit loud after 3K RPM.
Diesel Engine is neither punchy, nor refined.
Low seating position.
Skinny 185 section tyres.

Overall: The low ground clearance issues sealed the fate for the Honda City.

Kia Seltos (Diesel)

Likes:

    •    Wonderful design inside & out.
   •    Great driving position.
   •    Adequately feature loaded.
   •    Good clearance and satisfactory under-body protection.
   •    Wonderful diesel engine.

Dislikes:

    •    Slightly hard ride quality. Bumps and road imperfections make their presence felt.
   •    Gloss piano black plastics will be a pain to maintain.
   •    Thin dealership & service Network.
   •    Poor safety record.

Overall: An almost perfect vehicle. Could not make the cut, primarily because of it's less than optimal service center reach.

2.5 Final Conclusion

I opted for the Hyundai Creta Diesel MT.
The primary reasons that sealed the deal were the excellent diesel engine, cushy Ride, and the vast service center outreach.
I had no choice, but to 'ignore' the potential poor safety rating, just because no other offering in the market was offering such a fantastic diesel option.

2.6 Variant Selection

I am not a fan of sun-roofs, due to the falling coconuts phenomena in southern areas.
I am not a fan of too many features, bling etc. either. Hence, I settled for the mid spec S variant.

2.7 The Diesel vs Petrol Decision

The turbo-petrol option was too expensive, and not too fuel efficient for my needs.
The NA petrol option did not appeal too much either, due to it's subdued real world performance.
To add fuel to the fire, I had spent 2 months driving around in my Father-In-law's 1st Gen Creta (1.6 Diesel).
After experiencing the colossal torque of that Diesel, and the good fuel efficiency, I just could not go back to a Petrol.

2.8 The MT vs AT Debate

I prefer the simplicity & directness of manual transmissions.
I do not like AT boxes.

Booking & Delivery Process

I opted to book the car via Advaith Hyundai, ORR Bangalore, as I had heard good things about them on the Team Bhp Creta thread.
The vehicle was booked in the last week of July 2021. The Allocation was received exactly in 1 month time.
The vehicle was subsequently delivered, 9 days after the allocation. The overall experience with the dealership was extraordinary.
Dealer did not push for unnecessary up selling, useless accessories etc. To add, on the delivery day, everything was smooth, and organized in a timely manner.
The documentation was ready, the vehicle was ready, everything was already streamlined, before I walked in for the delivery.

Some Pictures from Day 0.