Introduction

The compact SUV segment has been growing ever since the launch of the Renault Duster about three years ago. The Duster/ Terrano twins are still considered to be the most capable vehicles in spite of the onslaught of the Ford EcoSport. Hyundai, riding high on the back to back success stories of Grand i10, Xcent and the Elite i20, has decided to foray into the segment with their compact SUV called the ‘Creta’. We got an opportunity to take it out on a really short spin to find out if it lives up to the hype.

Design & Interior

The Creta carries forward the fluidic yet brute styling of the Santa Fe thanks to a big bumper and the hexagonal chrome grille with thick horizontal slats. The wide bonnet, swept back headlamps, blacked out air-dam and innovative vertical fog-lamps with black surrounds give the fascia an aggressive look. The single barrel projector headlamps are a first for this segment along with the LED day-time running lights.

The side profile reveals proportions worthy of a full size SUV. The long bonnet, prominent shoulder lines, roof rails and the blacked out A and B-pillars give the car a premium look. The black body cladding and the striking twin-slat five-spoke 17” alloys create a nice dual-tone effect. The car is not really tall, but, with the wide bonnet, elaborate wheel arches and 215/60 profile 17”wheels, it looks planted for any kind of terrain.

The tailgate is typically European. It is something that you may not like at the first glance but will surely grow on you with time. The body cladding carries on to the tailgate under the wrap around tail lamps, but the small rear windscreen and low registration number plate recess makes the tail look slightly smaller.

The dark coloured interiors carry the fluidic design theme from the exterior. The overall look is an extension of what we see in the Elite i20 and Verna. Though the design looks too busy for me, it is smart. The dual-tone black dashboard has light beige inserts and the curve on the co-driver’s side increases the legroom which is good. The plastic quality is nice and air circulation from the vents is also pretty decent. The steering is similar to that of the Elite i20 and with steering mounted controls for almost everything from music system to the instrument cluster. It gets sporty leather seats with contrast stitches for the top-spec car we are driving here.

The Creta, standing true to its Hyundai roots and has a comprehensive feature list. The five-inch touch-screen infotainment system with GPS navigation sounds nice for the four speaker setup and allows USB, AUX and Bluetooth connectivity.

Both the seating rows get 12V power sockets as well as AC vents. You get electrically adjustable and retractable outside rear view mirrors and also push-button start. You also get a six-airbag option with the top spec variant. The three pod instrument cluster has an integrated digital multi-information display that reads out all information except the all-important average fuel consumption and distance to empty.

The people in the second row might feel a bit claustrophobic and that is mostly due to the dark tone of interiors and a smaller rear window. There is enough leg-room for the rear passenger and rear AC-vents to add to the comfort. The rear bench is not wide enough and seating three would be a squeeze. The boot-space is good enough to carry luggage for a family over the weekend.

Performance

The Creta, when launched, will be available with three engine options – the 1.6L Gamma Dual VTVT petrol engine and two diesel engines, the U2 1.4 CRDI and the U2 1.6 VGT CRDI engines just like the Verna. The Petrol is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox while you get two options for the diesels.

The 1.6 VGT CRDi can be had with a six speed manual or a six speed automatic gearbox. The 128bhp motor develops 260Nm torque at about 1900rpm and is well refined. The turbo kicks in smoothly as the engine revs cleanly to about 4500 rpm. You have a slight amount of diesel clutter at idling but with its torque spread and power delivery, driving the manual is a breeze – be it city traffic conditions or interstate highway runs.

The automatic transmission is the six-speed gearbox found in the Elantra sedan. It is an old-school slush box and is good for the easy city runs and smooth highway driving, but if you step on it, it is going to get noisy and then respond. In absence of a diesel automatic option in this segment, you are anyway not left with much of a choice.

The suspension setup on the Creta is soft. While this will help to have a smooth ride on bumpy roads at low speeds, it will result in quite a bit of body roll which is evident in this car. The steering weighs up at high speeds and also around corners, but there is no feedback as such. The braking is good despite the rear drum brake setup. Like all Hyundai cars, you will have to be careful with the Creta at high speeds and around corners unless you buy the top end that has an ESP programme to help you out. As we tested, with five people in the car, the rear sank with the wheel arches almost touching the tyres.

Verdict

Now that we have had a brief look at the Creta’s design and performance, we can say that it competes straight with the Renault Duster Nissan Terrano than the Ecosport. Hyundai is going to price it aggressively and in that case, the Creta is a lot of a car for the money. It looks good, offers more legroom and certainly a lot more features than the competition.

We can’t say much about the ride and handling as of now, but an informed guess will be that the Duster is going to be a clear winner here. Urgency may play a deciding factor if you are out looking for a compact SUV, but if you can hold on to your money for a few more days, checking out the soon to be launched Creta and also the Maruti Suzuki S-cross will be the most logical thing to do.