Drove Hyundai Creta Facelift – Near Perfect Product?

Recently, Hyundai Creta facelift created a new record of 1 lakh bookings in just three months. The record itself shouts the popularity of the Creta SUV among Indians. That is when I decided to take the Creta for a spin and try to find if there are any niggles with the SUV. See, the Creta looks great, has sophisticated interiors, it drives well and has a variety of powertrain options. Even in terms of features the SUV does not lack at all. So where does the Creta fall behind? There are few areas and honestly, they are not deal breakers!
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Hyundai Creta Facelift – Design 

The design is a subjective choice but to highlight a few points, the Creta has some elements which makes it stand out from the rest of the SUVs of the segment. The bonnet for instance, is tall and has some strong cuts and creases which makes the SUV look muscular. While the rear profile comes with connected tail lamps and unlike other SUVs, they light-up each time you apply brakes. So if I had to nick-pick anything on the exterior, I honestly could not do any of it!

Interior 

If the exterior has impressed you, the interior will impress you even more. As I stepped into the Creta, the SUV greeted me with luxury interiors. The bright theme of the cabin plays a major role I feel. Firstly, the seats themselves are super supportive and for me they were perfect. The dashboard layout is also something to talk about as it has a unique design which we don’t see in many cars. And yes, the panel gaps and overall fit and finish of the cabin is also what has impressed me. It speaks a lot about the quality the Hyundai offers.

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Now unlike the exterior, the interior does have some flaws but again, they should not worry you. Firstly, I found the black plastic on the top of the dashboard was too reflective on the front windshield, under direct sunlight. While the lower part of the dashboard was not that impressive as they felt a little cheaper in quality compared to the rather luxurious cabin. I would have liked it if they had offered textured plastic lower down to keep up with the rest of the interior.

Hyundai Creta Facelift – Features 

Now before I talk about how the Creta drives, let me share some of the features which you can use on a daily basis. Firstly, the new 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster is a charm to have in front of you. The display is bright enough and the fonts are clearly visible, even in the daylight. Also I loved how the graphics changed in every drive mode – sport, normal & eco. So if you are an enthusiast, you will love to drive in sport mode with the red graphics. Not just the instrument cluster, but even the 10.25-inch touchscreen system is super fluid to use. The touch and response is excellent and has tons of settings to play around with.

What also impressed me is the massive panoramic sunroof and when I am saying massive, it is literally a massive unit! The sunroof opens up a lot of airy sense in the SUV and with those bright interior themes, the cabin feels a lot more plusher. Oh and yes, I did not try to peek out of the sunroof and wave in the air because firstly it is not at all safe, and secondly, the sun was right on top of it. That said, I really wished they had used tinted glass for the panoramic sunroof! Other useful features include – automatic headlamps, rain sensing wipers, ventilated seats, dual-zone climate control with a chiller AC, and a few more.

Space 

Noticed I spoke about the comfortable driver seat while talking about the interiors? Well, the passenger seat and the rear seats are equally comfortable and supportive. For drivers, there is ample space near pedals with a dedicated dead pedal to rest your left foot while cruising on highway. Even for the rear passengers, you have enough legroom, shoulder room and headroom. So sitting three adult passengers at the back will not be an issue. What I really missed is a headrest for the centre passenger. Why am I complaining about it? Well, the Kia Seltos, which is the sibling of Creta, gets adjustable headrests for the centre passenger! Rest, the rear seats offer excellent comfort, thanks to adjustable sunshades and chiller rear AC.

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Hyundai Creta Facelift – Drive 

Variant & Engine

So the variant I drove was the SX (O) variant of the Hyundai Creta which was equipped with ADAS. I will talk about the ADAS in the later part as it has some advantages and some annoyances. Talking about the engine, the car I was driving was powered by the 1.5-litre diesel engine which produces 114bhp and 250Nm of torque. The transmission duties were handled by the 6-speed torque converter transmission.

Engine Drivability 

Trust me, the power figures will definitely fool you on paper. In real conditions the engine has enough power and in sport mode specifically, you will feel the surge of power. I drove the Creta both in the city and on the highway, and not even once did I feel the engine was lacking power. Overtaking was an easy task and all that was done with an impressive mileage of up to 18kmpl.

Ride Quality

Where the Creta really shines is the ride quality the SUV offers. It feels planted on roads even while cruising at speeds of 100kph. Also the suspension is just fantastic. Recently, I also test drove the Toyota Hyryder which already offers a comfy ride but the Creta feels more plush. I drove on some rough patches of road and the Creta just glided over them! All in all, Creta offers truly luxury ride quality and could be one of the reasons why people love it so much!      

NVH Levels

Was the diesel engine loud with typical diesel clatter? Not at all! In fact it was hard to believe if it was really a diesel engine. The unit itself is super refined and with excellent insulation, the engine noise was hardly audible. In fact the road noise and the wind noise was also miles away as I could not hear any of them. With the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, I was pretty annoyed with the wind noise and tyre noise that was filtering inside the cabin. No complaints of that here.

What I Did Not Like 

What I feel which could have been better is the steering wheel feedback. It is pretty light while driving on slow speeds but it doesn’t gain weight once you pick the pace. I felt it was too light to drive at high speeds and simply lacked confidence.

Now the variant I drove was equipped with ADAS which for most of the time worked perfectly. The adaptive cruise control was impressive and lane keep assist was also doing its job effectively. However, it feels pretty annoying when all the alerts are active and start beeping. Try to overtake and alerts like blind spot monitoring system and the forward collision warning alerts you with beeps which for a new driver could create a panic situation. Of course, you have the option to lower the volume whenever you do not require them.

Hyundai Creta Facelift – Conclusion 

So, what did I feel about the Hyundai Creta after driving it for a long time? Honestly, the SUV is really impressive. Be it the design, interior, engine driveability, or the ride quality, the Creta ticks all the boxes. That said, it misses out on features like head-up display that even the Kia Seltos offers. Overall, yes it has some flaws but they can be simply ignored! It is a sophisticated product compared to other SUVs available at this price point.  

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