2020 Hyundai Creta

Car Tested: 2020 Hyundai Creta; Road Test No. 1196; Test Location: Mumbai

Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 11.72 – 20.74 lakhs

The latest generation of India’s most popular compact SUV takes its appeal and family-friendliness to a whole new level

It was in 2015 when we saw a Hyundai that was unlike any other older car from the automaker. The first-generation Hyundai Creta came across as a compact SUV that had massive appeal for Indian buyers. The sales charts were set on fire and the Creta conquered the compact SUV segment like no other. Within 5 years of its launch, Hyundai has brought in the second generation Creta which was showcased with a lot of pomp and show at the 2020 Auto Expo.

MotorQuest: The Hyundai Creta is sold as the ix25 in the Chinese market. It is quite popular over there too but the international model is a bit different from the Indian car. While the ix25 and Creta look more or less similar on the outside, the cabins of both the cars are quite different and even the equipment list varies a bit.

2020-Hyundai-Creta-29 — The striking design language of the Creta might be polarising but it also gives it a distinct identity

Exteriors – The new Hyundai Creta has a chunkier design. The styling is polarising and it has got mixed opinions from people. When I saw the Creta for the first time, I didn’t really like it. But after spending so much time with it, the design has started to grow over me and in fact, everyone else in the team. We had a red coloured diesel test car in the SX(O) trim and it looked quite decent but the black coloured Turbo DCT car that we had looked snazzier. In terms of size, the new Creta is longer by 30 mm and wider by 10 mm. But, it is shorter by 30 mm in height. The wheelbase of the car has also increased by 20 mm. The Hyundai Creta has a ground clearance of 190 mm which is the same as the older car. The Creta gets LED headlamps and tail lights but the fog lamps and indicators are halogens. The Turbo variant gets grey-coloured alloys while the 1.5 variants get diamond-cut alloys in the top trim.

2020-Hyundai-Creta-4 — The feature-loaded cabin with good quality materials gives a modern and premium feel

Interiors – The cabin of the 2020 Hyundai Creta has typical Hyundai quality. The fit and finish is good and the list of features is extremely long. The vehicle gets a greige colour theme but I personally feel the black + red theme of the DCT variant looks way better. The old Creta came across as a feature-loaded car and this one just ups the game. You get a 10.25-inch touchscreen which is the same size as the Kia Seltos, but the one on the Seltos appears to be bigger. The international Creta gets a 10.4-inch vertical touchscreen which looks more striking and Tesla-like. You also get this supervision display for the instrument cluster which has a 7-inch screen. The international version gets a larger 12.3-inch screen though.

2020-Hyundai-Creta-22 — The Creta gets a massive panoramic sunroof and an electrically adjustable driver’s seat

Like all new Hyundais, the Creta also comes with connected car features and it also gets remote engine start on the manual variant

The Creta automatic gets an aircraft-style gear lever and a gear position indicator. The vehicle gets a long list of equipment like a huge panoramic sunroof, 8 way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, electric parking brake with auto hold, cooled glovebox, automatic headlamps, auto-dimming IRVM, wireless phone charger, TPMS, climate control, air purifier, reverse camera, reverse sensors, Bose audio with 8 speakers and a subwoofer and also BlueLink connectivity. The Creta gets 50 connectivity features compared to the Venue and Seltos which get 33 and 37 features. The Creta also gets remote engine start on the manual variant. The Creta misses out on a 360-degree camera and HUD, both of these features are present on the Seltos. But, the Seltos gets a small sunroof while the Creta gets a bigger one. The Verna gets a driver-side vanity mirror and its Turbo variant also gets front parking sensors, both of these features are missing on the Creta.

2020-Hyundai-Creta-20 — The interior has many practical bits and the rear seats can seat two passengers very comfortably

The new Hyundai Creta has excellent seats. The driver’s seat has electric adjustment while the passenger seat has manual adjustment. You can adjust the seat the way you want and find a good driving position easily. Thankfully, the Creta offers very good visibility. The steering wheel gets tilt adjustment but telescopic adjustment would have been welcome too. The rear also feels like a great place to be in. There’s ample amount of space all around, but yes the headroom gets slightly affected because of the sunroof. Even though the car is wider, the rear seat is best meant for 2 passengers. The centre armrest is quite large and the Creta gets only 2 adjustable headrests at the rear. You get cushions for the headrests too. The doors have large bottle holders and there are various storage spaces in the centre console and under the front armrest. The boot capacity is now 433-litres, which is an increase of 33-litres over the older car.

2020-Hyundai-Creta-26 — Hyundai is offering the Creta with 3 new engines and with both automatic and manual gearboxes

Performance – The 2020 Hyundai Creta is offered with three new engine options. The first one is a 1.5-litre, MPI petrol engine making 115 PS and 144 Nm. This is available with either a 6-speed MT or a CVT. The second petrol engine is a 1.4-litre turbocharged unit delivering 140 HP and 242 Nm and this is available only with a 7-speed DCT. The diesel engine is a 1.5-litre unit churning out 115 PS and 250 Nm and this is available with either a 6-speed MT or a torque convertor.

2020-Hyundai-Creta-25 — The DCT gearbox on the Turbo variant offers slick shifts & even holds onto the gears in Sport mode

The turbo petrol motor is high on refinement and has a good amount of punch in the mid-range making it a good choice for enthusiasts

The turbo petrol engine is great for enthusiasts. It offers great driving fun. Slight turbo lag is present but overall the low-end is good and the engine responds nicely in the mid-range and the DCT complements the engine nicely. The engine starts redlining slightly before 6500 RPM. The engine is very refined but it gets vocal as you go closer to the redline. The engine and gearbox have been tuned very nicely but at low speeds, the DCT tends to get confused and causes slight jerkiness. You get Eco, Comfort and Sport modes and these driving modes work really well and they alter the engine’s response. Eco mode suits best when you’re driving in the city or in heavy traffic. The Comfort mode makes the engine feel a bit peppier while the Sport mode will keep enthusiasts happy. In this mode, the gearbox holds onto the gears till the redline. This engine does 0-100 km/hr in 10.35 seconds in the Sport manual mode while in just Sport mode it takes 10.50 seconds for the sprint. 0-100 km/hr takes 11.30 seconds and 11.23 seconds in Eco and Comfort modes respectively (VBOX timings).

2020-Hyundai-Creta-24 — The diesel engine has some amount of turbo lag but offers good driveability and refinement

The diesel engine offers lesser power and torque compared to the older 1.6-litre engine but don’t underestimate this oil-burner. It does have some turbo lag but the peak torque now comes 400 RPM earlier than before and stays for 400 RPM more. Because of this wide torque spread, the engine offers good driveability from as low as 1500 RPM. This engine is brisk enough in the mid-range and the 0-100 km/hr comes up in 12.47 seconds. In-gear acceleration timings are also quite good at 6.74 seconds for 30-80 km/hr (3rd gear), 10.46 seconds for 40-100 km/hr (4th gear) and 15.31 seconds for 60-120 km/hr (6th gear). The CRDI engine is also very refined which is typical Hyundai. The ARAI fuel efficiency figures of the Creta are better than the Seltos, albeit very slightly and real-world difference won’t be much. The large 50-litre tank gives the Creta very good cruising range.

2020-Hyundai-Creta-16 — The softer suspension setup has improved the ride quality tremendously

Driving Dynamics – The Creta automatic gets three traction control modes too – Snow, Sand and Mud but these aren’t offered on the manual variants. The new car gets a new platform; it feels so much more solid than before. The suspension has been tuned to be on the softer ride and the ride quality is also a huge improvement over the older car. The cabin feels well filtered from undulations on our roads. The Creta also feels much more composed and confident on the highways now.

2020-Hyundai-Creta-17 — Steering feels light to operate but lacks feedback

The new platform feels much more solid than before and also offers great high-speed stability

The body roll on this car is is well-contained and much better than before. The steering is very light at low speeds and it does get heavier as you go higher up on the speedo but lacks feedback. Most buyers don’t even bother about steering feedback so much though. The Creta gets rear disc brakes too and the overall stopping power is indeed good. The ABS also doesn’t feel as oversensitive as it did on the older car.

2020-Hyundai-Creta-15 — The Creta comes equipped with all the latest safety gizmos

Safety and After Sales Service – The Hyundai Creta gets 6 airbags on the top variants. Along with that, it gets ABS with EBD, Hill Start Assist, Electronic Stability Control, Vehicle Stability Management and ISOFIX child seat mounts. It also gets all the essential safety features like seatbelt reminders, high speed alerts and parking sensors. Not much needs to be said about Hyundai’s service network because it is a well-known fact that the Korean automaker has established a vast network across all parts of the country which is why servicing any of their cars isn’t really an issue. Hyundai cars have also scored high numbers on the reliability front over the years.

2020-Hyundai-Creta-11 — Hyundai has improved the Creta in almost all dimensions

Verdict – The Hyundai Creta is an impressive car and there are no two ways about it. It has tons of features, it offers great comfort, the engines are really impressive and this car is a huge step ahead of the older car. Yes, the styling isn’t the best in its segment and it takes time to grow on you. The Creta has a great starting price and the lower S variant also has a good enough feature list for those people who are on a budget. If budget isn’t an issue, it makes sense going for the top variants as they offer so much. The base variant of the Creta is Rs. 20,000/- more expensive on-road than the Kia Seltos’ base trim while the diesel SX(O) MT is priced at Rs. 19.06 lakhs (on-road) which makes it Rs. 67,000/- pricier than a similar Seltos. But then again, the Creta comes backed by Hyundai’s stellar after-sales network too.