Quick review - The face-lifted Hyundai Creta

 

Hyundai Creta 1.6 Diesel Automatic

The Creta is a huge money spinner for Hyundai, and a compact SUV that finds its way into many South African garages. However, the segment is almost overflowing with quality buys. Should the diesel Creta be one to consider?

Styling

From the outside, the boxy-shaped Creta is easy on the eyes, if a little generic, but I still find it has more character than its big brother, the Hyundai Tucson. 

The recent facelift saw the Creta gain the new Hyundai trademark 'cascade' grille with a chrome bezel, a new front bumper with dual-tone finish and skid plates, new fog lamps, LED daytime running lamps, and a new set of roof rails with a lower profile. It's conveniently high off the ground too, with more clearance than the bigger Tucson. 

At the rear, the Creta has also been revised slightly, with tweaked taillamps (with LED inserts), repositioned reflectors and a new rear skid plate. The alloy wheel design is new too.

Space and comfort

Size wise, the Creta is a mere 2.5cm shorter in length and 7cm shorter in width than the Tucson, and the amount of room on the rear seat is staggering. I measured around 10cm between my knees and the back of the driver's seat in front of me, which was already adjusted to fit my 1.73cm frame perfectly. 

The driver's seat is supremely supportive, and nicely bolstered on the sides to provide comfort for your upper boy and lower back, including your hips. The interior of the Creta is also constructed in such a way that you have fantastic visibility, whether you like your seat to be high or quite low.

The quality of the trim and switchgear looks and feels very upmarket too. I just don't care for the font they used on some of the buttons, which doesn't match the other font on other parts of the front fascia and touchscreen. 

The buttons for volume adjustment and radio tuning are also a little budget-looking and -feeling in comparison to the rest of the car's excellent interior quality, but that will probably only bug you if you're a little OCD, like me.

The touchscreen itself is not my favourite unit, but it's hardly a deal-breaker. The satellite controls on the steering wheel can also be used to access different menus, which is I mostly what I did. Sound quality is good, and general ergonomics are too.

If you're wondering whether the Creta's boot may be a little on the small side, given its generous interior proportions, then wonder no more. It's much bigger than you'd expect, with copious amounts of space for camping or sports gear.

Safety

I was disappointed to learn that there's still no traction/stability control in the Creta, while the new Hyundai Kona comes equipped with this feature. But that's the only place where Hyundai skimped a little, as the Creta comes with an extensive amount of safety features, which include front and side airbags for the driver and front passenger, as well as curtain airbags that stretch all the way to the rear. The Creta has ABS with EBD, ISOFIX child seat fittings and auto-locking doors. An optional SatNav system is available, as well as keyless entry, and cruise control is standard too.

The Drive

Once you make yourself at home in the driver's seat and start up the engine, everything feels just right: The suspension is pliant, the diesel engine is quiet, and the ride itself is as comfortable as the seats that support you. The Creta handled the potholes and bumps en route to school with aplomb, and the Creta felt sure-footed and planted around the bends of the Houwhoek Pass.

Performance

Performance is perky enough for quick overtaking maneuvers, although the engine is a little noisy when you flatten your foot against the accelerator. The diesel Creta's output figures are 94kW with 260 Nm of torque.

Fuel consumption

While the 1.6-litre diesel engine is nowhere near as Frugal as the new Renault Duster's 1.5-litre diesel unit, it's still going to give you an admirable 7.0 litres per 100 km, versus the Duster's fantastic 4.8 - 6.2. My test-Creta's real-life 7l/100 km figure for the week was even better than the manufacturer's figure of 7.4 litres per 100 km.

Pricing

There are three model variants available in the line-up: The 1.6 Executive Manual (R343 900), the 1.6 Executive Automatic (R373 900) and the 1.6D Executive Diesel (Automatic), R414 900. Now, consider this: The slightly smaller flagship Renault Duster costs R334 900, is much more economical, and has more safety and convenience features. It's only problem is that it is not as roomy in the back as the Creta, which can easily seat three adults side by side, with loads of legroom to spare. It's a little bit cramped in the back of the Duster for adults. Read my Duster review here.

Verdict

I always raved about the Creta but I always had an issue with its lack of stability control. But now that I have driven the Duster and the Creta back to back, I would probably buy the Duster 1.5dCi Prestige EDC 4x2 at R334 900, or the 4x4-version at R321 900. But only if I don't plan on putting kids older than 14 in the back. 

• Be sure to also read Top 3 city cars for comfort lovers. 
• You may also want to consider the much-awarded new Hyundai Kona.

Performance spec, transmission, and fuel consumption (as per Hyundai SA)

• Creta 1.6 Executive Manual: 4-cylinder 1,6-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with a 6-speed manual gearbox. The engine delivers maximum power of 90 kW at 6 300 r/min, with torque peaking at 150 Nm at 4 850 r/min. Fuel consumption was measured at 7,9 litres/100 km.

 

• Creta 1.6 Executive Automatic: The same petrol engine as above, but coupled with a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The fuel consumption measured for this derivative is 8,4 litres/100 km.

 

• Creta 1.6 Executive Turbodiesel Automatic: This derivative uses a 1,6-litre turbocharged diesel engine with a 6-speed automatic gearbox. Maximum power delivery is 94 kW at 4 000 r/min, and its torque peak of 260 Nm is reached at 2 750 r/min. It has recorded a fuel consumption figure of 7,4 litres/100 km in a real-world, combined test cycle.