The Hyundai Creta - Big Little Suburban Warrior

Creta 1.6 CRDi Executive Auto

What do you do when you love the Hyundai Tucson but it’s just a teeeeensy bit out of your financial reach? You buy the next best thing, only a smidgen smaller: The Hyundai Creta. The Tucson is currently dominating its market segment, so building a more affordable Tucson-mini-me was quite a brainwave from Hyundai.

It’s not cramped?

Not at all. It’s quite a boxy SUV, and its shape is conducive to ample elbowroom, and legroom for days. Rear-seaters get an armrest with two cupholders. The concave dashboard design also creates oodles of space for the front passenger’s legs.

Layout?

Much like the Tucson, the flowing dashboard is logical, neat and ergonomic. A high-tech, 8-inch touchscreen is standard in every model.

What about build quality?

When it comes to sprucing up an interior, these Koreans are masters of making hard plastics look luxurious. Build quality is rock-solid, and the attractive two-tone, man-made leather seats are standard across the range. They look upmarket and durable, and lift the general ambience of the cabin.

Comfort & convenience?

Hyundai have been working on their seats, it seems. I felt cosseted at all times, and my lumbar area felt nicely supported on longer journeys. The seating position and height (this is manually adjustable) was right as rain - sometimes, no matter what you do, you can’t find the perfect possie. The Creta is spot-on in the ideal seating department.

Hyundai pride themselves on giving customers more than they bargain for. Hence, there’s plenty of convenience features thrown in - looking at the spec sheet, there is not one option to be ticked, only standard features. The Creta has SatNav, smartphone screen mirroring, USB/AUX ports and Bluetooth with audio streaming. The touchscreen system itself is intuitive enough.

Other standard features that make the daily slog easier for

stressed-out parents, are the rear parking sensors with rear-view camera (displayed in the touchscreen), and the static bending headlamps. At night, these illuminate the corners you’re about to take, decreasing your chances of running over a darkly dressed pedestrian, cyclist, or dog(!).

In summer, the kids will surely appreciate the rear air-vents to cool them down - in a car this size, you don’t expect these.

Safety?

I’ve already mentioned the bending headlamps, but the standard LED daytime running lamps not only look pretty, they also make you highly visible. Hyundai has put all of 6 airbags into the Creta, as well as ABS with EBD and ISOFIX anchorage points (for compatible car seats). I would have liked stability control too (if Renault can put it in a Sandero…?) and brake assist, but worst case scenario - you have those 6 airbags. Doors will unlock automatically in case of a collision.

The daily drive?

The Creta is quite high - at 19cm, it stands farther from the ground than its big bro (the Tucson), which will undoubtedly be a selling point. However, when you drive the Creta, you are not aware of its supermodel height. Its handling is stable and it’s highly manoeuvrable, which makes it more fun to drive than you’d imagine. But I wouldn’t go crazy on gravel or dirt without the above mentioned stability control, which will keep you from skidding sideways in emergency situations. In countries such as the UK, stability control (or ESC), has been mandatory since 2012. If you’re unsure of how today’s braking assistance technology works, click here.

The 1.6 diesel (automatic) model suited my hectic lifestyle perfectly. It’s the perfect height for the kids to get in and out of with ease, and has all the right stuff inside, with enough torque (260 Nm and 93 kW) for peppy performance. It’s also easy on diesel, beating even Hyundai’s claimed fuel figure of 7.4 litres per 100 km - my combined usage was only 6.8 litres per 100 km. As for the boot? It’s a luggage-friendly 402 litres - and that is with a full-size spare wheel. As for the tyres, you’ll be climbing city sidewalks with ease with standard 16-inch alloys.

If you need an easy-to-live-with suburban warrior, the multi-tasking Creta is a solid bet. It’s a little on the expensive side, but it’s good value, and quality never comes cheap.

Facts & Figures

 

 

Name:	Hyundai Creta 1.6 CRDi Executive Auto
Price:	R369 900
Engine:	1.6-litre turbodiesel, front-wheel drive
Power/Torque:	94 kW / 260 Nm
Transmission:	6-speed automatic
0-100 km:	11.9 seconds
Top speed:	179 km/h
Fuel tank:	55 litres Realistic fuel consumption (combined) 6.8 - 7 litres per 100 km
Luggage capacity:	402 litres Also consider: Suzuki Vitara, Mazda CX-3
Warranty/Service Plan:	5-year / 150 000 km PLUS an additional 2-year / 50 000 km powertrain warranty