Who should buy the Hyundai Creta/Kia Seltos instead of Mahindra XUV500/Tata Harrier

Hyundai recently launched its 2020 Creta for the Indian market. With 15,000 bookings [pre-launch], the response has been solid. Creta was first launched in India back in 2015 and has dominated the segment ever since. Last year Kia launched its Seltos which shares a lot of parts withCreta. The underpinnings, engine and some of the features are the same on both SUVs.


The segment has been very competitive with the recently updated Harrier too. Tata has updated the Harrier to produce more power, offer more features—including the automatic and panoramic sunroof–and they have also improved the quality of the interiors. Whereas the Mahindra XUV 500 has always been a strong contender with its strong build quality, features and comfortable ride quality.
So, who should buy the Creta/Seltos instead of XUV500/Harrier?

People for whom space is not the priority.

If you have a small family and space is not your priority then you can go for Creta or the Seltos. Both the Korean SUVs offer plenty of space for small families and come with a decent-sized boot. If you do not need the third-row seats then you can comfortably seat 4 persons in Creta and the Seltos.

People who want more features

If you are someone who wants to brag about the features then it is the Creta or the Seltos that will give you the bragging rights. These SUV offers more features than the Harrier or the XUV500. For instance the Creta offers Tyre Pressure Monitoring System from the lower variants, paddle shifters with turbo model and puddle lamps. Whereas the Seltos offers a 360-degree camera, and blind spot monitoring. Both the siblings come equipped with LED headlamps and tail lamps, air purifier and wireless phone charging.

Driving Enthusiasts

If you like to have fun in the corners then you should go for the Seltos or the Creta as they are offered with a 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine that produces 140PS of max power and a peak torque of 242Nm. The engine is peppier when compared to the XUV 500 and the Harrier. The Korean siblings are much more fun to drive because their suspension is tuned towards a stiffer side and they are mid-size SUVs instead of a proper SUV which means their dimensions are less than the XUV 500 or the Harrier. Because of this, the body roll is well contained in the Creta and the Seltos.

Daily Urban commuter

Many people buy their cars for travelling daily to their offices and come back so if you are considering to buy an SUV for your daily commutes that you will be driving yourself then you should consider the Seltor or the Creta. Both of these SUVs offer more comfortable front seats and are easier to drive in heavy traffic due to their size. The Harrier and XUV500 are too big and driving them through narrow streets can be a challenging task.

Better Automatic

Indian market is slowly considering to buy automatic transmissions instead of the traditional manuals. This is because of the convenience that the automatic transmission offer in bumper to bumper traffic. The Seltos and Creta can be opted with various types of automatic transmissions depending on the engine that you opt for. The petrol engine comes with a CVT, diesel engine comes with a torque converter and the turbo petrol comes with a DCT. All of the transmissions perform better when compared to the automatic transmissions from the XUV500 or the Harrier.



With increasing demands of SUV, the Creta or the Seltos are a good and worthy buy if you don’t want a full-size SUV. We should also remember the XUV500 will soon hit its second generation as it is being tested on the Indian roads. Mahindra also recently unveiled mStallion direct-injection petrol engine range at the Auto Expo 2020. The new XUV500 will also come equipped with the mStallion engine. We will just have to wait and see what all Mahindra brings with the 2020 XUV500.