Review: Hyundai Creta 1.6 diesel long term review, final report

The Creta has always been a popular car in our market, and that’s also been the case in the Autocar long-term fleet. It’s always been in demand and was rarely seen sitting idle in our garage. Right from being a support car for shoots, to commuting between home and office, to doing quick runs to the airport, or even being the car for weekend getaways, the Creta has been through it all. In short, we had a lovely time driving it for a couple of months, but, sadly, it’s made its way back to Hyundai now.

Touring Master: Covers 600-700km on a full tank of diesel, great for touring.

There was a high demand for the Creta in the office, and it was difficult to get hold of its keys. One of the most obvious reasons for this, of course, is its strong 1.6-litre dieselengine. It not only has a punchy power delivery but it’s also frugal in nature. We could cover about 700km on its 55-litre fuel tank, and that’s something we appreciated. I’ve predominantly driven it between home and office – that’s a good 60km every day – and I must say I really liked the way it handled the urban chaos of Mumbai.

Soft Sprung: Suspension setup is soft, making the Creta bob a bit too much.

If I were to talk about what I disliked about the Creta, there aren’t too many things. There is, however, one thing that I would have liked different, and that’s the ride setup. The current setup is a bit too soft and the car tends to bob over big potholes and even speed breakers. It still does okay when it’s just me in the car, but load the Creta up with passengers and the suspension tends to bottom out easily; a slightly stiffer setup would have sorted this out. While it isn’t really a big issue, it would help if Hyundai gave it a few tweaks.

Tight Fitting: WIreless charging is great but large phones just about fit.

The version in our fleet was the SX(O) which came with a whole lot of features. What I really liked is the wireless charging, as it’s a great utility feature to have. I do have a small grouse with it though; the charging mat is small and it just about fits my large phone. Another useful feature is the keyless entry and go, but there’s no option of switching off the loud horn when locking or unlocking, and that can get annoying.
Some features made life easy for me on the road. The electronic antiglare rear-view mirror made nightdriving easy. Apple CarPlay with Google Maps displayed on the screen, along with mirroring all the essential phone apps, is a convenient feature to have, while the steering-mounted controls let me control my playlist and make phone calls. The Creta has cruise control as well, but I gave this feature a miss as I find it to be pointless, especially in India.

The Creta’s boot can hold bags of different shapes and sizes; a perfect support car for our shoots.

There were times I had to use the car to make a quick trip to the airport to either pick up or drop off friends, and that is where I really used the car to its full potential. The spacious 405-litre boot swallows most big suitcases with ease, with room to spare for some medium-size duffel bags. In some cases, when I had only one passenger but a lot more luggage, the rear seat was folded flat, opening up almost double the storage space you get with the seats upright. The only problem is that the loading lip is a bit too high. There is decent storage in the cabin too. I made good use of the box between the front seats to store my toll receipts and loose change neatly; it even works as an elbow rest. The bottle holders in the front doors are large enough to hold big bottles with ease.

At The Back: Rear seat offers excellent comfort and is a good place to be.

My stint with the Creta has been one without any hiccups, and I guess that’s down to the reliability that comes with the brand name. The running cost wasn’t steep, either. The all-new, next-gen Creta has been now been launched. It looks stunning in its new avatar, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Hyundai, can we have one soon, please?