Comparison: Hyundai Creta vs Kia Seltos

Two of the closest and most successful SUVs in the Indian market are the Hyundai Creta and the Kia Seltos. So much so, that they share the same platform, engine and gearbox options, thanks to Hyundai being Kia’s parent company. Both are in fact, very successful products and are not just mere rebadged vehicles. 

The Kia launched in August 2019, and it easily breezed past its competitors, dominating the whole SUV market for these past few years. The new generation of the Creta also arrived at the same time, allowing it to continue dominating its segment. Now, the Kia is back in a new avatar and would look to put on a stronger fight against the Hyundai. This would eventually turn out to be a spicy battle between these two stalwarts, and we look in detail how these SUVs fare against each other.

Hyundai Creta vs Kia Seltos: Dimensions

As expected, both these cars edge out closely when it comes to overall size and dimensions. The new Seltos, now 50 mm longer, is just marginally bigger when it comes to overall length, width and height. Both the SUVs share the same wheelbase, have ample 433 liters of boot space and an adequate ground clearance of 190 mm. 

Both these cars are unique in terms of their design language. The Creta features more flowing lines with an upside-down headlight setup, a large, imposing grille with vertical slats and a complex LED tail light setup. The overall design seems quite polarizing and it divides opinion among consumers. This brings us to the Seltos with the refreshed design, which has a much sharper language, quite opposite to that of the Creta. Like the Hyundai, it gets quite a complex headlight unit, but a sleeker grille, which gives it a butch look. The sleek tail light setup adds to the sportiness of the Seltos as well. Overall, the new Seltos is well proportioned and is the better looking SUV out of the two.

Hyundai Creta vs Kia Seltos: Engine and Transmission

Equipped with the same engine, gearbox and running gear, you would expect the Creta and the Seltos to offer identical performances, but there are a few subtle differences. Starting with the performance, both these SUVs offer strong acceleration from low down, thanks to the injection-turbo engines that put the power through the front wheels. 

The duo comes up really close in terms of acceleration, with the Seltos achieving a 0-100 km/h time in 9.72 sec, marginally edging out the Creta, which does it in 9.81 sec. However, the difference is quite marginal, and wouldn’t be noticeable. Still, in overtaking situations, the Creta feels slightly quicker, likely due to the difference in the gearboxes’ software calibration.

Overall, the Seltos is a sportier choice, when it comes to driving dynamics, with the punchy steering and great cornering. The Creta, like most Hyundai’s, doesn’t give the same confidence, largely owing to the easy-going steering. It’s easier to maneuver around at low speeds and it has an added layer of absorption in its ride. Further, it easily soaks up bumps far better than the Seltos, adding to the comfort quotient for the rear passengers. 

So, while comparing them in terms of performance, it comes down to the user’s preference. The Creta does feel nimble and easy to use around the city, but the Seltos offers a livelier performance and a fun, engaging ride and wins this round with relative ease.

Hyundai Creta vs Kia Seltos: Features and Comfort

Both these SUVs come loaded with tons of equipment and although they both offer differing packages some better than the other, they still turn up very close. They offer several high-end features like cooled front seats, powered driver’s seat, 10.25 inch touchscreen, large color MID screen, connected car tech, wireless phone charger, ambient lighting, tire pressure monitor, six airbags, ESC and a lot more. 

The new Seltos offers a heads-up display, a 360-degree surround camera and includes less obvious bits such as front parking sensors, automatic wipers and telescopic steering adjustment, which the Creta misses out on. In fact, the latest Seltos has upped the game by adding new features such as the dual pane panoramic roof, halogen projector lamps, smart air purifier and a lot more.  

One will definitely be happy with the overall feature package these two SUVs offer and it does boil down to preference. However, the new Seltos leads the way here, simply because it was recently updated and has almost everything one could ask for. 

Hyundai Creta vs Kia Seltos: Safety Features  

Safety comes at a premium for both these SUVs, and they come with an attractive package. The Creta and the Seltos score a decent 3-star in the GNCAP rating, which could have been better, especially for a SUV in this range. They are equipped with safety features such as dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and rear parking sensors as standard. The new Seltos now has segment-first level-2 ADAS with 17 autonomous features, which is a big plus.

The Creta scores 8 out of 17 for adult safety, whereas the Seltos just scrapes past with a 8.03. They both provide adequate protection for the driver and passenger and they score lower for child safety. The SUVs have the scope for the addition of ISOFIX anchorages and three-point seatbelts for all the passengers as standard

Both the cars do marginally well in this segment but it is the Creta which has better passenger plus child safety and an all-round package and it takes this round.

Hyundai Creta vs Kia Seltos: Price Comparison 

Now, we take a look at the price range of the two SUVs. There are several variants for one to choose from both SUVs with different engine and gearbox options. In most variants, the Kia Seltos is marginally more expensive than the Creta. The base model of the Hyundai Creta starts at Rs 10.87 lakhs and goes all the way upto Rs 19.20 lakhs. The Kia Seltos on the other hand, starts at Rs 10.90 lakhs and goes all the way upto Rs 20.00 lakhs. Both offer reasonably good options and it is difficult to differentiate between the two SUVs here.

Summary

If the Kia Seltos is the sporty badass, the Hyundai Creta is the distinguished gentleman. They are comfortably two of the country’s best-selling midsize SUVs, so one is definitely picking a great car no matter what is the choice. The duo is aggressively priced given that both cars come with great performance and packed with features. Keeping that in mind, it comes down to personal choice yet again. If one wants a sportier package with great performance, the Kia Seltos is the clear choice. If one is looking for a classy, luxurious all-rounder, the Creta makes more sense.

The new Kia Seltos is clearly more fun behind the wheel and does it with little compromise in other areas. But, with the recent tweaks and upgrades, the Hyundai Creta might just edge ahead with the better package. With its smoother drive, better passenger comfort and good safety, its appeal extends to a wider range of SUV buyers. So, the Hyundai Creta, the king of the midsize SUV segment takes back the crown, but this time it’s just by an inch, rather than a mile.