Complete Guide on Buying a Hyundai Creta

The Hyundai Creta is one car that, quite literally, popularised the compact SUV space. Several SUVs were launched before and after it, but the Creta was instrumental in shifting the focus away from sedans. The second generation Hyundia Creta can fulfil multiple roles. It can be a great everyday city car, or an able companion for highways. 

And, if you get into the mood for some fun in the twisties, the Creta can dial it up a notch and feel quite reassuring  in corners. So, if you’re looking at the Hyundai Creta to be your next car, here is everything that you need to know about this compact SUV to make the right decision.

Hyundai Creta specifications

Why should you consider the Hyundai Creta?

As we mentioned earlier, the Hyundai Creta ticks many of the right boxes when it comes to choosing the right car. But, what makes it so versatile? And why can’t other SUVs match the Creta in terms of overall experience? Well, for starters, it has an extensive powertrain and variant list. The permutation combination covers almost every buyer criterion making it unbeatable. Secondly, the Hyundai Creta is quite feature-packed. 

Powertrain and Variant combinations

Hyundai offers the Creta in multiple shades, and we are not talking about colours here. There are three engine options to pick from, two petrol options and one diesel. They come with multiple transmission options, all of which serve a purpose of their own. These Creta powertrains spread across multiple variants. All of this gives the end-user, that is the buyer, a lot of combinations to choose from. 

The Creta with its three powertrains can be sedate, exciting or frugal, depending on what you pick. The multiple variants on top of that allow budget conscious buyers to pick the right set of features, one’s they will need for their everyday drive experience. Ultimately, the Hyundai Creta offers a variety of choices for car buyers.

Feature list

If there’s one thing we all expect from Hyundai, it’s the abundance of features. This has been a hallmark trade of the Korean carmaker over the past decade, and with the Creta, they’ve seriously upped the ante. If you sit inside the fully-loaded top variant of the Creta, the experience of the panoramic sunroof, huge screens, drive modes, electronic parking brake, and other features simply blow you away. 

Not very long ago, these were all features that were exclusively the domain of luxury cars. And, it’s not like other cars at the same price don’t offer these features. But, with the Creta, Hyundai has simply bundled all the features you could possibly want into one car.

Performance

With the latest-gen Hyundai Creta, the Korean carmaker has taken a step forward in the performance department as well. Their powertrains were always full of punch and left you reeling with excitement, but it was always the handling setup that left you wanting for more. With the latest-gen Creta, Hyundai has taken positive strides in that area as well. The chassis of the Creta feels well-balanced, and the steering too feels a lot more direct than before. And, the good thing is, there are a bunch of safety features such as ESP to keep your excitement in check.

Why shouldn’t you consider the Hyundai Creta?

There’s not an awful lot that’s wrong with the car as it’s such a good all-rounder, but there’re a couple of issues that could end up deterring buyers. For starters, the looks of the Creta can be a little polarising. The over-the-top front- and rear-end designs can end up feeling a bit in your face. Secondly, the running costs of certain variants can feel a bit unruly depending on your driving style. So, before you sign that cheque, here’s what you should look out for.

Polarising looks

You either love it, or hate it, but there’s no in-between. The Creta’s sharp lines at the front and back that make up the headlight cluster and tail lamp cluster can get too heavy on the eyes at times. If you love it, well, good for you. However, if you are on the fringe about this design, know this, because of all the intricacies in the design, it might not age well.

Running costs

This doesn’t apply to all the powertrains, but we want to talk about the turbo-petrol version of the Creta in particular. It has the potential to be quite quick, but if you like to keep that right foot of yours buried on the throttle all the time, the turbo-petrol has a tendency to be quite thirsty. With the rising costs of petrol, it can become a bit difficult to keep up with the fuel bills. Therefore, if you drive everyday in heavy traffic or frequently like to go corner-carving to your nearest twisties, we suggest you re-do your fuel calculations before committing to the turbo-petrol Creta.

Hyundai Creta Variants

Hyundai offers a great mix of variants when it comes to the Creta, which is a great plus point for the SUV as well. Moreover, Hyundai offers more frugal powertrain options for the lower variants whereas the more pricey ones have been reserved for the top variants.

Best Hyundai Creta Variant to Buy

If you are looking to pick the smooth and calm 1.5-litre petrol engine, we recommend the manual version in the SX variant. It not only offers better value-for-money, but it’s the most easy to drive as well. If you want the turbo-petrol version, then go for the SX (O) variant as it offers the full spectrum of bells and whistles. In the case of the diesel-manual, the SX variant once again makes the most sense because of its low running cost and low up-front price as well. As far as the diesel-auto combo goes, we’d recommend the SX (O) variant as that’s the least expensive version to feature this powertrain, and is quite well loaded as well.

Summary

All-in-all, the Hyundai Creta is a well-rounded option like many other Hyundai cars and SUVs, and it has the potential to meet most new car buyers’ needs. On top of that, the Hyundai Creta has good brand presence, a good resale value and the service network is spread out in all corners of the country. All of this only makes it easier to recommend the Hyundai Creta.