The compact SUV market has become one of the most competitive yet interesting playing fields to watch. With various companies trying to create the ideal car and hope that it’ll be one step ahead of its competitors, the new Hyundai Creta has landed with a sheek facelift that has all the right curves in all the right places and an engine that screams
“yes, let’s GO!”
As a firm believer of compact SUV’s and an avid driver of such, the new Hyundai Creta spoke a different language to me, compared to the other mini SUV’s I have driven. For starters, the illusion that you are in a compact SUV is completely dismantled as soon as you step into the Creta. In all honesty, there’s really nothing compact about it. It has a slightly “bigger” built and it firmly stands its ground in any parking lot. Once I switched on the ignition of the 1.6 diesel engine, I immediately knew that I was in for quite a ride.
For a person who lives in their car, space and comfort are quite important to me. In the new Creta, it felt like I was living in a spacious 2 bedroom and 1 bathroom apartment with wide windows to let all the natural light in. They’ve really outdone themselves with the driver’s seat, very supportive, with comfy sides to provide support to both the upper and lower back. The big, wide windows offer you perfect visibility regardless of where you position your seat. In essence, you’re constantly aware of the ends of the car and all the surroundings at all times.
One of my gripes with Hyundai in general, is the quality of the sound system. Anyone who has ever driven next to me knows that I am constantly in a music video with my speakers on the highest volume. If I can still hear my voice, the music is not loud enough and in the instance of the Creta, I could even hear myself think at some point. The new Apple Car Play feature is perfect though, and the touchscreen pretty straightforward to operate. There’s an interesting feature where the front speakers lower the volume when you receive directions from your GPS app, while the back speakers continue doing their thing. Smart!
I’m not giving you any ideas, but, if you were wondering if the boot could comfortably fit in a 28-year-old bearded fella… the answer is, yes it can. With an ample amount of space, you’re able to load about 3 middle-sized travel suitcases and paint the town red while you drive off into the sunset. Now that’s a very important feature for someone who completely adores xploring new places with people. After having the car for five full days, I kept wondering why the fuel tank just refused to move. I since learnt that fuel efficiency was a winner with the Creta.
I must add though, it’s quite loud when you want to pull off a quick overtaking manoeuvre on the road, especially when you step on the accelerator for that quick boost. The steering wheel can be a little rigid and daunting at first, but once you make yourself at home, everything seems to work just right.
After having driven few other cars, I was a little let down by the way the car sensors work. At some point, it felt like the car didn’t have front sensors at all. Compared to a standard VW T-Cross, that immediately screams as you approach any object, the Creta is completely blasé and indifferent to its surroundings. Maybe it’s just more peaceful? I guess. The visual display is blurry as you reverse. Yes, I know I can be a snob, but it really gave me a VGA camera feel as I tried to alley dock into tight spaces. Don’t judge me.
All in all, I enjoyed my fun with the new Creta. I love the fact that it no longer looks like the typical box on wheels. It has a softer appearance and performs beautifully. I’d definitely recommend it to the young family mom or dad or the spontaneous traveller who always has a suitcase and a dog in the backseat.
Model & Pricing
- Creta 1.5 Premium (manual) – R 374 900
- Creta 1.5 Executive IVT – R 429 900
- Creta 1.5 Executive IVT (2-tone) – R 434 900
- Creta 1.5 Executive Diesel (automatic) – R 469 900
- Creta 1.5 Executive Diesel (automatic) – R 474 900
- Creta 1.4 TGDI Executive DCT – R 484 900