Third report: It is great to drive in the city, but how does it perform on a 1,200km Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai journey?
From “The Perfect SUV” to “Undisputed. Ultimate.” The Creta’s positioning statements might seem pompous, but based on its stellar sales performance, Hyundai has every right to boast. Competitors have come and gone, yet the Creta continues to stand tall with demand growing from strength to strength.
A lot has been documented in our reviews and comparisons on the good and not-so-good bits of the Creta 1.5 Petrol IVT. So, in this long-term report, I’ll keep the focus on my Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai drive experience, a round trip of about 1,200km.
I started my journey at the break of dawn, and the fastest route suggested by the Creta’s on-board maps was NH66, commonly known as the “old Mumbai-Goa highway”. I had forgotten to carry my phone charger, and because the Creta lacked wireless smartphone integration, I had to rely on its in-built navigation throughout. I must say I was pleasantly surprised with its accuracy and the detailed guidance it provided. I particularly appreciated it when it clearly suggested whether I had to climb onto a flyover or go from below. How did I manage to charge my phone? Well, its wireless charger had me covered.
On-board maps are surprisingly accurate and even get detailed guidance.
With light traffic and some newly laid roads, I managed to keep the average speed high. However, the default ‘City’ mode felt a bit inadequate, especially on the winding uphill sections. Sport mode added more pep, with a sharper throttle response and the IVT gearbox keeping the engine spinning in a higher rev band. I must add that the engine doesn’t enjoy being driven hard, as it feels out of its comfort zone and sounds strained, though it does the job asked of it.
What I didn’t like was that in Sport, even the steering weight increases, which didn’t add any more feel but only added to the effort required. Also, keeping the transmission in ‘S’ mode wasn’t ideal, as it spun the engine closer to its redline, thus making it sound very boomy. Hence, my ideal setting on a highway drive is to keep the gearbox in ‘D’ and drive mode in ‘Sport’, heavy steering notwithstanding.
The SUV’s high-speed stability is good, and handling is predictable, but it rolls a fair bit; hence, sporty it isn’t. And over wavy surfaces, you can experience vertical movements more than in its Volkswagen or Skoda rivals. While the ride quality is generally good at low speeds, it hits sharp potholes in a rather jarring manner.
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Sharp potholes come through in a rather jarring manner.
What’s the fuel efficiency it achieved? With empty roads, Sport mode and an enthusiastic style of driving, the Creta returned a little over 9kpl. On the positive side, I reached Goa in just 9.5 hours, which included an hour’s worth of stops to refuel the car and myself.
However, for my return, I left closer to noon – a bad, bad decision. The journey on the NH66 felt starkly different in terms of traffic, and all the diversions I had sailed past on my way to Goa were suddenly clogged and seemed never-ending. As a result, average speeds were much lower.
Over the course of this journey, I got a chance to experience some other bits in more detail. For example, the Bose sound system is good, but I think Mahindra’s Sony, MG’s Infinity and Tata’s Harman speakers are noticeably better. Also, its rear speakers are noticeably softer, so the audio experience at the back is quite poor.
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A sliding armrest is missing in an otherwise well-equipped car.
The Creta’s lane assist works in an unobtrusive manner, giving you gentle feedback to stick to the centre of clearly marked lanes. Adaptive cruise control (ACC) works the smoothest when the distance between your vehicle and the one in front is set to maximum. However, once the vehicle ahead slows down and picks up speed, the Creta accelerates automatically to its preset speed very slowly.
The auto high beam assist worked like a charm, dipping the high beam upon detecting vehicles ahead. I wish the throw of its LED headlamps (in low beam) was better. Finally, for a car that’s ergonomically spot on, the non-adjustable armrest felt like a glaring oversight on Hyundai’s part. I would have preferred a sliding unit.
The journey to Mumbai was nearly 2.5 hours slower, but with a mix of City and Sport drive modes and much lower average speeds (52kph), the Creta’s fuel efficiency was around 12.5kpl.
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Powered, ventilated driver’s seat is comfy for long drives.
My highway drive reiterates that the Creta petrol IVT isn’t an enthusiast’s choice but is perfect for a majority of buyers who value its refinement, relaxed nature, interior comfort, and the sheer amount of features it packs in. This is reflected in its sales, too. The share of petrol variants in the Creta’s sales is around 60 percent, of which merely 10-15 percentare turbo-petrol (including N Line). And quite honestly, for its sheer well-roundedness, the petrol IVT is the one I’d recommend. Is it “The Perfect SUV”? Well, not quite, but it certainly comes very close.
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