My Hyundai Creta 1.5 petrol MT: 3,500 km ownership review

This review is from the perspective of a past Honda customer driving an Amaze 1.5L diesel. I had clocked 1.18 lakh km on its odo.

BHPian abhisekbit recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello everyone,

Let me share with you the initial ownership experience of my new car Hyundai Creta SX Executive 1.5 Petrol Manual post 3.5k kms on the odo. There are very few posts in the forum on the 1.5L Manual petrol and I thought of sharing my initial experience.

My previous car was a 1.5L Diesel Honda Amaze which I have driven for 1.18L km and hence the experience will be catered from the point of view of a past Honda customer driving a diesel car.

Last pic with the Amaze.

Let’s start.

Cons/Dislikes

I would like to highlight the pros/cons based on the price point and compared to my previous cars and the cars I rejected.

• No Telescopic Steering – Fortunately, I have got a good driving position without this, which was not there in my previous car. But still a miss in the price range.
• Missing Switch Illumination – Glaring miss, have to fiddle around at night, still have not used to the layout of switches.

• No Request Sensor in the passenger side door – Another “good to have feature” missed, Honda City has sensors on both the front doors. Immensely helpful if you want to put some bags in the front passenger seat without taking out the key.
• No Powered Tailgate or hands-free tailgate opening – Am I asking too much at this price point? But again Hyundai Verna which is cheaper than the Creta has this so why not.
• Hard Plastic in the door pads, no soft-touch material in the door armrest – Available in higher versions though but not in SX minus. Plan to do it aftermarket.
• Low-Quality Plastic in the centre console – Everyone is complaining about it. When you push it or press against it, it makes noise. Don’t know what will happen after 2-3 yrs. Makes me absolutely angry to think about this panel when other panels are of good quality. Why this miss or is it with the SX Executive version in which they had changed this panel.
• Lack of Low-End Torque in 1st and reverse gear (comparison with Diesel) – This is because I am used to the torque of the diesel engine. So here in 1st gear, you have to accelerate if you want to move ahead. Similarly for the reverse gear, if you are parking in a slope (like my garage), you have to hit the accelerator to get this moving back. Faced no such issues in my diesel Amaze.
• No Drama as No Engine Noise – This should be a positive feature. The engine is so so silent you can hardly hear it. Even when you rev you can hardly hear a thing. So basically I am missing the sporty engine note.
• No Automatic Day-Night IRVM (available in higher version) and No Automatic Wiper (though not a deal-breaker for me) – Day-Night IRVM should have been a must at this price point. Automatic Wiper – kind of ok I presume.
• No Mark for Petrol/Diesel on the Fuel Lid (I have removed the VIN sticker though) – Why? Should have had a label. I know it comes with a sticker in the rear quarter which mentions the version and the VIN and going by recommendation have removed this sticker.

DIY

• Headroom for taller passengers for the sunroof – My friends and family didn’t find any issues but taller (6 foot plus) people might have an issue with the headroom in the sunroof versions.

Pros/Likes

• Futuristic Design + Headlight + Taillights – It is quite a looker on the road. Excellent road presence, the DRLs look funky and the lights at night look futuristic. The car looks better in actual life than in print/digital. The design is surely polarising but looking at the sales figure I think people have generally liked the step up from Hyundai. The previous version was conventional and sticking to the same design elements might not have worked in 2020. Kudos to Hyundai for bringing something different. Again looks are subjective and everyone may not like it. The design has actually grown on me and others. Some pics from my last drive to Netarhat.

• Panoramic Sunroof – One of my prime factors in selecting the car and having loved every moment of it when opened (the shade remains open always). Recently I went to Netarhat and watching the Pine trees and the mountains was bliss. Surely a differentiating factor and a +1 over the Seltos in the same price bracket.
• Airy Cabin + Space – This is where Creta nails it. Lots and Lots of space, large windows with low window line and greige (white) interiors. Plus the large panoramic sunroof and you won’t feel claustrophobic.
• The front seats are large and supportive and supremely comfortable. It has decent under-thigh support in the front and good lumbar support. Can vouch for the driving comfort after the 1700km road trip where I hardly dropped a sweat or had discomfort.
• Rear seat has ample legroom and under-thigh support is also decent. The corner seats due to the ingress have low under-thigh support though.
• The armrest at the front does not slide forward but is at a good height and offers decent storage.
• Rear Seats have adjustable headrests and supremely comfortable pillows. But my better half concluded the fixed headrests in the Amaze to be better for sleeping by resting the head. Had to convince her that headrests are more of a safety feature rather than a comfort feature.

Fixed Headrest in Amaze

• Good Quality Dashboard + Superbly Visible Instrument Cluster – The dashboard design is simple and elegant. Not as busy as the Seltos, it provides good ergonomics and visibility outside. All hard plastics though but the plastic quality is good and feels durable (except the gear console panel). The white portion behind the steering wheel seems to have a bit of reflection but not to the point of annoyance or I have just got used to it and ignore that in my view-line.
• Now in this version, you get the analogue instrument cluster and boy oh boy, it’s elegant. I was initially cribbing about the lack of digital cluster but this looks simple, readable and fantastic at night. Visibility is superb at day and night. Recently I came across a youtube video where the analogue cluster could be replaced with a digital one as in SXO for 27k with all functions working. Looks like everything is plug and play in this car. PS: My 5-year-old son has found a defect in the instrument cluster. Why does it show the animation of the SXO version (because of the diamond cut alloys) instead of SX executive? I guess Hyundai also did not think of it or anyone else noticed it.

Drive experience – Supremely Refined Engine, Smooth Gearshifts, Light Clutch and Braking

• 1.5L Petrol NA: Here is what the apprehension started. Is the 1.5L good enough, powerful enough? Before buying, I scanned a lot of Youtube videos and TeamBhp posts but there was a lack or less of information on this engine. Some said it’s underpowered and here are my thoughts on it.
• The engine is supremely refined. Refinement levels are at a different league altogether, you can hardly hear the engine even if pushed beyond 3k rpm. What you hear is tyre and wind noise and it can effortlessly clock 100kmph +.
• The engine is very tractable and does not get fazed by higher rpm and lower speed. You can even stroll around at 25-30kmph at 6th gear without the need to downshift. Even at speeds of 120+ at 6th gear the engine does not feel stretched whatsoever and rpm is at 2k-2.5k. Never felt the lack of power in the 1700km road trip with 100-120kmph speeds and twisted inclines of Netarhat with a full load of passengers and luggage.
• It’s not rev-happy like Honda’s i-VTEC but rarely there would be any need to go past 4k rpm. It builds power in a very linear way and as it’s a NA there is no turbo lag.
• Coming from a diesel engine it surely lacks the torque and punch in the lower rev band. But things move quickly post 2k rpm and third gear. Pull in the third gear and things get peppy.
• The constant upshift reminder is annoying though and I still haven’t found a way to disable it. Every 10kmph it asks you to upshift.
• The 6th gear is a boon for cruising on the highway without sipping too much juice.
• To summarise, this engine is for those people who want a comfortable, relaxed drive in city or highway cruising at acceptable speeds and not pushing the limits of the machine. For the performance enthusiasts, I would suggest the Turbo Petrol or the Diesel with higher torque.
• Mileage: City – 11-12kmpl, Highway – 15-16kmpl. Cruise on the highway around 100kmph and 6th gear and you can extract 17kmpl +.
• Hyundai makes the smoothest manual gearbox and here is no different. The gears slot into place effortlessly and it’s an absolute joy to shift gears. (Though you do not need to shift often ). Coupled with a light low travel clutch it makes the driving absolutely effortless and comfortable.
• Really enjoyed the One Touch Cruise Control. It’s an absolute boon on the highways. What I enjoyed the most is the resume function where the car picks up the speed at an incredible pace.
• The 4 disc brakes work wonders, the brake bite is very good. Nothing to complain about.
• Remote Engine Start – Gimmick or what. This version doesn’t have the BlueLink Feature but you can start the car from the remote key and turn on the AC to get the cabin cooled. Haven’t quite used this, just used only for show off and demonstration purposes.
• Soft Suspension provides a cushiony ride over bad patches – Suspension is on the softer side which enables it to tackle the bad patches with ease. It glides over potholes and rough surfaces and you cannot feel a thing in the cabin or hear the suspension work. The suspension is stiffer than the previous generation Creta but softer than the Seltos. Being an SUV and soft suspension it does have a bit of a body roll in corners if tackled at a higher speed but since most of my driving would be in City, I feel the softer suspension is a better setup.
• Light Steering at low speeds, extremely good for cities, weighs up excellently at higher speeds. – Another thing where past Hyundai’s had a lot of critics. But the steering in Creta is definitely a step up for Hyundai. It’s light and easy at low speeds and weighs up extremely well on the highways. Tried to push it in cornering and the car was quite direct in changing direction. Definitely inspires confidence. No sloppiness in the dead centre.

These are my first impressions of the car. Things to watch out for is definitely the ASS from Hyundai. I will try to keep this post updated from time to time if something new/issue comes up.

Keyword: My Hyundai Creta 1.5 petrol MT: 3,500 km ownership review