Introduction

The roads traversed by the Creta in the last 1,300km were within the city limits from the suburbs of Mumbai to the busy commercial hub of Navi Mumbai. Most of this travelling involved a lot of traffic during peak hours. Here's how the SUV fared this month.

Driving comfort, engine and ride

Apart from sliding the seat in the spot where my right foot easily reached the brake pedal, I could also set it to a low position. Thanks to this height adjustment I could also set it up high from where I could easily see the bonnet. It helped get a fair idea of the far left edge of the bonnet especially while parking. The silent engine made me feel in sync with it; and I felt quite confident while delivering steady and even gentle throttle inputs. It’s no bother on the tarmac and in the tricky rough patches, the sense of connect that the Creta offers goes a long way in making one feel on top of things. Additionally, the 190mm ground clearance was good enough to clear the big bumps on the Mankhurd-Vashi road. However, it was a little difficult in identifying the point, just before which the brakes would lock in a panic situation. They offer low feedback, meaning I didn't know at times that I've braked too hard until the ABS kicked in.

Gearbox and fuel efficiency

The biggest blessing in the Creta is the automatic gearbox. The clutch-less shifts have brought in a lot of relief for my left leg (which would otherwise be busy when testing other manual test cars). The six-speed torque-converter paired to the 1.6-litre mill isn't the best combo out in the market, but it isn't bad at all. With a gentle tap on the gas pedal, the transmission starts shifting to higher gears early, focusing on achieving fuel efficiency. Also, a slightly harder tap and the gearbox shifts to a lower gear for the vehicle to catch up pace slowly. This showed the lack of the mid-range making me press the throttle hard or use the manual mode every time I wanted to make a quick overtake. However, I'm not complaining as the Creta managed to deliver 9.85kmpl despite the heavy stop-and-go traffic.

Infotainment and Navigation

In terms of functionality, the 7-inch touch screen AVN system is pretty good. The FM radio works very well and it’s easy to select different stations. It scans and plays channels without a fuss, and stores up to 10 presets. The same goes for the Bluetooth as pairing works smoothly. With an unlimited internet connection on my phone, I was always connected to online music if not the FM. The sat-nav system powered by Map My India is a smart system that also magnifies every turn on half of the screen. However, it is no match to Google maps with its live traffic feature.

Convenience and other features

The small key fob always remained in my pocket thanks to the keyless entry function that helped me slide into the cabin without much fuss. The automatic air-conditioning unit kept the cabin cool despite Mumbai’s sweltering heat. This SX version misses out on speed-sensing door locks, but still gets a lock/unlock button. Only, it becomes a task at night to find it as it isn’t illuminated like the power window button. Meanwhile, the reversing camera with sensors and guidelines offer superb help in parking the SUV in the tightest of spots.

Now the Creta is just waiting to take on the highways on its outings in the coming months. Stay tuned for our next report as we plan to go jaunting out of the city.

Pictures by Kapil Angane

Click here to read our First Long Term report of the Hyundai Creta