Given its record sales numbers every month, it isn’t hard to deduce the fact that the Hyundai Creta is the most popular midsize premium SUV in India. And the past couple of months have confirmed that it is also the most popular long term test car in the TURBOCHARGED office! As you would recollect from previous reports, ours is the diesel manual version and the fully-loaded variant at that. This means we’ve made the most of its ventilated seats during peak summers, while not having to worry about burning too much fuel, even at standstill, given its phenomenal fuel efficiency! In fact I dare say, the Creta diesel is perhaps the most fuel efficient long term test car we’ve had in our fleet till date!
Heck, it’s been so easy on the wallet there have been days when I preferred driving the Creta to the IONIQ5 despite the latter’s even lower running costs. That’s because while the IONIQ5 is my absolute favourite from our current fleet in office, the Creta just feels special. Besides being ridiculously high on fuel efficiency which result in shockingly low running costs (you’re talking over 800km on a full tank), the Creta has a sense of occasion to it. I’m also digging the 2024 Creta’s updated design that helps it look sharper and sleeker. I’ve been told a couple of times that it looks a lot like the Venue now given the boxier design, but personally, I really like the new design from end to end.
More importantly, I also spent a lot of time driving the Kia Seltos diesel last year. But while the Seltos feels sportier to drive thanks to its suspension setup, the Creta feels impeccable on the ride quality front. It has a very plush feel to it, whether you’re driving it in city or on the highway, adding further to its likeable manners. Overall, the Creta (besides the IONIQ5!) is my current pick of the lot of cars in office, for a range of reasons.
