2025 marks a decade of excellence for the Hyundai Creta as India’s best-selling midsize SUV. And this is the year that also has us become a part of the eighth edition of Hyundai’s Great India Drive, which, over the years, has become an opportunity for us to explore India in a manner we’ve not done before. Heck, over the years the Great India Drive has become a celebration of everything that makes India unique. It’s something we’re always looking forward to, given how the Great India Drive allows us to club our passion for driving and road trips with exploration and adventure. This year’s Great India Drive saw us head to the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat for the first leg. Now, the Rann is a place that I’ve been to a few times before, and admittedly, it is one of the most unique places on the planet with its vastness and massive salt reserves.
And to experience the Rann and explore its desolateness, we had the entire line-up of SUVs from Hyundai with us this time, including the Exter, Venue, Creta, Alcazar and Tucson as well. But while all these SUVs impress immensely and have been doing well in their respective segments, it’s the Creta that is the most special of them all to me. It’s a benchmark in the midsize SUV segment with its comfort, tough build quality, premium interiors and features, but more importantly, it is one of the most successful nameplates and one that has been the highest selling product in its segment for the longest time! The icing on the cake was a unique opportunity at hand – getting to drive the petrol, diesel, N Line and Electric versions of the Creta together.
Being the newest, I chose to drive the Creta Electric first though, an EV that’s a classic example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. It takes the best bits from the current Creta – the same, affable design, well-appointed, premium interiors and long list of features and the excellent ride and handling – and combines these to an all-electric powertrain that impresses with its performance and range per charge both. The Creta Electric was also perfectly at ease on the undulated surfaces of the Rann, thanks to its 190mm ground clearance and well-tuned suspension that was letting make the most of my time behind its wheel without compromising ride quality. My seat time in the Creta Electric also had me think about how the EV is helping Hyundai start a new chapter in the SUV’s success story with its excellent packaging.
With an ARAI-certified range of 473km per charge, the Creta Electric makes you forget about range anxiety and on our drive, its electric motor was merely sipping juice from its 51.4kWh battery pack thanks to its excellent energy efficiency. This, while putting out 171PS, which also makes it the most powerful Creta yet. I also drove the diesel version of the Creta, besides the Creta N Line, another SUV that brings a smile to enthusiasts’ faces with its mix of strong engine performance, sporty handling courtesy the tuned suspension and steering and also the sporty exhaust note. Of course, the Rann is a very special place too, and never ceases to amaze with its beauty. It is vast and looks awe-inspiring, being a white salt desert that’s home to stunning landscapes and striking looking sunsets.
Once the sun goes down, it also turns into one of India’s best locations for star gazing. Before we bid adieu to the Rann we also drove across the ‘Road to Heaven’, a straight stretch of tarmac that cuts through the White Rann and looks stunning as you drive on an arrow straight road with nothing but a sea of white salt on either side. After the exploring the Rann’s desolateness it was time for the second leg of the Great India Drive, that would see me drive south into Maharashtra and close to the Sahyadri Mountain Range, making for a massive change in terms of the topography. The plan was to head to the city of Kolhapur, which is known for its rich culture and heritage, the lip smacking cuisine, but more importantly, the world famous Kolhapuri chappal, which even has its own ‘GI Tag’!
In case you didn’t know, Kolhapuri chappals are a rage internationally for their unique designs, and my plan was to explore the origins of this traditional form of footwear. But before that, I wanted to explore the city and learn a bit about its past, as Kolhapur is steeped in history and has also had a very important role to play in the Marathe empire. It might be smaller than several other cities in Maharashtra in size, but outshines a lot of larger cities in terms of cultural and historical importance. Driving to Kolhapur was also giving me a chance to experience the Creta’s versatility, as I had just driven it off-road across the Rann of Kutch, and was now bolting across a smooth highway in it. For this leg, I’d taken the diesel automatic version of the Creta, which is arguably the most popular one with buyers for its comfort, ease of driving and excellent fuel efficiency.
Driving to Kolhapur also made for quite a change in the scenery for me, as the vast and desolate Rann had been replaced by lots of greenery and mountains. I first drove up to the famous Panhala Fort which is just outside Kolhapur and is no less than a chapter in history pertaining to the Maratha Empire, being over 1,000 years old. In fact Panhala isn’t just a fort to say so, but is literally a town in itself perched at the edge of a plateau strategically, looking over a pass in the Sahyadri mountains that was part of a trade route in ancient times. The fort has witnessed several battles over the centuries and is also the one where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was besieged for about five months, before he made a daring escape.
At the fort I found myself on top of a hill, pretty much the polar opposite of the Rann of Kutch which is a sea and a vast expanse of nothingness, which is just a small example of how diverse our country is. I then drove into the city for what was my prime objective, learning about the footwear that’s put Kolhapur on the world map. Origins of the Kolhapuri chappal date back to the 12th century. The rulers back then encouraged local shoe makers to start making them and promoted them by wearing the chappals themselves. This centuries old tradition continues to be a mainstay for hundreds of families in and around Kolhapur even today and is an art that’s been passed on from generation to generation. More importantly, the chappals are made by hand entirely even today which makes them very special.
There’s a bustling street in Kolhapur that’s famous as the market for Kolhapuri chappals, and one that’s lined with nothing but shops selling the footwear in hundreds of designs and patterns, for men, women and kids too. A lot of hard work goes into handcrafting each pair as we found out by visiting local artisans. The process is spread across stages like it would in a factory, with different families taking care of different parts of the chappals, be it cutting the leather into the desired shape, braiding the straps, colouring them or making intricate designs on the chappals using embellishments. It’s all hand work with no machinery involved, which is what makes Kolhapuri chappals so special, and a much sought-after pair of footwear given.
So be it exploring the Rann of Kutch or the origins of the Kolhapuri chappals, this year’s Great India Drive brought a smile to my face. As it has previously, the Great India Drive helped me realise yet again that there’s so much more to explore in our country than I have been able to. And making this year’s drive extra-special was the Hyundai Creta, an SUV that’s a benchmark in itself. Most buyers might use it largely on tarmac and in city, but the Great India Drive also helped me realise it is an SUV that’s never shy of treading off the beaten path to have you do more.
