In a sea of rival brands and models, does the Hyundai Creta have what it takes to stand out? From the get-go, it may not seem like Hyundai has the best specs when it comes to the engine or perhaps with regard to looks. Some people already swear by the look of this car while others may feel short-changed by it.
To us, the subcompact crossover segment is a rather hot one to be in at the moment especially if you are a brand like Hyundai wading into rather “shark-infested” waters. Other brands like Geely, GAC, and now even Toyota joined in on the fun. However, having sat in the Creta, there is hope for it yet in terms of standing out.
3.9 / 5
Performance
Engine Output (HP), Acceleration, Transmission, Handling 4.0/5
Engine Output (HP), Acceleration, Transmission, Handling 4.0/5
Design
Exterior & Interior Design, Quality, Fit and Finish, Ergonomics 4.0/5
Exterior & Interior Design, Quality, Fit and Finish, Ergonomics 4.0/5
Ride Comfort
Cabin Comfort, Suspension, NVH Insulation 4.0/5
Cabin Comfort, Suspension, NVH Insulation 4.0/5
Safety and Technology
Convenience Technologies, Active and Passive Safety Features 4.5/5
Convenience Technologies, Active and Passive Safety Features 4.5/5
Value for Money
Amount of the vehicle you get for the price, Fuel Efficiency 3.0/5
Amount of the vehicle you get for the price, Fuel Efficiency 3.0/5
What You Will Like
- Surprisingly responsive with its belt drive transmission
- Chassis and suspension feel solid
- ADAS system is well-sorted
- Cognac interior with good levels of refinement and solidity.
What You Won't Like
- Engine is capable but a little slow considering other rivals.
- Head unit had a few bugs with Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto
- Could have used more airbags.
- Quite pricey at its top-sped trim.
Exterior
As far as designs go, Hyundai’s on a roll with its cars. At this point, it seems like the brand can do little wrong in terms of catching your eye, but sparking a fire in your heart may be a subjective prospect. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a stylish package, and everything is well-built on the exterior front as most Hyundais tend to be anyway. You cannot deny that the Creta looks unique, rather striking, and chock full of details if you look closely.
Getting around the automobile, the grille gives you a Parametric Jewel design and that’s really the main highlight of the front-end. The headlights sort of fade into the background on the Creta, but the DRLs are integrated well and form a remarkable front clip. All lights in this top-of-the-line trim are LED, and the main beams are projectors which we found to be more than enough on our multiple journeys in and out of the city.
The other parts of the car also give a rather interesting vibe. Down the side, there are a few cuts and curves that give the side a bit more visual interest. Some of us aren’t fans of overly-done body cladding but the Creta wears its skirts well. The wheels come in at 17 inches and look fantastic on the side of the car. Ground clearance is at 200 mm which is plenty for in Philippine road conditions and a good chunk of change more than the other cars in its segment. Apart from that, the rear makes the Creta’s design a standout in our books. While other brands would go with joining the rear taillights together, Hyundai took a different approach and designed in a broken “boomerang” design that is striking. Is it good-looking, however? Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but if we were being honest, it’s a fair and decent job for a subcompact crossover. Good thing, however, that there are better things yet inside the Creta.
Interior
We understand that most Filipinos are fans of black interiors whether leather or cloth. For a daily-driven car, black leather just makes sense even if it does tend to look quite bland. However, we do feel that a good balance of warmth and longevity has been achieved with the dark brown leather found in the Creta. While red stitching is often the highlight of the interior in most other cars or any other bright color, Hyundai chose to go with a shade of brown that looks hardy and quite nice. The feel of the interior materials also does not disappoint as the plastics are sturdy, the seats are on the firm but supportive side, and the key touchpoints are good enough to bump into without you worrying about it, save for the copious amounts of glossy black plastics near the shifter.
Space is also good too, as the Creta’s front seats combined with the shape of the dashboard allow for an enveloping yet roomy driving or front riding experience. In the rear, we’re also satisfied with the head and legroom that the Creta provides. With taller individuals, fitting three may be a squeeze, but legroom is more than adequate for taller individuals. On the note of fitting a trio of people, the two passengers on the left and right sides will get proper three-point seatbelts, but the center passenger will have to make do with a lap belt. While we aren’t fans of fitting three people at once at the back of a small crossover like the Creta, the lap belt is a bit of a miss, but something that you might not use all the time anyway.
As for rear cargo space, with all the seats up you get 416 liters that can expand up to 1,384 L with the rear seats folded flat. As for the other bits and pieces in the cabin, you get a good number of charging ports for your passengers to plug into and those ports charge devices relatively quickly, you also get a good number of storage spaces and a relatively flat floor that doesn’t rob you of too much foot room.
All-in-all, the Creta is a bit different, in the sense that it seems like it has an interior that is classier than its rivals. However, we will admit that even we were a little split about the leather color, Cognac. It’s dark enough that it will probably age gracefully, but it’s still light enough to perhaps show some signs of wear over time. It’s not like the beige interior of the Tucson, however, but it’s still something to consider. However, the tradeoff is that you get a more welcoming color in the interior whenever you enter, so there’s that at least.
Comfort
Getting into your proper driving position will be a breeze as the Creta offers a good amount of adjustability from its front seats and its tilting and telescoping steering wheel is a big help. When rolling, the overall ride of the Creta is firmer than expected, but very controlled. The whole chassis felt dense but planted, and it was a nice feeling coming from a relatively lightweight car as well.
Over bumps and potholes, the car handled itself well with no huge intrusions reaching the steering wheel or the seats. The front suspension is a MacPherson strut while the rear is a torsion beam. Typical of the class, but well-executed in the Creta in our opinion. Noise vibration and harshness, however, are on the fair side of things. While it’s no sound-proof bubble, there were times when we felt the engine noise to be slightly noticeable, though it’s not enough to ruin any of our drives. On the highway, it was a typical well-mannered crossover, delivering quiet-enough highway miles with acceptable amounts of road noise and wind noise.
Technology
The instrument cluster is a 10.2-inch screen, and the infotainment system is an eight-inch unit that has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. These features alone make the price you pay worth it, and that’s not even counting the other advanced driving features in this car. The experience of interacting with the screens of this car is pretty straightforward, and it didn’t require any manual or Google to get the information, function, or setting that we wanted. However, we do have to mention that the infotainment system did give us a few bugs with regard to wireless phone pairing as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay did conk out on us a few times. At all times, however, the wireless charging function does work better than the wireless CarPlay and Android Auto features, we must say.
What’s really great about the Creta is that even as a subcompact crossover, it comes with high-end and advanced driving assist features. Hyundai Sense is on board and with it, you get a bunch of toys to play with and that also helps you keep safe. Adaptive cruise control is one of them and the system also allows for low-speed follow and also the additional benefit of lane keeping and more safety equipment.
Other good things about the tech features of this car include illumination, but it cannot be customized. Other than that, however auto hold, an electronic parking brake, and also enough USB charging ports that are about enough for the number of passengers that you may bring with you a drive.
Safety
The standard safety kit in the Creta GLS includes two front airbags, ABS, electronic stability control, hill-start assist, park distance warning, blind spot collision avoidance assist, forward collision avoidance assist, lane keep assist, lane following assist, high beam assist, driver attention warning, tire pressure monitoring, and even a five-star ASEAN NCAP rating.
It’s almost the complete package here, though we wished that Hyundai would have equipped it with more airbags on top of the advanced driving assistance features.
Driving
Getting out on the road with the Creta can get quite interesting if you’re comparing it with other crossovers. Some models in the market are good enough, but for some reason, the Creta feels a bit more solid in comparison. This could be due to the Hyundai High Strength Steel that is always advertised by the company, or the fact that the rigid sections of the frame are quite built and not flimsy in any way. Paired with the suspension setup (MacPherson Strut and Torsion Beam rear), the general description of the Creta’s first drive-out is strong and sturdy.
Then getting up to speed is also executed quite well. We’re no fans of CVTs, but Hyundai makes “IVTs,” or Intelligent Variable Transmissions. Without the marketing dribble, it’s going to be the same in how it works for the most part, but how it performs is another story. This transmission is more responsive compared to other CVTs we’ve been able to test, and it makes the 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine seem a bit bigger and a bit more powerful than it actually is from a standstill. In fact, it replicates a traditional automatic transmission to a certain extent which is great for traffic, and good for its drivability.
As for that engine, the 1.5-liter in the Creta produces 113 hp and 144 Nm of torque. If you do want to lock in the transmission and engine speed at a certain speed or engage the engine brake, we appreciated that it was decently quick to shuffle the gear ratios in the IVT, and there was a noticeable engine brake to boot. All-in-all, the engine and transmission combo is good and it proves that you don’t need trailblazing specs to deliver a competent drive as we’ve experienced. However, we will admit that the engine is quite lacking in the power and torque department especially since the Creta’s other rivals are indeed quite stacked when it comes to the grunt that they can deliver.
Fuel consumption
On the highway, we got up to 18.5 km/L and in the city, we were able to get 10 km/L. It’s quite good all things considered and considering that the 1.5-liter engine is not turbocharged, and the pep that it delivers, it’s a good deal for the most part.
The tradeoff of less power doesn’t mean that the engine is too overworked. In practice, it’s a good pairing with the transmission, and the fuel figures speak on the couple’s behalf.
Verdict and price
So at the price of P1,388,000, you might have to wonder if the Creta is worth it considering that other brands will happily sell you a car of the same segment for a little less. However, we do have to say that the refinement that you get in the Creta in comparison to the other brands does make up for some of its spec-sheet shortcomings. It’s by no means a top-tier, top-spec, top-trim trip machine that’ll knock your socks off, but it’s definitely something worth looking into especially if you are looking for a car that will deliver a competent experience in crossover form.
We do wish that the Creta had a bit more power considering its price tag. While it can perform well without a bigger engine, we’re just okay with the 1.5-liter engine found in this car. We’re just saying that the 1.5-liter shouldn’t be a hurdle when considering this car for daily driver material since it performs competently, but in a sea of turbocharged 1.4 and 1.5-liter engines, it’s a bit shy on Hyundai’s part if we’re being honest.
However, considering the refinement of the chassis, interior, and most of the features, we’d say that the Creta made a bit of a splash in our eyes, taking it to the rest of the segment with a competent car that could pose as a worthy competitor against the other hot crossovers at the moment. Does the Creta have the staying power to last in such a cut-throat segment, however? That remains to be seen, but we’re convinced that it has what it takes to make at least a dent in the segment.
Exterior Photo Gallery
Interior Photo Gallery
Specifications
Engine
1.5 LFuel Type
GasolinePerformance
113 hp @ 6,300 rpmTransmission
CVT-
Summary
-
Name Hyundai Creta 1.5 GLS IVT Body Type Crossover Price ₱1,388,000 Transmission Category CVT -
Engine
-
Engine Size 1.5 L Displacement 1,497 cc Number of Cylinders 4 Number of Valves 16 Transmission Type Intelligent Variable Transmission -
Performance
-
Drivetrain Front-Wheel Drive Max Output (hp) 113 hp @ 6,300 rpm Max Torque (nm) 144 Nm @ 4,500 rpm *estimated -
Economy & Environment
-
Fuel Type Gasoline Emissions Standard Euro 4 Fuel Capacity 40.0 L Combined Fuel Consumption 7.1 km/L *estimated -
Dimensions
-
Length 4,315 mm Width 1,790 mm Height 1,630 mm Wheelbase 2,610 mm Turning Circle 11 m Ground Clearance 200 mm Trunk Capacity 416 L Number of Doors 5 Number of Seats 5 -
Safety & Security
-
Driver's Airbag Front Passenger's Airbag Side Airbags Curtain Airbags Knee Airbag Auto Brake System Electronic Brake Distribution Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) Immobilizer Security Alarm Stability Control Electronic Door Locks Speed Sensing Door Locks ISOFIX Lane Departure Warning System Blind-Spot Detection System -
Features
-
Cruise Control Front Parking Sensors Rear Parking Sensors Leather Upholstery Push Start Button Wheel Size 17 in Wheels Metal Type Alloy (Two-Tone) Airconditioning System Auto Temperature control Entertainment System 8-inch Touchscreen Display Connectivity Apple Carplay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, and USB Navigation Ready Warranty 5 Years (200,000 km) Keyless Entry Roof Rack Sunroof Electric Adjustable Seats Power Steering Power Windows Power Outlet Steering Wheel Audio Control -
Technology
-
Active Park Assist Hill Start Assist AWD Modes n/a Tire Pressure Monitoring Heads-up Display Power Liftgate Start-stop System
Colors
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