When opposed to its predecessor, new 2024 Hyundai Creta facelift comes off as a radically better product with upgraded equipment and revamped interiors
Creta’s design peaked with the facelift of the 1st generation model and split opinions with the 2nd gen model. The new Creta facelift is here to fix that and it looks much better than before. But design has never been Creta’s forte. What is, is its packaging. Hyundai has launched 2nd gen Creta facelift starting at Rs. 10.99 lakh (ex-sh) and it is India’s best-packaged vehicle on sale for mainstream car buyers.
2024 Hyundai Creta First-Drive
The new Hyundai Creta facelift is an automotive journalist’s nightmare because you can’t fault it for anything. There is nothing that this car does wrong. There are no deal breakers at all. It just delivers on all fronts. That is a reason why Creta sells the way it does. For 2024, Hyundai has perfected this winning recipe even further by adding missing pieces of the puzzle making it even more complete than before.
First thing that catches your attention is an all new design which is an evolution, rather than a revolution. ‘Sensuous Sporty’ design language makes Creta look a lot bolder than before. Overall design is now squarish and edgy. Pictures don’t seem to justify the increased road presence. Car definitely looks more prominent in the mettle.
Main design highlight of 2nd gen Creta facelift is the new fascia. There is a more pronounced split between headlights and new ‘Horizon’ LED DRLs. Speaking of, DRLs are connected by a sleek light bar, flanked by dual inverted-L-shaped signatures. Turn indicators are now LEDs and get sequential function lending an upmarket look. Parametric grill is larger and bolder for an imposing appeal.
2nd Gen Hyundai Creta Facelift exterior design
Hyundai logo is still on the grill, unlike the company’s recent launches. ‘Quadbeam’ LED Headlights are housed in squarish housing. There are no fog lights, though. So, there’s no cornering lights function too. Multiple blackened elements reduce the car’s visual bulk and make for an athletic look. Large silver faux skid plates on fascia add the necessary beef. Bonnet now gets sharper creases and character lines too, for a muscular appeal.
In profile, new Creta gets the least number of updates as it is just a facelift and not a generational upgrade. That said, there are new alloy wheels that are still 17 inches. 18-inches would have looked dapper on the new Creta. A Knight Edition or maybe an N Line model in the future will pack 18-inch alloys. At the rear, Hyundai has added new ‘Horizon’ LED connected taillights that have sorta become mandatory in the Indian automotive market. These inverted L-shaped LED signatures mimic Horizon DRLs at the front. Also mimicking the front, are rear silver faux skid plates.
Interior changes
On the Inside, we can see a major overhaul with the new Creta. For starters, there is an all-new dashboard that has dual-tone, as well as layered effects. The love affair with hard plastics continues. However, these aren’t cheap and scratchy plastics, in any way. They have a refined feel to them. There are soft-touch elements on door pads and armrests for a cushy feel.
Leatherette material used on the top-spec SX (O) trim feels rich and has a nice premium feel to it. AC vents, centre console, climate control panel, gear selector and other interior elements are all new. In the grand scheme of things, however, these details are easily missed. Because the massive twin-display setup on the dashboard grabs all the attention. These horizontal Curvilinear displays are slightly curved and are 10.2 inches each, one for infotainment and the other for instrumentation.
New infotainment experience
New ‘Virtual Cockpit’ instrument screen is particularly impressive, especially when opposed to the pre-facelift model. Functionalities of this instrument screen can be compared with Seltos. It shows all the necessary vehicular readouts along with Blind-View Display and ADAS-related information. Steering-mounted controls feel good to operate and lend a premium appeal. Left-side steering buttons are audio controls along with call controls when connected to a smartphone and right-side steering buttons are for Cruise control and to cycle between various instrument display functions.
Infotainment screen is a 10.2-inch touchscreen unit with excellent touch response and crisp resolution and is run by a smooth, responsive and almost smartphone-like UI. Voice commands support 10 regional and 2 international languages for UI. Infotainment system also has 7 sounds of nature, onboard navigation, 1 year complimentary Jio Saavn subscription for audio streaming, 8-speaker premium Bose audio system with a subwoofer and more.
There are 70+ connected car features too, under Hyundai BlueLink with app support for smartphone. There is wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity along with a wireless charger, Type-C USB ports and 12V socket. Wireless charging pad for smartphones is present and Hyundai has added a magnetic pad on dashboard for magnetic accessories. Switches for ventilated seats are of toggle type.
Comfort & Ergonomics
Ergonomically, there is nothing to complain about. Driver’s seat is electrically adjustable and Hyundai offers tilt and telescopic steering adjustment to get the perfect driving position. Seats are wide, well-bolstered and offer a decent balance between comfort and support. At the rear, seating is comfortable for 2 adults and a child, but three adults can be squeezed in for a quick city incursion just fine.
Rear centre armrest, rear AC vents pamper rear occupants and rear sun shades prove to be an absolute Godsend, especially in sunny Jodhpur and Osian. Speaking of Godsend, we have ventilated seats in the front like before. Personally, I’m not a fan of sunroofs because I’m from India and this Asian subcontinent already has too much sun to crave for more while in the car.
But when the Sun is down, opening blinds of Creta’s panoramic sunroof forms a wonderful stargazing experience. Defeats the meaning of the word “Sunroof”, though. But it is what it is. Rear seats get a 60:40 split setup for practicality. Boot space is around 433L and is ample for most scenarios. Loading is not a chore and there is hardly any load lip for inconveniences.
Driving & Dynamics
The brief media drive event is not enough to judge a car’s performance, efficiency and dynamics. Centre of attraction with the new Creta, where powertrains are concerned, is definitely the new 1.5 Turbo GDI petrol engine, mated to a sole 7-speed DCT unit. This 1.5L turbo petrol engine develops 160 PS of peak power and 253 Nm of peak torque.
We didn’t get this particular new combo to test during the media drive event. However, the turbo diesel manual that was given to us, was a familiar one. It is the same old 1.5L unit that generates 113 bhp and 250 Nm. This is an impressive unit and the 6-speed manual gearbox was even more impressive as the ratios are well judged with more-than-adequate in-gear acceleration.
We have driven 1.5 GDI Turbo with other Hyundai / Kia cars and it is an impressive unit nonetheless. It has a lot of punch and vigour to go faster. Perfectly complementing this engine is a quick-shifting 7-speed DCT gearbox. Gear Shifts are practically seamless and the torque is spread out evenly to have linear acceleration and gust. Hyundai must be knowing its target demographic perfectly and hence 1.5 GDI Turbo Petrol is only mated to 7-speed DCT and only offered with top-spec SX(O) trim.
Dynamically, Creta hasn’t changed all that much. For a quick drive around the city, Creta can be a perfect companion by offering plush ride quality with commendable refinement and smoothness. Suspension and chassis setup are perfect for slow-speed bump absorptions and reasonable commute speeds. Creta wasn’t known to be a corner carver or have excellent high-speed stability. Maybe the new Creta has fixed that, but we didn’t get enough time with the car to thoroughly test it out.
Safety and equipment
New Hyundai Creta facelift has up to 36 safety features that are standard across trim levels including base E trim. Primary among these are 6 airbags, all-four disc brakes, ABS, EBD, ESC (Electronic Stability Control), HSA (Hill Start Assist), 3-point seatbelts for all occupants, seat belt reminders, pre-tensioner, impact-sensing auto door unlock, ISOFIX mounts, burglar alarm, immobilier, TPMS and the likes.
As you climb up the trim ladder, there are up to 70 safety features on offer with Creta facelift. Prominent among these are front parking sensors, 360-degree camera, blindspot view monitor, auto headlights, and the star of this show, Level-2 Hyundai SmartSense ADAS suite. Since we were given a manual variant, we couldn’t test all ADAS features.
The primary highlights for ADAS suite are forward collision warning and avoidance assist for vehicles, cycles, pedestrians and junction turning, blindspot collision warning and assistance, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, driver attention warning, blind-spot monitor, safe exit warning, adaptive cruise control, lane follow assist, high beam assist, leading vehicle departure alert, rear cross-traffic collision warning and avoidance assist, surround view monitor.
Conclusion
If you’re not living under a rock, you must be well versed with what Hyundai Creta is, and what impact it has on the Indian automotive market. Creta is Hyundai’s darling where sales charts are concerned. The car has been acing this segment since Inception and is expected to do so in the future. Addition of missing features, strengthening its safety proposition with the ADAS suite and revamping the interior should establish a better proposition.
Overall, the new Creta looks poised to take on the mid-size SUV rivals including Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun, Honda Elevate, Citroen C3 Aircross and its Kia counterpart Seltos. The pricing starts from Rs. 10.99 lakh (ex-sh) for base E 1.5 MPI MT variant and goes till Rs. 19,99,900 (ex-sh) for both SX (O) 1.5 Turbo DCT and 1.5 CRDi AT.
