Hyundai Creta 20,000 KM Ownership Review

Hi, I’m Aman, graphic design lead at Carhp.

I’ve been driving the Hyundai Creta 1.5 Petrol IVT for over a year and a half, having covered around 20,000 km, driving mostly around my office at Udyog Vihar. I also took it to my home in Lucknow, around 500 km away (an 8-hour drive!) under peer pressure when me and the boys were planning a break but couldn’t come up with something truly adventurous.

Here is what I learned from driving the superstar of the car world for about 20,000 kilometers.

Why I Chose the Creta 1.5 IVT

In early 2024, I was ready to upgrade from my previous car, a 2015 Creta Petrol. You might be wondering, “Why go from a Creta to another?” My experience with the old Creta had been so good that it was hard to resist going for the new one.

 I work in a place with about 900 employees, so getting my hands on the Grand Vitara, Seltos, and Thar was just a matter of asking nicely.

The Grand Vitara was mighty impressive when it came to ride quality. The comfort and refinement were top-notch and the space was only a tiny bit less compared to the Creta. The deal breaker for me was the immediate lack of power I noticed and Maruti’s not-so-engaging automatic. The interior wasn’t doing it any favors either and felt like a budget bargain.

Kia Seltos is Creta in every way, but when I decided to purchase mine a couple of years back, the panoramic sunroof was not an option. I have an extended family, and a couple of kids from my sister’s side really wanted it, so Seltos was out too.

Then came the comedy that is the Mahindra Thar. Extremely unimpressive ride, hatchback-like interior, 5 kmpl average mileage. Not to mention the lifelong stain of “couldn’t afford the Jeep Wrangler.” To be honest, I just drove this one for fun ☺️

After numerous test drives and visits to dealerships around Moti Nagar, I finally decided to fall for the old favorite again despite being fully aware of its very unfortunate 3-star safety rating.

The first look of the facelifted Creta was unforgettable. Deep Hyundai Moti Nagar had the Dark Edition on display, which looked like a damn Batmobile. The huge front and chunky grille gave it immense road presence (at least from the front), and the all-touchscreen infotainment/gauge cluster felt like something from the Mercedes lineup. 

I was pretty stunned by its responsiveness with no lag or jitters you would expect from every other car out there. Buying the car was seamless. 

 The SX tech had 3 key things I was looking for. Since most of my commute was heavily city-based, an automatic gearbox was a must. A killer sound system and a panoramic sunroof were things missing from my last Creta, and I was ready to splurge on them.

I drove it home in under a month for roughly ₹18 lakh on-road after negotiation. They included free floor mats and a car cover. I also got a deal on the extended 4-5 years 120k warranty, which was around ₹20,000.

From the first drive itself, the car felt solid and well put together, just like the first-gen model. The doors closed with a satisfying thud, which my previous Creta did not offer, at least not to this level. The bonnet, which I lifted to satisfy the engineering nerd inside me, felt like something only Thor could lift. Such heft meant Hyundai really made this one like a tank.

The Looks

I love the fact that Creta only looks imposing from the front while the rest of the car is just like a mid-segment SUV. The slightly redesigned rear-end with the connecting taillamps lends it great road presence too.
The overall design of the car is a massive upgrade over the version it replaced, which I was not a big fan of, to say the least. My family was against black color due to some religious conflicts.

I settled and chose the SX Tech variant in Grey color as my last one was a brilliant white and wanted to try something more understated this time around 

The 17-inch alloys were a bit of a concern as I do like to eke out every bit of mileage when I can. But that wasn’t the case here, more on that later. After a couple of weeks, I immediately got a set of mats and headrest covers from Amazon sales and spent about ₹50,000 on a full PPF.

This is one of the most common questions I get from my office pals:

How comfortable is it?

Look, I’ll be honest. The Grand Vitara, XUV700, and Nexon are all pretty good when it comes to ride quality, but all three of them lacked the “premiumness” that Hyundai has put in the Creta. Sure, there are less-than-ideal materials used around lower dash and lower doors, but even they are of high quality.

The seats are very comfortable. Even during my 8-hour drive to Lucknow, I never felt any kind of lower body ache or strain. Once I placed the steering wheel right where I wanted, it was just a matter of point and shoot. The plasticky armrest that comes in the standard model was promptly replaced with a softer one I got from a local shop for around ₹2,200.

I’m 5’11”, and space in all forms is perfectly adequate for me. Rear seats are also good for anyone up to 6 ft tall sitting on either side. Above that, a bit of adjustment is needed. The thigh support, which I don’t know why everyone thinks is not important, is actually pretty good in the Creta.

Rear space accommodates three adults comfortably, though the middle spot is a bit tight on long rides due to the floor hump. The massive panoramic roof comes with a sunshade but is pretty useless in summers. On an off chance we go to Manali or Kasol, everyone except the driver has been known to enjoy the scenery.

I’ve never been a big fan of using my phone in my car. But my TL, who occasionally borrows it for quick getaways, has been pretty annoyed by the lack of wireless CarPlay. However, he had some really positive feedback about the Bose sound system. The bass is pretty good and there is no rattling noise from anywhere even at 70-80 percent volume

1.5L is smooth but lacks the pep

The 1.5L naturally aspirated petrol engine produces 115 hp and 144 Nm of torque, paired with the IVT, which is basically Hyundai’s fancy name for CVT. City driving is effortless. Since the 1.5L petrol engine is best suited for relaxed drives and cruising, quick overtakes require planning, and high-speed overtakes (beyond 80 km/h) on highways demand patience.

On inclines, though, I have to switch to Sports mode. I don’t know why, but this Creta feels a bit sluggish compared to my old-gen Creta despite having similar engine specs. Maybe it’s the lack of sense of speed or some kind of weird placebo in play, but the word of the day when driving the Creta is patience. The engine does not like to hustle.

Fuel efficiency ranges from 7–9 km/l in heavy city traffic with AC on, improving to 13–14 km/l on open roads under 100 km/h. I use XP95, which costs around ₹102 per liter in Gurgaon. It has some cleaners mixed in. E20 is not an issue here as my car was made in late 2023.

The Creta’s basic but solid suspension absorbs Gurgaon’s massive potholes well. The trick is to take them as slowly as you can. Try speeding through and the shocks will bottom out real quick.
Brakes offer confident stopping power with a predictable pedal feel.

Ground clearance is sufficient for every road out there but not for off-road adventures.

Has been reliable from Day 1

You need to do a service every 10,000 kilometers. I get a call well before from Hyundai as they do offer pick-and-drop service near Manesar. Costs have been reasonable, not exceeding ₹5,000 for basic maintenance. 

The dealership experience has been efficient, with no pushy upsells. For the first few kilometers my mileage was scary low, not more than 9-10, I thought something had gone but after 3k on the odometer and a couple of oil changes everything seemed A-OK and the Creta started returning around 13-14 on highways.. I use Shell 0w20, fyi not that standard factory issue stuff

Overall I would say creta deserves its hard earned top spelling sport. There are no major cons with this car whatsoever. I had to really scratch my head to find nitpicked stuff. Just be mindful od iVT habit of doing everything sedately.