Can Hyundai's Creta give Scorpio, Duster and Terrano sleepless nights?

Hyundai's Creta has been quick to garner praise as comfortable, feature-rich compact SUV. But can it give the Mahindra Scorpio, Renault Duster and its sibling, the Nissan Terrano sleepless nights?
Hyundai has gained a repute for giving its competitors a run for their money in every segment it enters. The Korean car maker launched the Creta, its compact SUV last year, aiming squarely at the Renault Duster and Nissan Terrano, and considering its price, the Mahindra Scorpio. Is it a threat to these SUVs then? The Creta seemingly takes the game up a notch with its car-like comfort and elaborate feature list, but its competitors have been on sale for long around and have carved their own niches. So, to keep matters on an even footing, let's take into consideration the manual transmission-equipped top end diesel variants of these SUVs. The Duster is the only all-wheel drive SUV here, but just to remind, the Nissan Terrano is mechanically identical to the two-wheel drive Duster. If size and presence matter the Scorpio is the most impressive SUV here and also the only seven seater.






The Duster and Terrano look similar except for details like headlamps, alloy wheels and tail lamps and both are five seaters. With its projectors and LED DRLs the Creta looks and feels more desirable than the two, has the best interior and also scores big on comfort. The Scorpio looks like a typical SUV, and misses out on the youthful feel of the Creta's design. The Creta has the smallest boot though with a volume of just 410 litres. With its rear seats folded the Scorpio can gobble up the most luggage while the Duster and Terrano offer 475 litres, again higher than the Creta. So the Creta may be the best looking SUV here, but doesn't offer the luggage space that these 'typical' SUVs offer.





It claws back advantage in terms of features and equipment though, getting a host of features the others don't. For instance, the Duster and Scorpio both get touchscreen infotainment systems like the Creta, but their units aren't as user friendly as the Hyundai's. The Terrano on the other doesn't even get a touchscreen unit and lacks the upmarket feel of the Creta.




The Creta also gets automatic climate control, a feature the Scorpio gets too, while the Duster and Terrano don't. The Creta also has six airbags, the highest in this company, apart from rear AC vents, something the Terrano and Scorpio offer too, but not the Duster anymore. In terms of exterior features the Scorpio betters the Creta though, with features like automatic headlamps, automatic wipers and a tyre pressure monitoring system.





The Creta's 1.6-litre CRDi engine is sourced from the Verna, and develops 128PS and 265Nm of torque. Tuned primarily for city driving, the Creta's diesel engine is the most suited for city driving, while also being the quietest of the lot, another aspect that buyers wanting a car-like SUV look for. The engine is mated to a slick shifting six-speed gearbox with a light clutch and well spread out ratios, meaning the Creta is a lot more suited to city driving than the Duster, Terrano and the Scorpio with its car-like feel.





The rest of the pack feel more suited to open roads, but the Creta feels equally good to drive on highways if not better. The Scorpio has the biggest engine here and offers the highest amount of torque, with 280Nm on offer. The Duster and the Terrano sport the same 1.5-litre mill producing 110PS and 247Nm. The engine has a strong midrange and responses are quick despite the lower output compared to the Creta, meaning the Duster and Terrano are almost as quick if not quicker than the Creta.






Its heavier weight aside, the Scorpio also has to make do with a five-speed gearbox, while the Creta, and the others for that matter use six-speed transmission. The Scorpio is a lot heavier too, which has it lose the advantage of its higher outputs. In comparison to the Creta's likeable gear ratios, the Duster AWD has a short first and second gear which is annoying in city, and its clutch is heavier too. Same goes for the Terrano but the Nissan still manages to offer better drivability in city. In terms of refinement the Creta's engine is the smoothest, followed by the Duster and Terrano, while the Scorpio is the last in this department due to vibration creeping in through the gear lever and steering wheel. The Scorpio's clutch lever has a long travel too, though it isn't as heavy as the Duster.





On smooth roads the Creta offers the most plush ride of all too, which is one of the reasons why it has been quick to gain popularity as a family SUV. The Duster and Terrano aren't far behind though, and enjoy good popularity on the front too. The new Scorpio, which feels well-balanced with a comfortable ride on its own, does not feel as comfortable though. This only goes to show how forward the game has been taken by the Creta, Duster and Terrano. That said, the Scorpio is the best to go over potholes and broken roads as you sit high above the ground in it, with some pretty rugged metal underneath.






On the highway the Duster feels a lot better than the Creta in terms of high speed stability and comfort at speeds, as the Hyundai begins to feel jittery as speeds go up. The Duster and Terrano both use the same hydraulic steering which offers excellent feedback and a more direct feel than the Creta's, which feels lifeless and a tad too light at highway speeds. The reason behind the same is the Creta using an electrical steering system that's been tuned to enhance ease of driving in the city. The city is where the Creta's light steering shines, making it the easiest to maneuver at crawling speeds or to park in a tight spot. In terms of handling, the Duster's surefooted feel has it surge ahead of the Creta, and the others as well. The Duster's independent suspension ensures body roll is controlled. Also, these SUVs are not exactly meant to go fast around corners, but when it comes taking a fast corner, the Duster feels a lot more planted and offers the best drive out of corners thanks to its all-wheel drive system. It is primarily a front wheel drive SUV, but power is also transferred to the rear wheels the moment the front wheels begin to lose traction. The Creta understeers and tends to run wide around fast corners in comparison. The Scorpio is the only rear-wheel driven SUV here, which helps it better the Creta in terms of handling.

Although still a few steps behind on the agility front, Hyundai has given the Creta commendable handling prowess. The steering weighs up around corners, and enabling better turn-ins. It's brakes also lack the bite of the Duster's which has the best brakes here.







Coming to efficiency, the Scorpio claims 15.4kmpl, while Hyundai claims a relatively lofty 19.67kmpl for the Creta. The Duster is on par, claiming 19.72kmpl, while the Terrano claims 19.01kmpl. So on the whole, it appears that the Creta is an SUV that you should look at if you drive primarily in city, with the occasional highway jaunt thrown in since urban driving is what suits the Hyundai best. Hyundai has in fact designed the Creta to appeal to buyers looking something that offers the space and practicality of an SUV without losing on the comfort and feel of a car. The crossover tag thus suits the Creta best given its virtues. It may lose out on high speed stability and ride quality on bad roads with its soft suspension setup, but it has the best set of features and equipment here, which is what most buyers in this segment want, more than anything else.




If you are an enthusiast, the Duster AWD is still the SUV to buy among this group, and if you want ruggedness buy the Scorpio but if you want a bit of everything the Creta is the SUV to look at. If it's got any shortcomings they are certainly miniscule, and the positives are of the highest order like high quality interiors, long list of features, smart styling, excellent engine and good ride quality. It is our pick of the bunch here.

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