Update: Hyundai Creta launched in India at Rs 8.59 lakh
Hyundai Motor India’s new SUV will be called Creta and is set to be launched in India on July 21. The Hyundai Creta, previously rumoured to be called the Hyundai iX25, will share its launch month with Maruti’s new SUV, the S-Cross. With this, both auto manufacturers will enter the small SUV segment that is doing very well in India. Hyundai and Maruti are banking on their respective offerings to improve brand image in the country and drive sales.
However, once here, both cars could face stiff competition in the country. The new entrants will rival the Renault Duster — a vehicle that went on sale mid-2012 in India, and has recorded total sales of over 1,90,000 units ever since. The Duster was instrumental in turning around the fortune of Renault in India and placing the carmaker in the list of India's top 10 car manufacturers. Another rival is the Nissan Terrano, which is of course a rebadged version of the Duster.
Under the hood
Hyundai's SUV is expected to come with a wide range of powertrains, such as the refined 1.6-litre diesel engine making 126bhp and 26.5kgm of torque which will make it the most powerful of the three. Hyundai is also offering the option of the 1.6 petrol and a 1.4 diesel motors from the present Verna. The 1.6 diesel will get a six-speed manual gearbox with the option of a six-speed automatic (a segment-first) as well, while the other two engines will be paired to a five-speed manual gearbox.
The Maruti Suziki S-Cross will come with a Fiat-sourced 118bhp 1.6-litre, four-cylinder diesel and the tried and tested 89bhp 1.3-litre diesel motor that does duty on other Marutis. The 1.6-litre diesel motor develops 32.6kgm of torque and will come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. The smaller 1.3-litre engine will be paired with a five-speed manual unit. Maruti as yet has no plans for a petrol engine or an automatic gearbox for the S-Cross.
Renault offers three engines on the Duster — a 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol motor, a 1.5-litre diesel tuned to make 85bhp, and another 1.5-litre diesel motor making 108.5bhp with a torque figure of 25.3kgm.
It must be noted that while the Duster is available in either two-wheel drive or AWD guises, it is unclear whether Hyundai will offer AWD on the Creta. Besides, Maruti won’t be offering a four-wheel drive version on the S-Cross at the time of launch.
| Engine Specifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Creta | Maruti S-Cross | Renault Duster | |
| Displacement | 1.6-litre diesel | 1.6-litre diesel | 1.5-litre diesel |
| Power | 126bhp | 118bhp | 108.5bhp |
| Torque | 26.5kgm | 32.6kgm | 25.3kgm |
Exterior dimensions
In this category, all three cars measure close in terms of length and wheelbase.
The Creta is 4,270mm long, has a wheelbase of 2,590mm, an overall width of 1,780mm and height of 1,630mm. On the other hand, the S-Cross measures a tad longer at 4,300mm, similar to the Duster and has a wheelbase of 2,600mm; slightly longer than the Creta. The S-Cross has an overall width of 1,765mm and height of 1,590mm. The Duster, however, is ahead of both the Creta and the S-Cross in this category, but only by a small margin. It has a length of 4,315mm, a wheelbase of 2,673mm, an overall width of 1,822mm and a height of 1,695mm.
So essentially, in terms of specifications, the Duster has the largest exterior here. However, since the margin is not significant, the Creta and the S-Cross should also be adequately spacious.
| Dimensions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Creta | Maruti S-Cross | Renault Duster | |
| Length | 4270 mm | 4300 mm | 4315 mm |
| Width | 1780 mm | 1765 mm | 1822 mm |
| Height | 1630 mm | 1590 mm | 1695 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2590 mm | 2600 mm | 2673 mm |