Hyundai recently launched the new Creta in India with prices starting from Rs 9.99 lakh for both, the entry-level petrol and diesel, and ranging up to Rs 17.20 lakh for the fully loaded diesel-automatic and turbo-petrol models. While still introductory, the pricing places the new Creta just alongside the Seltos, right in the middle of the fledging midsize SUV segment.

A proper comparison against its rivals may still be some time away, but we see how the new Creta stacks up against its competition on paper.

Dimensions

As is clearly evident, the Hector, Harrier and XUV500 are a half-size larger than the other models in the segment. The Hector, though, is the largest of the lot, in terms of length and wheelbase. As from our reviews and comparisons, this does equate to a very spacious cabin. The recently updated Harrier is the widest of the lot, while the XUV500 is the tallest.

The Creta is quite compact, in terms of dimensions. It’s the smallest, in terms of both length and width, while sharing an identical wheelbase with the Seltos – remember, both SUVs are built on the same platform. In similar fashion, the Duster, Kicks and Captur share the same wheelbase, owing to the common platform. In fully loaded form, 17-inch wheels are par for the course in the segment, with only the XUV500 and Duster using different sizes. The Duster gets smaller 16-inch units while the fully loaded XUV is offered with larger 18-inchers. The XUV500 has a bigger point of distinction – a third row of seating.

Petrol Engines

Aside from sharing platforms, the Seltos and Creta also share engines. Starting with the petrols, the two Korean SUV’s are the only models here to offer a choice of petrol engines – naturally aspirated and turbocharged. The Hector can also technically be said to have two petrol engine options – hybrid and non-hybrid.

The Harrier and XUV500 don’t get petrol engine options for now. Tata is working on a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol unit for the Harrier, while the XUV500 will get a new 2.0-litre turbo-petrol unit from Mahindra’s new mStallion family; though that will only be with the launch of the next-gen model, next year.

In terms of power and torque, the naturally aspirated engines are standard, though the 1.5-litre petrol from the Kia and Hyundai offer more power than the 1.5 unit from the Renault-Nissan combine. Keep in mind, the Captur and Kicks petrol units are still BS4-compliant and are due for an upgrade to meet the BS6 emission norms.

The Hector has the more powerful turbo-petrol unit here, though the engine does have to tow a sizeable SUV. The Seltos offers the widest range of engine-gearbox combinations – each unit is offered with a manual and automatic gearbox option. The BS6 Duster no longer gets a CVT gearbox option for now, and a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol unit is also expected to become available in the coming months.

Diesel Engines

With the upgrade to meet Bharat Stage 6 norms, the Harrier sees its power output bumped up to match the Hector’s and also brings in the much-awaited automatic gearbox option. In terms of displacement, it’s the XUV500 with the largest engine here, though its only advantage is in terms of torque – 10Nm more than the Hector and Harrier.

The Creta uses the same 1.5-litre diesel mill as the Seltos, with identical power output and gearbox options. The Kicks and Captur diesels are the least powerful units here and will bow out in the days to come, with the implementation of BS6 norms. The Hector is expected to receive a BS6 upgrade in the weeks ahead.

The Hector and XUV500 diesel engines are expected to be upgraded to BS6-compliance in the coming weeks with the latter expected to be offered with a manual gearbox only.

The BS6 Duster is a petrol-only model.

Prices

The Creta's introductory prices position it alongside its cousin and current sales champ, the Kia Seltos. The Seltos does offers a wider spread of variants, though. The Hector and Harrier are priced higher in the price bracket, but you do get more SUV for your money.

The Captur, Kicks and XUV500 are all still BS4-compliant models, with the Renault and Nissan set to become petrol-only models with the impending upgrade to meet BS6 norms. Renault's recent upgrade of the Duster petrol to BS6 came with a hike in prices by up to Rs 50,000; so one should expect a hike in prices of the BS6-spec petrol Captur and Kicks too. Price-hike aside, the Duster is the most affordable SUV here, with the fully loaded RxZ trim costing as much as an entry-level Creta.

(All prices, ex-showroom, Delhi)

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