Creta Vs Harrier - Can We Hail A New King?

Have you ever wondered if you really need a full-sized, four-wheel-drive SUV? Great, we have been asking ourselves the same question. And we’ve picked the two best ones to get an answer

- Debabrata Sarkar

These two, they don’t quite fit together, do they? There’s a rather obvious difference in their sizes, the design theme that each manufacturer has chosen and possibly the set of capabilities that you would look at either of these cars for. But, when you have roughly nineteen lakh rupees in your pocket and you go out shopping, this is the pair you are most likely to narrow down your list to. For all their differences, here are two cars that attempt to deliver the SUV experience, in two very distinct flavours - while Hyundai addresses the small, urban, understated sort of need with the Creta, Tata has chosen do the diametrically opposite with an incredibly stylish design, and coupled it with massive dimensions to represent a proper, full-sized SUV. Now do you understand what I was saying about these two making for an odd sort of picture?

It is beyond a doubt that the Hyundai Creta is the story to try and better, but many have tried already and fallen by the wayside. But, unlike the others, Tata has decided to change the rules of the game with the Harrier and attempts to snatch a bit of pie that the Creta has cornered for itself.

In case you haven’t picked one, simply based on how they look, and are thinking about an Instagram face-off, well, let me stop you there. First of all, social media knows nothing. The cat meowing is likely to win. More importantly, the number of heads the Harrier turns is incredible. I have been stopped in my parking lot late at night, have had people pull up alongside and tap my window and have seen joggers stop mid-step during their morning run. This despite the dull white it is dressed in. In fact, while we stopped for breakfast, Devesh, Rajeev and I were the only people giving the Creta a once over. And that is when we realised that apart from the shiny chrome grille and the cool design on the alloys, there really isn’t much to look at in the Creta.