Hail to the king

The Hyundai Creta looks set to continue its reign as the segment leader with major updates to the exterior and interior, additions to the list of comfort and convenience features, and enhanced safety

Since the introduction of the first generation model eight and half years ago, Hyundai has sold a Creta every five minutes totalling overall sales of 9.8 lakh units to date. Those are staggering numbers, especially for a car with an average ex-showroom price of Rs 15 lakh. Even the arrival of newer - some better equipped, some better than the Creta in certain other aspects - hasn’t been able to shake Indian ar buyers’ love for this SUV. Just under our years from the arrival of the second generation Creta, Hyundai has given its best eller a major overhaul with a significant redesign of the exterior and interior, more features, enhanced safety and a new turbo petrol powertrain.

Both the front and rear sport a completely new design, dropping the outgoing version’s curvy elements in favour of a more squared-off approach. There’s a full-length LED light bar ending in inverted L-shapes at its extremities up front, complemented by an identical design for the stop lamps at the back. The headlamps, LEDs in case of higher-end trims, sit lower down detached from the DRLs. The new rectangular grille sports a dark chrome finish and there’s a healthy use of black cladding on the bumpers, which, along with grey lower sections, impart a more rugged look than before.