Have you ever made a dish with left overs and accidentally made a brilliant meal that you just can’t replicate. Im afraid Hyundai have tapped into something like that with the all new Creta especially in the N Line variant.
The Creta nameplate has quickly become one of the most important chess pieces that the brand offers not just in Mzansi but in the other markets where it is offered making up a big market share of its products. Whilst the N Line isn't a full fledged N model, it is quite important to note that to Hyundai, an N Line is really a well thought out concoction rather than just a bunch of badges, colors and gloss black accents slapped on the exterior for looks.
Hyundai take their time to make enhancement to the suspension in order to reduce or eliminate body roll as well as allowing the car to gain more tolerance for harshness when choosing to drive more enthusiastically. But first i must tell you about just how good looking the car has gotten in this new generation which is a great departure with the previous generation which i just could not get along with at all.
The new Creta actually looks nice, wow
The looks are refreshing and boast the brands new exterior design. The front still hosts the multiple lights setup but rather in a now familiar separation lights layout, the top of the car houses your new DRLs taht are connected by a full lightbar which looks the part when lit.
As the lights are no longer embedded in the grille, this means that the main beams which are now LEDs not bulbs sit alone below the DRLs. The middle of the cars face features a newly designed grille with boards that integrate the light. Lower down, you get more sculptured agressive bumpers.
Moving to the side and you are met by stunning 18-inch alloy wheels that encase red colored brake calipers behind them for stopping power. As a visual finishing touch, the emblem found the wheels themselves is the N Line badging instead of the Hyundai logo. Since this is still a cross over style SUV, the side profile features a raised ride height and has the presence of cladding which goes well with the black roof against the Red Dragon Pearl paint job.
The rear is best thing about this entire car visually for me. The previous outgoing model had a very very complicated jigsaw puzzle layout for the light which just made the car look, plain and simply awful, not the case in this car though. This new design features a sleek glass encased setup which mimics the front full lightbar which introduce cascading indicator light signals like you have on a Golf 7 which is quite cool.
Over all, I feel this new design was overdue for sure. The previous model was very much so starting to look a bit long in the tooth and because of its more rounded proportions, it just looked dull, boring and lathargic but this one literally breathes more life. It looks more modern and because of revised portions and graduating to N Line level, it even looks like it's capable of being a joll behind the wheel.
A breathe of fresh air, the cabin in just a few words
The vehicle gains a little more materials since it also sits as the flagship, this automatically gets you faux leather wrapped ventilated seating with contrast stitching and N specific badging for starters. A big change happens on the dashboard where the car adapts a layout similar to the current outgoing Hyundai Tucson, onboard occupants enjoy a dualscreen setup consisting of a dual 10.25-inch connected displays, comprising a digital instrument cluster and a central touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
I interestingly had some difficulty with the Apple CarPlay as it strangely didn't want to disconnect to my phone but also didn't allow me to use the app. This was so persistent that the only way for me to reconnect was for me to change the driver present into "Guest" to start over again, I do hope that this was just a glitch because the 8-speaker Bose sound system in the Creta N Line is quite nice and so is the infotainment system.
There still is a abundance of buttons to operate various functions such as your Air conditioning controls, volume and cruise control settings via the multifunctional steering wheel which I feel could've done with the addition of a red center marker element just to finish off on the sporty N line theme because why not.
The whole family fits in the back sit no problem and for loading longer items, the rear bench features a 60:40 split-folding rear seat configuration. In other news, the new Hyundai Creta N Line features a comprehensive Level 2 Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) suite officially called Hyundai SmartSense. This system includes 19 active driver-assist and collision-avoidance technologies.
I won't bother you with listing all 19, but let me just highlight a few of those that stuck out to me as very useful, starting with the Leading Vehicle Departure Alert. I know you are supposed to be alert when you are driving, but have you ever just gotten caught up thinking about that one chicken sandwich you had a long time ago and just how good it was? Next thing you know, you're causing traffic. This feature essentially reminds you politely to "snap out of it!"
The second one is the Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go. All the Durban people must know about the traffic coming out of the uMhlanga junction ; it's a nightmare. But firstly, because this is automatic, you will avoid tiring out your feet with gear changes. This feature also keeps track of the vehicle in front of you and helps maintain a safe distance and speed to keep the traffic flowing. This is great, especially after a long day at work when you have just taken the wrong offramp and you're stuck.
The drive
The suspension feels quite taut, this is good because it meant that the car actually handles bends at significant speeds but not so nice because it meant the ride was stiff and picked up every single road imperfection KZN has to offer, although not enough to cause one back problems at an early age it is certainly worth noting.
The steering also does with some fiddling from the Hyundai team to improve steering wheel feel and malleability especially when you put your boy racer hat on. The steering wheel gave adequate feel and control to the driver and really “it was enough.” To further support that boy racer vibe, Hyundai slapped on paddle shifters that have a hilarious size which looks like an aftermarket Hyundai accessory but thanks feel nice enough to tell you that there are from Hyundai.
This paired (paddle shifters) with a 7 speed DCT makes for a great time behind the wheel when you toggle to sport mode which even goes as fair as too switch the theme of the digital cluster into red matching the vibe. The gearbox works so well whenever the car is on the road, it knows when to shift, hold a gear and change down. The problem although, begins when the car is either setting off or moving slow.
As all DCT are rough when it comes to refinement, the Creta did not survive from that but instead is victim to the fact. Noticeably, when moving from standstill, the car jerks and tuds from the line giving a rather unpleasant jerk but when you are creeping about, the car rolls back too.
I must talk about the vehicles fuel consumption, the car unpleasantly surprised me with just how thirsty it became after reaching the half tank mark. Its like a switch flips and the car becomes angry at the fact that you still haven't topped it up, it does make a little sense though to get a high reading from the N Line variant since it gets a power boast and encourages of a more enthusiastic drive.
Whilst I was able to achieve close to the claim figure of 6.3 L/km, I soon discovered that it is somewhat doable but it was only done through a good reading hunt where I drove well beneath Buffon speeds and kept to the slow lane. It was still quite an average as the vehicle gave me a reading of 9.8l per 100km on a regular drive commute to and from the office with the readings easing up every time I went on the highway.
Pricing and warranty
Dense is the perfect word to describe the segment in which the Creta competes. Luckily, the car's previous generation found a lot of good reception, and that is probably because the package is simple in its make. There is not a lot going on with it that makes it complicated, and they've taken that same idea but added the elements more safety and being fun to the drive, which for me has surely made this car that much more appealing. Coupled with the service and warranty attached to the Hyundai stable, you have a safe and reliable choice in the Creta.
Hyundai Creta 1.5T N Line DCT : From R569 900.
Similar to the Hyundai CRETA Premium, the N Line derivative also comes with 7-year/200,000 km manufacturer’s warranty, 4-year/60 000 km service plan as well as 7-year/150 000km roadside assistance, giving buyers greater peace of mind and improved predictability when budgeting for their vehicle.