Hyundai Creta N Line long term review, 17,500km report

Season’s greetings, dear reader! My festive season started with an important enhancement to our long-term Hyundai Creta N Line. Nope, no louder exhaust or engine remap. This is a small upgrade with a disproportionately large impact on daily life – Hyundai’s USB dongle that unlocks wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. I’ve been on the hunt for one for months now, but it’d been sold out all this while. My quick verdict? It’s Rs 4,500 well spent. It does what it says on the box – delivering wireless connectivity without lag or glitches. I’ve been only too happy to ditch the cable to connect my phone to the infotainment system. I suspect my phone battery will thank me for it too.

I do wish there was a quick fix for fuel economy too. Last time around, I suspected the increased ethanol content in petrol was what dragged fuel economy down, and now I have proof. Our Creta N Line was part of a recent Autocar India test on the impact of E20 fuel on efficiency. The team recorded 12.12kpl on E10 and 10.59kpl on E20 over our 230km city loop, representing a significant 12 percent drop. Sadly, my short, congested daily drive means the figure is lower still, hovering around 8kpl. Yup, ouch!

Since my last report, our Creta has had a puncture and has also been for an out-of-turn visit to the workshop. One fine day, the car threw up all manner of warnings on the digital dials. The nearest Hyundai workshop gave me a slot for the next day and was quick to identify and rectify the issue. They traced the errors to chewed wiring (a menace in Mumbai), patched it up neatly, and as a bonus, dropped the N Line back home the same evening. The damage to the wallet? A not-too-painful Rs 1,700. On a side note, Mumbai’s rats seem to have developed a taste for Korean wiring. Not too long back, our long-term Verna suffered a similar fate and had to be unceremoniously flat-bedded to the service centre. 

In general, though, the Creta N Line has been serving me well. It looks cool (even if it doesn’t sound it), is spacious for my family’s needs, and everything works as it’s supposed to. The slick cameras, in particular, are highlights of the Creta.

From someone who reviews all manner of cars, it really is saying something that the Creta is a car that I’m always happy to return to. Could the Tata Sierra and next-gen Kia Seltos change my opinion? I’ll keep you posted.