We often keep our deepest wishes in the closet. One of them is go to on a long drive. It used to be a luxury but with a host of SUVs hitting the road, the meaning of morning show and night show is fast changing. These days boys go out to catch the first light, couples race out of the city to embrace the twilight.
As an auto-journalist my love for cars is quite natural. But as a part of middle-class I share similar wishes too. I wish to be in a SUV and in the moments when my heart does the thinking I choose those long drives on an imaginary highway sans traffic which is full of picturesque landscape.
Recently, Hyundai launched Creta and described it as a ‘global SUV’ and then added the hyperbolic tag ‘perfect SUV’. Here is what it has got. The car with 1.4 and 1.6l engine options comes in both petrol and diesel versions. There is 6-speed manual transmission as well as 6-speed automatic transmission available in the diesel version. The full leather upholstery, steering mounted audio and Bluetooth controls, front console armrest with storage box, smart key with push button start etc. provide for a set of features that I would appreciate. But, that’s not to say that it makes it perfect.
Creta, does try to edge out its competition with Eco Sport, Duster and other such cars in SUV segment and for this it has specifically kept in mind the needs of the middle class. It has tweaked and tuned the engine to the optimum giving a fuel efficiency of 15.2 kmpl in its 1.6l petrol version and 21.3 kmpl in its 1.4l diesel engine.
Further, to make your long-drive experience better it has 7-inch Audio Video Navigation System and 5-inch touch screen audio system. The exteriors of the car with triple slat chrome radiator grille, the projector headlamps, LED positioning lamps, the skid plates and vertical fog lamps give Creta a nice look from the front. The roof rails and slight uplifted back give the car a nice sporty and sturdy image.
All in all there are a host of features to keep you going and if Creta can deliver it could well be the car of your long drives, of your wish.
