[07CR]

Hyundai recently launched Creta facelift with great pomp! I was following the launch closely, and having recently purchased (Dec 2023) a GT Line DCT Seltos, I knew the Creta facelift would be launching soon and was curious what it would offer.

For many however, the Creta facelift somehow turned out to be a slight disappointment for few. Following could be the reasons why folks on TBHP were a bit disappointed-

1) Too conservative/boring external design. Personally, it has grown a bit on me and now the facelift definitely looks better than pre facelift Creta, though not as gorgeous as the Seltos facelift. Even Hyryder looks better than the Creta FL to me.

2) Unappealing interiors. Some found the grey interior tone a bit boring again, and a design that feels old already. Centre console with generous application of Piano black and the AC cluster have been criticized as well.

3) Many features missed as compared to facelift Seltos. Here is the list-

Misses compared to Seltos GT Line and lower trims I have noticed till now-

1. No Fog lamps
2. Single reversing lamp
3. No dynamic mode for the instrument cluster
4. Ambient light provided only on the passenger side dashboard (Seltos gets it on the passenger dashboard and both front doors as well)
5. Single Orange colored ambient light as opposed to multi color in Seltos
6. Absence of rain sensing wipers
7. 17 inch alloys vs 18 in Seltos (This can be a positive point for Creta)
8. No 5th passenger headrest
9. HVAC system appears too basic in design
10. Lower trims miss out on lot of goodies-
11. In SX trim (HTX+ equivalent of Seltos), Hyundai does not offer Electric seats, the Alcazar's instrument cluster (Basic Verna one is offered instead), No ventilated seats, No Bose Speakers and the likes. All of these available on Seltos HTX+. Similar story on S(O) variant of Creta and HTX variant of Seltos.
12. Missing one touch up down for all windows
13. Absence of illuminated window and door lock buttons, Seltos has all of these illuminated.
14. No UV cut glasses
15. Auto dimming IRVM available only on the SX(O) trim. In seltos this is available from HTX.
16. Front Parking sensors available only on the SX(O) trim. In seltos this is available from HTK.

There are some nifty additions over the Seltos too-

1. Puddle lamps
2. Cooled Glove box

With these shortcomings, I fail to understand why one would go for a facelift Creta compared to a facelifted Seltos? In 2019, people who hated stiff suspension could reject a Seltos, since it was super stiff at that time. But come 2024, Seltos (18 inch wheeled) itself is nearly as good riding vehicle at slow speeds a Carnes (and this car is raved for it's superb ride quality). I experienced this myself, as I had walked in to purchase a Carens, but since the Seltos rode nearly as well, I purchased a Seltos GT Line DCT.

Factors which might tilt the tide in favor of Creta-
Easy availability of Hyundai dealership. We have good number of Kia dealerships even in tier 2 cities, but in remote regions you may find a Hyundai, but not a Kia. Therefore service could be easier in those regions and hence one might go with Creta FL.

Availability of CVT/NA engine in top spec variant While both Hyundai and Kia offer many trims with varied engine and gearbox operations (IVT/iMT/MT/AT/DCT in Seltos while MT/IVT/AT/DCT in Creta), Kia does not offer the NA engine/CVT gearbox in top spec trim. Thus people who don't need the added performance might settle in for Creta SX(O) IVT.

Any other reasons of why you would opt for Creta Facelift over the Seltos facelift?

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Availability of CVT/NA engine in top spec variant While both Hyundai and Kia offer many trims with varied engine and gearbox operations (IVT/iMT/MT/AT/DCT in Seltos while MT/IVT/AT/DCT in Creta), Kia does not offer the NA engine/CVT gearbox in top spec trim. Thus people who don't need the added performance might settle in for Creta SX(O) IVT.

Personally, I’d go for Creta due to this reason alone. And so will a lot of other like minded conservative buyers.

[ABHI_1512]

There is something called 'preference' and 'choice' and I already see a lot of buyers opting for Creta and not Seltos. Despite so many variants of Seltos, the petrol manual has no top trim and absence of no diesel manual has been corrected only recently. Creta and Seltos despite being similar are poles apart in terms of styling as well. So, yes, there are customers who would take the Creta over Seltos and vice versa for which fits into their requirement.

[mgastor2022grey]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

There is something called 'preference' and 'choice'.

Absolutely true. Its your choice of manufacturer and which one you would want to opt for. Not only the car, but also many other aspects like dealership availability and service experience matters too.

Its like getting a Baleno while the Glanza is available, or getting the Hyryder when the Grand Vitara is available. Its purely choice. Some might like the Glanza over the Baleno for its styling and Toyota badge (like me ) while others might prefer the Baleno for its NEXA reliability and fuss-free ownership and service.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

There is something called 'preference' and 'choice' and I already see a lot of buyers opting for Creta and not Seltos. Despite so many variants of Seltos, the petrol manual has no top trim and absence of no diesel manual has been corrected only recently.

Originally Posted by mgastor2022grey

Absolutely true. Its your choice of manufacturer and which one you would want to opt for. Not only the car, but also many other aspects like dealership availability and service experience matters too.

Bingo! The purpose of this thread is to just find out the reasons why one would go for the Creta over the Seltos. I am in no way trying to undermine the Creta FL.

Originally Posted by mgastor2022grey

Its like getting a Baleno while the Glanza is available, or getting the Hyryder when the Grand Vitara is available. Its purely choice. Some might like the Glanza over the Baleno for its styling and Toyota badge (like me ) while others might prefer the Baleno for its NEXA reliability and fuss-free ownership and service.

For Baleno/Glanza, Hyryder/GV the story is different. Both vehicles are exactly similarly equipped and also look quite similar.Mechanically too there are no differences in the cars. With Creta and Seltos, the Seltos is way more loaded, styling is quite different, even engine gearbox combinations are different for both. Ride and handling too is quite different. IMO Hyundai-Kia are taking enough steps to differentiate their cars than Maruti-Toyota and I applaud them for that

[mgastor2022grey]

Originally Posted by 07CR

For Baleno/Glanza, Hyryder/GV the story is different. Both vehicles are exactly similarly equipped and also look quite similar. Mechanically too there are no differences in the cars. With Creta and Seltos, the Seltos is way more loaded, styling is quite different, even engine gearbox combinations are different for both. Ride and handling too is quite different. IMO Hyundai-Kia are taking enough steps to differentiate their cars than Maruti-Toyota and I applaud them for that

True, Hyundai and Kia are 2 different companies with similar cars, not identical cars (take that Toyota and Maruti ). If that's the case, I would love to get the Seltos. Sexy and Hot styling, better features and the X-Line just seals the deal for me. But seeing the Creta facelift kind of makes me wonder if I should get the Creta instead as the upcoming spy shots of the N-Line make its look way more H-O-T-T-E-R than the Seltos X-Line. Only time will tell!

[Bit]

Good thread. I can assume the following:

1. Service Network: It's not about regular service, but going into outstation/remote areas where Kia might not be present if anything goes wrong with your vehicle during your dream India trip. Folks who want absolute peace of mind that our vehicle can be managed no matter what part of country we travel to, would often prefer Hyundai than Kia.

2. Brand Hyundai is Stronger than Brand Kia in our country: For various reasons, people perceive Hyundai as stable, older, here to stay whereas Kia is perceived as a new kid on the block.

3. Many people grew up with the dream of getting a particular car. For example, I myself grew up with "I'll get that damn sexy honda city the day I'll be able to afford". So when these Creta dreamers got in the position to buy a car, they simply do not acknowledge any other car in the market. Kia is not that old to instill such dreams in a generation.

[abhi3284]

Great Thread OP. And a timely one as well as I plan to book either of them in the next couple of days and have been cross posting in both Creta and Seltos Threads. So far, Creta is taking a hammering from Seltos. It seems a bit wierd how a big player Hyundai seemingly messed up and did not go all guns blazing with their biggest jackpot. It really annoys me why Kia is not offering an IVT Petrol Top end option. Will be keenly watching this space till I make my decision.

[vattyboy]

I own both of them.

Advantages of Creta-

Brand Name-

Creta has become a brand in itself. It's an emotion, many people dream of buying Creta once in their life.
I have experienced this, The public looks at creta with far more respect.
Among relatives and neighbourhoods, Creta has become a testament that you have made it in life.

Better Resale value-

Although both Creta and seltos are coming at the same price initially, but down the line after 5 years when you will be in the market to sell your car then from my experience, Creta will fetch you about 1 lakh more than Seltos.

Better Ride Quality -

No denying the fact that the ride quality of Creta is far better than Bone's jarring ride of Seltos. Saying this by comparing 17-inch Creta vs 16-inch HTK+ Seltos, can't imagine how hard the ride quality is with 17 to 18-inch alloys.

Better After-Sales Service-

If there is one Kia ASS in a City then there are a minimum of 2 or 3 Hyundai ASS in that city. If you don't like the work of 1 ASS then you can go to another one. Also, Hyundai's service network is more widespread than Kia's.

Better rear seat comfort

I can feel that space and comfort at the rear is better in Creta.

Roomy Interiors in the top variants-

Creta feels more spacious from the inside due to the beige and grey interiors while in top variants Seltos has a black interior theme.

[vvivek85]

I have voted for Seltos, but to answer your question, the reason for people to opt for Creta over Seltos is the brand value of Hyundai, most importantly it is the name CRETA, it is so huge in India, full marks to Hyundai for building it.

With that been said, I feel Hyundai missed a huge trick in giving people a complete package. I personally feel, if I am in the market for a 5 seater, Seltos is a no brainer. Moreover, I feel Hyundai should have received some mixed feedback, that could be the reason for them to contemplate launching Creta N line sooner.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by Bit

1. Service Network: It's not about regular service, but going into outstation/remote areas where Kia might not be present if anything goes wrong with your vehicle during your dream India trip.

This is one reason I preferred the Hyundai over Kia.

You don't have to go outstation. The nearest Kia service is about 30-35 km from my residence. For Hyundai, I have one within 5 km from residence and 2 within 5 km from my work.

Have used the proximity twice, when I requested pickup/drop from home when I was feeling unwell.

[fhdowntheline]

Ride quality and rear seat comfort are two important reasons for choosing the Creta over the Seltos. There is also a perception that the Creta enjoys the reputation of a family car across a wider demographic, whereas the Seltos is primarily a metro/ urban gen next car.

[iceman.]

My close friend is also in the same quandary right now. We initially wanted to go for the Seltos IVT but it looks like a case of one step forward two steps backward.

The digital speedo of the Seltos IVT is a straight lift from Venue/Verna and looks pretty dated/out of place. The other major turn off is the execution of the dual tone interior. The front seatbacks are black in color but the headrest and rest of the seat is beige in color. It looks pretty ugly and aftermarket.

The engine felt a bit more strained compared to the 2023 Seltos IVT that I own, but that could be just my ears picking up more in a test drive than when I am driving my own car normally.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by iceman.

The digital speedo of the Seltos IVT is a straight lift from Venue/Verna and looks pretty dated/out of place. The other major turn off is the execution of the dual tone interior. The front seatbacks are black in color but the headrest and rest of the seat is beige in color. It looks pretty ugly and aftermarket.

About the digital speedo, isn't that the case across the segment though? Seltos gets the better digital speedo from HTX+ variant onwards and Creta gets the Alcazar digital speedo only in top SX(O) variant. IMO all other digital speedos are similar to the Verna/Seltos HTX speedo.

I agree on the seat upholstery. I never saw this, and it does look a lot aftermarketish.

[Mr.Boss]

Made a quick comparison between Creta & Seltos, data may not be 100% correct though.

S / S : Applicable for both Creta & Seltos
- / S : Not available in Creta, Available in Seltos