Launched way back in early-2007, the SX4 sedan, which replaced the very capable Baleno, was put to a rather Herculean task – to spearhead Maruti’s charge in the premium car segment. The SX4 sedan locked horns with the formidable Honda City, and much to Maruti’s dismay, failed rather miserably to entice the mid-size sedan buyers. With the Ciaz though, MSIL has finally put the ghosts of Baleno and SX4 to rest, and Maruti will soon launch ‘Nexa’ premium car brand to shed off its image of a small carmaker. Also, Maruti is yet to give up on the SX4 and has been readying the car for its second innings, albeit in the original crossover guise. Dubbed as the S-Cross, the soon to be launched model will find itself positioned in the fast growing mid-size crossover segment, where it will rival the likes of Hyundai i20 Active,Volkswagen Cross Polo, Fiat Avventura and Toyota Etios Cross on one end, and the upcoming Hyundai Cretaand the Renault Duster on other. Now, barring the Hyundai i20 Active, which has pushed the sales of new generation i20 to new heights, these pseudo crossovers have failed to tickle the taste buds of India’s car buying lot. However, Maruti is betting big on the new S-Cross, and in all probability, the upcoming crossover will be positioned slightly above the Ciaz. Also, the S-Cross will be sold under Nexa’s umbrella. We are just back from a short drive of the new Maruti crossover and here’s our Maruti Nexa S-Cross review and test drive report to give you a good idea about the new kid on the block.
We drive one of the most anticipated cars in recent history - the all-new compact SUV, the Hyundai Creta. Read on to know everything about the exterior, interior, engine, handling and of course, value for money
There is no doubt in denying the fact that the Hyundai Creta is one of the most talked about cars in recent history. In fact, considering Hyundai’s recent products like the Elite i20, Xcent and Grand i10, the Creta is en route to being a grand success for the Korean manufacturer. So does it have what it takes to really be worthy of all the hype? Well, read on to find out more.
The Hyundai Creta actually looks the part of an SUV for starters. At first glance, it does look quite handsome and current too. This is mainly because of Hyundai’s Fluidic 2.0 sculpture that has been used on the Creta which tones down the curves that were present on some of the older cars in favour of a more euro look like we find on the Hyundai Elite i20. So what do we like? Well, we certainly like the large chrome grille and the projector headlamps with the daytime running lights, both features that are bound to go down really well with the Indian audiences.
We also like the adequate usage of black plastic cladding on the front bumper, door sills and the rear bumper which gives the Creta a slightly more aggressive and appealing stance as compared to the likes of some of its competition. The vertically placed fog lamps too complete the front look while the large 17-inch alloy wheels tie up the side profile very well.
As with most SUVs or compact SUVs in this case, the Creta gets a handsome set of roof rails and a rear-mid roof mounted radio antennae. Around the rear, the Creta gets a distinctive set of tail lamps and a large tail gate which has the Hyundai logo bang slap in the centre. The slightly lower mounted number plate housing and chrome accent piece does add to the overall look but does look slightly out of place. We also like the way the rear bumper is contoured with a use of a silver skid plate and grooves in the bumper that house the rear reflectors. On the whole, the Creta is certainly a good looking car which will without a doubt attract a big chunk of the Indian automotive buying customers.
