We live in truly amazing times. Never mind mobile phones and other consumable gadgets, the variety of cars in today’s market is absolutely mind-boggling. Take this 7-seater Hyundai crossover, for example…
You should know: Two decades ago we all scoffed, sniggered and snorted at Hyundais. Some guy at my first job had an Accent hatchback and it was so forgettable that I resisted all his efforts to demonstrate his new car to me. Now, though? There isn’t a single bad-looking or boring Hyundai for sale at the moment.
More info: The only dreary one was the Creta but that was recently panel-beaten into the Koreans’ fresh new design language. And now, even though they’re not exactly identical twins, you get this “Grand” Creta with space for six kids on the school run. Or two adults and three kids with plenty of luggage.
It’s quite versatile, this thing.
As is the want of today’s customer, you also get a full quartet of driver aids, plenty of remote-operated goodies and every media/smartphone connection your modern heart desires. The middle seats offer plenty of room, the rear ones don’t, and the boot swallows anything between 180 and 1,670L of luggage.
What else? Enough family planning, here are some hard facts. Prices start at about R470,000 for a 2L petrol manual and go via two trim levels, two engines and two gearboxes to the 1.5 turbo-diesel auto at around R580,000. Our test car was a mid-level 2.0 petrol automatic with 117kW/191Nm and a smooth six-gear automatic transmission.
Why you shouldn’t: The Grand Creta (currently) has no turbo-petrol drive train option so progress may be tedious if you increase the altitude or weight. Hyundai claims average consumption of 8.9L/100km from the 50L fuel tank but that – as always – is a best-case scenario. If fuel use is an issue, you may want to look at the diesel.
Why you should: 0-100km/h in this model should take 10.5 seconds but we knocked almost a full second off that; at sea level. Equally impressive was our single emergency brake test from 100km/h: just 2.7 seconds and 38.53m. And last but certainly not least, you get a ginormous warranty and service plan with each new Grand Creta.
FULL SPEC LIST
| Engine: | 2L i-4 petrol |
| Transmission: | 6-speed Automatic, FWD |
| Max. Power: | 117kW |
| Max. Torque: | 191Nm |
| Avg. cons.: | (claimed 8.9L/100km) |
| 0-100km/h: | 9.65 seconds (claimed 10.5) |
| Top Speed: | Claimed 190km/h |
| List Price: | R559,900 |
It looks weird… especially from the back !