Can The New Tata Sierra Beat This SUV? » MotorOctane

Every automaker knows that the Creta is the SUV to beat in the mid-sized SUV segment. Despite fierce competition from the Sierra, Creta sales remain strong, and it remains the best-seller in its class. 

Hyundai tried the same formula with the electric, but has it worked? And with the imminent launch of the upcoming Tata Sierra.ev, can Hyundai’s formula work against it? We drove the Creta for over 18,000 km to find out the answer. And here is all you need to know about its perks and some of its flaws. 
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Creta Electric Ownership Review

We had the Creta Electric Excellence LR dual-tone variant as our long-termer, and we adored it. It comes with the 51kWh pack (169 bhp & 255 Nm) and a claimed range of 473km (pre-update). This particular model carries a price tag of Rs 25.95 lakh (on-road, Mumbai), before additional accessories are accounted for.

Unfortunately, we have parted ways with Creta Electric, and it’s time to give you a comprehensive review. Did the Creta electric stand up to the Creta badge, or did it fall short of this feat? Let’s find out.

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Creta Electric Review – Looks

Hyundai designers did not want to mess with the recipe that made the ICE-version a hit. The looks are simple and contemporary. It adopts the design language of the conventional variant and does one better over it. And in the powder blue colour, it looks quite sophisticated. It doesn’t try to act like an off-roader or a sporty SUV, as it isn’t and stays true to what it offers. The Creta electric is designed for those who don’t want the attention that other flamboyant EVs, like the BE6 or the XEV9E, attract. And if you like how the ICE Creta looks, you would certainly love this.

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Performance

You can define its performance as linear. And due to this characteristic, it drives like a peppier Creta Turbo-DCT. The electric is the closest an electric car gets in simulating the drive of an ICE car. It’s a no-nonsense car, and will be appreciated by people who don’t like the stereotypical acceleration of EVs.

The acceleration isn’t mind-numbing like with the BE6, but it takes its own time to get things going. The acceleration is solid as the 7.9-second 0-100 kmph time suggests, but you reach the 100 kmph mark with ease and comfort instead of your head digging deep into the headrests.

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Creta Electric Review – Comfort

It is not the most aggressive EV to drive, but it is very predictable and smooth. The ride is stiffer, and you do feel more minor bumps on the road than its ICE counterpart. It is a 1.5-tonne car, almost 400kg heavier than the ICE version, and this weight shows in the ride. From our experience, this ride quality is expected from EVs and is manageable.

On your daily runs to the office, you would be unbothered by the ride. The niggle is only noticeable on longer journeys, as the car has some vertical movement and a stiff ride. The ICE-Creta does not face such issues.

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Interior

On the inside, the Creta electric gets a floating centre armrest and blue ambient lighting to set it apart from the ICE-version. Otherwise, the dashboard looks pretty similar to the conventional petrol/diesel Creta. It also comes with all the features you would get on a petrol or diesel Creta. 

• 10.25-inch infotainment screen
• 10.25-inch digital driver’s display
• Level-2 ADAS
• Electric Tailgate
• Panoramic sunroof
• Powered and ventilated front seats 
• Wireless charging 
• Cooled glovebox
• 8-speaker BOSE sound system
• 3-drive modes (Eco, Normal, Sport)
• Rear Window Sunshade
• Rain-Sensing Wipers
• Electrically adjustable ORVMs, with auto fold

Up until the King Edition was announced, the Creta electric got these exclusive features as well – 

• 3-pin socket at the rear
• Driver seat with memory function
• Powered passenger seat with boss mode

As far as practicality is concerned, it does a modest job. It can comfortably seat 4 people, but 5 people would struggle on longer trips. Moreover, the boot is sufficient enough for a long-trip with 4 passengers.

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Creta Electric Review – Driving Range And Charging

Recently, Hyundai announced an update that boosted the Creta electric’s range with a simple software update. With the update, the Creta also became compatible with 100kW chargers. Unfortunately, our test unit didn’t get this update when we had the car. 

We managed to get around 380-400km of range, which is particularly impressive for a 51.4kWh battery pack. This figure is just  70-80 km away from the claimed figure.

At the time of testing, the Creta wasn’t compatible with 100 kW fast chargers, which meant it took around 45-50 minutes to charge from 10% to 80% and 1.5 hours to reach 100% using DC chargers. The car was rarely charged with the 11.7kWh AC charger, but on the few occasions it was, it took around 5-6 hours to charge it from 2-3% to 100%.  But for the units that have gotten the new update, the charging time is cut almost in half.

Since we primarily used fast charging, the running cost was relatively high at Rs 4/km. You can easily get the cost down to Rs 1/km or Rs 2/km by charging it at home. 

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Our Verdict 

Hyundai has made a brilliant product with the Creta Electric. But at Rs 26 lakh, it faces tough competition from its rivals and the ICE-Creta. You get similar features, looks, and practicality as the ICE versions, so why would you pay a 2-lakh premium for one? 

Well, if you end up using the Creta DCT or any other petrol car in this segment on similar roads to the ones we did, your per-km cost would be roughly 2-3 times this number. Not to mention, when you factor in the service cost (our service bill for this car was Rs 1,731 after 10,000km), this 2L will be recovered in no time. That’s the advantage of an EV: the more you drive the car, the more you save. 

Moreover, two things that it has over its competitors is looks and service costs. Since the Creta electric looks identical to the ICE version, it doesn’t stand out too evidently amongst traffic, and many people appreciate that. Moreover, since it shares many components with the ICE version, spare parts are cheaper and easier to find.

As car reviewers, we don’t have to worry about the initial costs when driving one, which is why we thoroughly enjoyed our time with it. Which car would you like to see next?

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