FULL REVIEW: 2023 Hyundai Creta - More than just an urban cruiser

More often than not, crossovers see more use in the city than anywhere else. They are now the quintessential urban cruisers. However, these vehicles can do more than just cruise around the city; they can be taken off the beaten path and travel into areas not normally accessible by the everyday sedan or hatchback.

With that in mind, we decided to test out if the 2023 Hyundai Creta GLS IVT can do more than just be a great city vehicle. I brought it to a forested farm area to see what it could do with a bit of off-roading. 

Great ground clearance

If you want to go off-roading, especially on uneven gravel and dirt roads, you need a car with excellent ground clearance. The Hyundai Creta excels in this regard as it has 200mm worth of it, making navigating uneven terrain a breeze.

It also helps that the suspension system of the Hyundai crossover is soft and can easily handle rough terrain without any issues. I encountered no problems with the vehicle traveling on a dirt road cut through the forest.

Smooth power delivery

Under the hood, the Hyundai Creta has a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated gasoline engine that produces 115 horsepower and 144 Nm of torque. The motor is mated to an Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT), a smarter version of a regular CVT.

It gave us impressive fuel economy numbers while on the highway ranging between 20 to 24km/L. There was one instance where the crossover even hit 25.9km/l, which puts it near hybrid vehicles in terms of fuel efficiency.

That said, its smooth power delivery came in handy off-road, where traction was slippery due to the grass and fallen fruits from a local mango tree. 

Traction modes

The Hyundai Creta also comes with several traction modes to help you make the most of the grip available. The vehicle has sand, mud, and snow, which you won’t use in the Philippines as it's a tropical country. 

Despite the Hyundai crossover being only front-wheel drive, the traction modes will help you if you decide to bring the vehicle light off-roading.

Handy reverse camera

Even in its top-spec variant, the Hyundai Creta is not equipped with a 360-degree camera. However, it comes with a reverse camera with a feature that will stay on long after you have finished reversing. 

It's useful as you can still see what's behind the vehicle, even briefly after you have started moving forward. It also made navigating around the trees easier as there were certain plants I tried to avoid crushing. 

Great visibility

Ensuring a good view of what's around you is essential, especially if you want to take your vehicle off-road. In our case, it was just a light trail, but the excellent viewing angles of the Creta made it easy to avoid hitting any loose branches or rocks that may otherwise scratch or damage the car's paint.

It also made positioning the crossover amongst the trees easy as you could figure out where everything was around you, making it hard to hit any objects.

On and off the road, the Hyundai Creta is a well-mannered crossover. In the city is the ideal urban cruiser thanks to its excellent sound insulation and its smooth and comfortable ride. 

The crossover is also decent off the road, as it can take on light trails with no problem. However, it still can’t beat a proper SUV in harsher conditions, as you will need a 4x4 system and locking differentials.

Overall, the Hyundai crossover is more than just your typical urban cruiser; it can do more than you would expect. 

Do you think the Creta is more than just a city car? Let us know in the comment section.

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