Tucson and Creta refreshed

As the dust on the wheels show even more than the ghost town behind it, the Hyundai Creta is build to explore

HYUNDAI has given its two top-selling sport utility vehicles in South Africa — the Tucson and Creta — new design features and new gearboxes, as well as two new models added to the Tucson range, which no longer has an all-wheel-drive, as too few people bought any.

Seven Tucsons, three engines

The new Tucson range in South Africa features seven derivatives, with a choice between three engines — a naturally aspirated two-litre petrol engine; a turbocharged 1,6-litre petrol engine; and a two-litre turbocharged diesel — and three specification levels.

Pick of the bunch goes to the 130 kW, 265 Nm turbocharged petrol engine which is coupled with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT).

From an engineering perspective a DCT uses less fuel and emits less CO2 but improving on the shifting quality of a traditional torque converter.

The Tuscon does not have an all wheel drive option in SA anymore, as so few buyers wanted it.

Like its predecessor, the new Tuscon loves to go off the beaten track and it handles KZN’s rural tar and dirt roads with aplomb and with Stanley Anderson, the sales and operations director at Hyundai, fighting to keep prices on the fully imported vehicles low despite the rand tanking, the new Tucson looks set to improve on the 11% market share it has enjoyed in South Africa, against the 15% of this segment leader, the Toyota RAV4.

Evolving Creta still good to explore

The Creta’s facelift is evolutionary rather than radical, which helps to keep used values of the former model high.

Under the hood, either a 1 591 cc petrol engine making 90kW and 150 Nm from 4 850 rpm, or a 1 582 cc diesel engine making 94 kW and 260 Nm from 2 750 rpm. To date, the manual 1,6 petrol has been the most popular, selling 190 units on average, followed by the auto, then the diesel.

The 1,6 manual and automatic Creta’s main rival is the Ford Ecosport, the only other medium-size SUV that sold more than 100 units on average over the last six months.

The Creta and Ecosport are the two top sellers in a fiercely competitive segment against at least 24 other medium-size utes — ranging from the Nissan Juke at R303 300 to the Opel Mokka X 1.4T Cosmo AT at R397 557.

Anderson listed the standard features which makes the Creta a very compelling offer, from rear park assist with camera, electric-folding side mirror, leather seats all round, keyless entry, an electronic rear-view mirror, an eight-inch infotainment screen to control the infotainment system, six air bags and cruise control.

The new Renault Duster is one of the bigger competitors for both the Tuscon and Creta.

The best selling point remains Hyundai’s seven-year or 200 000 km manufacturer warranty. This warranty breaks up into a five-year or 150 000 km warranty and an added two-year or 50 000 km additional warranty for powertrain, which allows people to sell their used car while still under warranty. The price also include a five-year or 90 000 km service plan and five years or 150 000 km roadside help.

The Creta’s other strong selling point is its 190 mm road clearance and the vehicle’s durability. Only the Toyota Rush rides higher at 220 mm. The one optional extra is satnav, which Creta owners can have for R2 522.

Anderson said Hyundai has paid on average only R9 in what the industry calls an average warranty burn rate on the 8 079 units sold since launch.

Pricing

Prices for the three Creta models start at R339 900 for the 1.6 Executive (manual) and top out at R399 900 for the Creta 1.6 Executive Turbodiesel automatic. The seven models of the Tuscon start at R399 900 for the 2.0 Premium MT and top out at R569 900 for the R2.0 Elite 8AT2 DSL.