The Kia Seltos and the Hyundai Creta are sort of cousins. Hyundai owns about 34 percent in Kia, while Kia in turn cross-holds minority stakes in several Hyundai companies. While the management of the two companies may be intertwined, the two are rivals in all the markets they operate in, with their own independent factories and dealerships.
The Hyundai Creta has been the largest-selling mid-size SUV for a while now, clocking close to 10,000 units a month. However, the new-entrant in this space, the Kia Seltos has managed to clock over 32,000 bookings at the time of launch itself, indicating that it could upturn Hyundai's apple cart.
Many have this question on their mind. Should one pick the Hyundai Creta over the Kia Seltos or vice versa? We give you a quick comparison.
Looks & Design
Looks are subjective. However, going by popular opinion, the Kia Seltos is clearly the looker among the two, with its chiseled nose, LED lamps and tasteful use of chrome garnish. The Hyundai Creta got a facelift in 2018, but it has become fairly familiar, following Hyundai's design theme. There is a facelift coming in a few months though.
In terms of size, although the Kia Seltos doesn't look it, it is actually bigger and more spacious than the Hyundai Creta. It is 4,380 mm long with a wheelbase of 2,630 mm. The Creta has a length of 4,270 mm and a wheelbase of 2,590 mm.
Engines & Performance
Word on the street is the Hyundai Creta will soon be getting a facelift and will also be digging into Kia's parts bin for the 1.5 litre diesel engine that's set to replace the current 1.6 litre in the Creta, once it complies with BS-VI emission norms.
That said, the Kia Seltos offers quite a range of engine and transmission options for different kinds of buyers. There's the naturally aspirated 1.5 litre petrol that puts out 115 bhp and 144 Nm of torque with six-speed manual or a IVT (constantly variable automatic transmission).
There's the 1.4 litre, turbo-charged petrol motor that puts out 138 bhp of power and 242 Nm of torque with a six-speed manual or 7-speed DCT automatic. And then there's the 1.5 litre diesel that puts out 115 bhp and 250 Nm of torque with a 6-speed automatic or manual transmission option. All the engines are BS-VI compliant.
The Hyundai Creta also gets a range of engine options from the 1.4 litre diesel that puts out 90PS of power and 220 Nm of torque, to the 1.6 diesel that puts out 126 bhp and 265 Nm of torque and the 1.6 petrol that puts out 122 bhp and 151 Nm of torque.
The Creta also offers 6-speed manual and automatic transmission options. While the Creta 1.6 diesel is a fun-to-drive vehicle, the Seltos diesel feels more refined. Among the petrol models, it's the 1.4 litre turbo-petrol Kia Seltos that is an enthusiasts delight. Among the base petrol models, the Creta's 1.6 feels a little more sprightly than Kia's 1.5 petrol.
Features List
This one clearly goes in favour of the Kia Seltos when it comes to features. Kia has pulled out all the stops to offer every possible feature it could think of. From ventilated seats to a head's up display, blind-spot mirrors and 360 degree camera, it has far more to offer than the Hyundai Creta, for relatively not that much more money.
The Hyundai Creta too isn't too short on features. It has wireless charging, sunroof, daytime running lamps etc to offer, but all this has become more or less standard offering now in the segment. The upcoming Creta is likely to get even more, taking a leaf out of the Seltos' page.
Price Comparison
Kia has clearly shaken up the market with its pricing of the Kia Seltos. Although, this is "introductory" pricing, which means it would be hiked in a few months, it has rattled competition. Prices of the Kia Seltos range between Rs 9.69 lakh and Rs 15.99 lakh ex-showroom.
In comparison, the Hyundai Creta also starts a shade below Rs 10 lakh and goes up to Rs 15.6 lakh, which puts it in direct competition to the Kia Seltos. However, variant for variant (and Kia has 16 of them), the Seltos offers a few more features than the Creta at every price point, while some of the Creta petrol models are a tad more powerful than the equivalent Kia models. Of course, Kia has the GT Line equipped with the 1.4 turbo-charged petrol for the performance seekers.
It's too early to say if sales of the Hyundai Creta will take a hit because of the Kia Seltos. Hyundai anyway has plans for a refresh for the Creta and it will soup it up some more. The winner is the consumer, either which ways.
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