The compact SUV scene is really heating up in India, and the two cars that are defining this segment today are the Hyundai Creta and the Maruti Suzuki Brezza. A compact SUV is a sub-4 meters car that encapsulates the best features of an SUV- build, features and engine configuration, without going overboard on the budget. And, for good reason, the Indian audience loves these miniature SUVs.
Hyundai Creta- Compact Refinement
The Creta came first. Launched in July-2015, the car immediately set the booking counters ringing, bringing in 75,000 bookings in just two months from launch. This overwhelming response also had to do with the Hyundai Creta’s price. The base model was offered at ₹ 10.30 lakhs and the top end model came for a competitive ₹ 17 lakhs. The Creta wasn’t exactly an entry level car, but had the feature set and looks to draw in (and continue drawing in) the big numbers. The car also came packed to the rafters with basic and advanced conveniences that put most of its existing competition to shame (ahem, EcoSport and Duster). The incredibly ironic fact is that though the Creta is branded as a compact SUV, it is 4,270 mm long, effectively exceeding the sub-4 meters consideration for compact SUVs in India.
Maruti Suzuki Brezza- All Guts and Glory!!
The Brezza was launched in May 2016, and just as the Creta, pulled up over 30,000 bookings in just two months from launch date. The Brezza is the perfect epitome of a compact SUV, dimensionally, in terms of the engine configuration and the pricing. The Maruti Suzuki Brezza’s price starts from ₹ 8.16 lakhs for the base model and stretches all the way to ₹ 11.21 lakhs for the top-end model. The car also comes with a built in feel good story as it was the first car to be fully conceptualized, designed and built in India, with all parts of its production being developed in the country. C.V Raman, Maruti’s Design Head, takes credit for the Brezza’s invigorating looks and that distinct dual-tone paint scheme.
The Battle of Equals- CretavsBrezza
As two of the front runners in the nascent compact SUV segment, the Brezza and Creta(Click Here) are both very capable cars. Both, have also established themselves as premier products in the arsenal of their manufacturers, Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki, who are ironically the second large automobile manufacturer in India and the market leader, respectively. For starters, in the looks department- both cars score rich points and have their own legions of fans. The Creta is most definitely a more imposing presence on the road but the Brezza’s dual-tone colouring and a rainbow of available colors makes it a formidable contender too.
In terms of the pricing, the Brezza is definitely more affordable as compared to the Creta’s price. In fact, the Creta’s base model very nearly matches upto the Brezza’s top-end offering. If pricing is your primary consideration than the Brezza is more suited for your requirements.
However, when it comes to power and on-road performance, the Hyundai Creta takes the cake. The car offers a number of engine options in both petrol and diesel (1.4 and 1.6 liters), is available in both manual and automatic trims and puts forth 14 well thought out variants. Meanwhile, the Brezza is only available with a 1.3 liter diesel engine, offers just 7 variants and isn’t available in the automatic flavor. However, the petrol engine and AMT variants for the Brezza are being rumored for Q1 2017.
Two capable cars, one exciting automotive segment. What’s your pick?
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