Hyundai Creta Vs Hyundai Tucson Vs Hyundai Santa Fe - What's Different?

A little more than a year ago, after having discontinued the Tucson, Hyundai was down to selling just one SUV in the Indian market, the Santa Fe. This massive SUV was widely appreciated for its looks and road presence. But, being a Rs 30 lakh vehicle, it never sold in high numbers. Then, realising the need for a compact SUV in the Indian market, Hyundai came up with the Creta. This move took Hyundai India to new heights, with the Creta being widely appreciated by customers as well as being sold in huge numbers. The Creta and Santa Fe were targeted at a totally different audience, with a massive price difference of Rs 14 lakh. Now, moving forward with this working formula, Hyundai has re-introduced the Tucson to fill this massive void and give its customers an option for a premium five-seater SUV.

Being placed approximately Rs 4 lakh apart (top variant to base variant) from each other, how different or similar are these three offerings to one another? Let's have a close look and find out.

First off, the Creta and the Tuscon. Looks wise, apart from the fact that these SUVs belong to the same design family, they do not really look alike. The Creta is a more conventional squared-off SUV whereas the Tucson is curvy and looks modern. They both get a rising shoulder line with a sloping roof line. But the extra 205mm in length, compared to just 30mm of height gained by the Tucson, accentuate these design elements. At the front, both the SUVs get a three-slat chrome grille but the one on the Tucson is a lot taller, making it look more aggressive. Also, the headlamp units in the Tucson are slim double-barrel units, adding sleekness to the look. In terms of width, the Tucson gains 70mm on the Creta.

This is where the design similarities really come to light. Both these cars have almost identical shoulder line, roof line and A, B and C-pillars. Where the difference really lies is the size of these SUVs. The Santa Fe is 215mm longer, 30mm wider and 30mm taller than the Tucson. At the front, rather than being similar to the Tucson, the Santa Fe is a lot like the Creta. The grille and the headlamps both hark back to the baby SUV. But, considering the size, the Tucson, on the whole, looks a lot more like the Santa Fe.

None of the three SUVs from Hyundai share an engine between them. The Creta comes with two diesel and one petrol engine option. The biggest and the most powerful engine in the Creta is the 1.6-litre CRDi diesel producing 128PS of power and 260Nm of torque. The Tucson borrows its petrol engine from the all-new Elantra. Which means, it gets a 2.0-litre petrol and a 2.0-litre diesel engine. Of these two, the diesel engine is significantly more powerful than the petrol and produces 185PS of power and 400Nm of torque.
Coming to the big-boy SUV from Hyundai, the Santa Fe has only one, a 2.2-litre diesel engine. This unit produces 197PS of power and 420Nm (AT) / 436Nm (AT) of torque. These figures are slightly higher than the Tucson's diesel variants but, the biggest mechanical change here is the addition of a 4-wheel drive system.

Al the three SUVs, apart from the 1.4-litre diesel Creta (which comes with just a 6-speed manual), come with an option of either a 6-speed automatic or a 6-speed manual gearbox. But, while the Creta and Tucson are only available in 2-wheel drive, the Santa Fe gives the customers an option to choose a 4-wheel drive option.

n terms of features, the three are well equipped for their respective price brackets. For example, where the Creta gets projector headlamps, the Tucson gets dual barrel LED projector units and the Santa Fe gets xenon headlamps. All the three get LED DRLs. Inside, all the SUVs come with touchscreen infotainment systems, with navigation and steering wheel mounted controls for audio and telephone. Apart from the Creta, both the bigger SUVs get cruise control and 8-inch infotainment displays (7-incher for the Creta).

All the three SUVs have a jump of about Rs 4 lakh from the top end trim of one to the base variant of the next one. This Rs 4 lakh difference makes you miss out on a lot of features but gives you a larger and better looking SUV. The Creta and the Tucson are both five seaters but, moving from the Tucson to the Santa Fe add another two seats in the back.

So, as it turns out, the three SUVs are a lot different from one another. Apart from their looks and design philosophy, the three SUV don't really share a lot of features and are targeted at three different type of buyers. For someone looking for a compact SUV, the Creta is a perfect fit. For someone looking for a good looking premium SUV for long distance journeys, the Tucson fits the bill, and for someone with a larger family or who makes occasional off-road trips, the Santa Fe is the right companion.