Clash Of Segments: Ford EcoSport Vs 2018 Hyundai Creta – Which SUV To Buy?

A sub-4m SUV or a compact SUV; which one makes more sense for you? Time to find out

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The Ford EcoSport is priced between Rs 7.82 lakh and Rs 11.89 lakh while theHyundai Creta 2018 retails at a higher Rs 9.44 lakh-Rs 15.04 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) price range. But then the Creta is also a bigger car in terms of dimensions and belongs to a segment above. its lower variants, though, are priced closely with the EcoSport’s higher variants. So should you ditch the Ford and opt for the bigger, more premium Creta?

Before we dive in to details, here are the prices of the overlapping variants of the EcoSport and the Creta.

FORD ECOSPORT	HYUNDAI CRETA
Petrol	Petrol
Titanium – Rs 9.55 lakh	1.6 E – Rs 9.44 lakh
Titanium+ - Rs 10.52 lakh	1.6 E Plus – Rs 10 lakh
Diesel	Diesel
Titanium – Rs 9.99 lakh	1.4 E Plus – Rs 10 lakh
S – Rs 11.89 lakh	1.4 S – Rs 11.74 lakh

Basic differences between the two SUVs:

FORD ECOSPORT	HYUNDAI CRETA
Subcompact (sub-4m) SUV: The Ford EcoSport falls in the sub-4m SUV category but it looks well-proportioned otherwise. The rear mounted spare wheel adds some muscle to the overall design. The EcoSport has a ground clearance of 200mm, 10mm more than the Creta’s.	Compact SUV: The Creta might not appear very big but that’s down to how it’s designed. It is otherwise longer and wider than the EcoSport. The Creta has a ground clearance of 190mm.
Stiffer suspension: Low-speed ride quality of the EcoSport is a bit bumpy but, its well-tuned suspension setup makes it an excellent vehicle to drive on the highways.	Soft suspension: With the focus on the occupant comfort, the Creta’s suspension cushions out bumps without a fuss at low speeds. However, at higher speeds, the ride tends to get a bit bouncy.
Compact on the inside: The EcoSport is smaller than the Creta and is ideal only for four occupants. The EcoSport offers a boot space of 352 litres.	Better suited for 5: Cabin space in the Creta isn’t phenomenal either but it has slightly more shoulder room (+25mm) compared to the EcoSport. The boot space is also bigger at 402 litres.
Rivals: Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon and Honda WR-V	Rivals: Renault Captur, Renault Duster and Maruti S-Cross

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Engine

The Ford EcoSport is available with two petrol engines – a 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder engine and a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder Ecoboost engine. Both the engines develop over 120PS of maximum power and are in the Creta petrol territory. While both engines aid drivability, the extra torque in the 1.0-litre Ecoboost makes it a little peppier than the 1.5-litre petrol.

The Creta’s 1.6-litre petrol engine makes 123PS of maximum power and is also tuned for ease of driving. The engine is super silent and doesn’t feel out of breath on the highway either. The Creta petrol has a claimed mileage of 15.8kmpl, lower than the EcoSport with any of the two engines.

The EcoSport’s 1.5-litre diesel engine puts out 10PS more power than the 1.4-litre diesel engine of the Creta. The diesel EcoSport has a fun-to-drive set up and never disappoints either in city or on highways. The Creta’s 1.4-litre diesel engine is good for city use but runs out of breath on highways. The Creta is also offered with a more powerful 1.6-litre diesel engine but only in the higher variants, which are out of range in this comparison.

On paper, the 1.4-litre diesel Creta generates 15Nm more torque than the EcoSport. It’s also available with a 6-speed manual transmission compared to the 5-speed gearbox of the EcoSport. And that shows in the claimed mileage numbers too where the Ford is still more fuel efficient, but only by 0.9kmpl.

Features

Petrol

Ford EcoSport Titanium Vs Hyundai Creta 1.6 E

FORD ECOSPORT 1.5 PETROL	HYUNDAI CRETA PETROL
Titanium – Rs 9.55 lakh	1.6 E – Rs 9.44 lakh

Common features: Dual airbags, ABS with EBD, front seat belts with pretensioner, body coloured bumpers, door handles and side mirror, follow-me-home headlamps, electric tailgate release, tilt-adjustable steering, both side vanity mirrors, day/night inside rear view mirror, front power outlet, height adjustable driver seat and adjustable front headrest, all four power windows, speed/impact sensing auto door lock/unlock and luggage lamp.

What Ford EcoSport Titanium gets over the Creta 1.6E: Projector headlamps, LED DRLs, 16-inch alloys, electrically adjustable and foldable outside mirrors, puddle lamps on side mirrors, rear parking sensors, rear wash wiper and defogger, push start/stop, telescopic adjustable steering, 9-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with navigation, 4 speakers, steering-mounted audio controls,, power windows with one-touch up/down for driver, auto AC, rear 12V power socket, rear view camera, adjustable rear headrest, rear center armrest with cupholders and 60:40 split rear seats.

What Hyundai Creta 1.6E gets over EcoSport Titanium: Nothing much. Just a lane change indicator and rear AC vents.

Takeaway

Since E is the entry-level variant of the Creta, it misses out on a lot of features when compared to the second-to-top Titanium variant of the EcoSport. With a price premium of just Rs 11,000, you get an array of practical and convenient features such as steering mounted controls, 60:40 split seats, auto AC and rear view camera in the EcoSport, making it our pick of the two in this variants comparison.

Ford EcoSport Titanium+ Vs Hyundai Creta 1.6 E Plus

FORD ECOSPORT 1.5 PETROL	HYUNDAI CRETA PETROL
Titanium+ - Rs 10.52 lakh	1.6 E Plus – Rs 10 lakh

Common features: Electrically adjustable outside mirrors with turn indicators, touchscreen infotainment system (5-inch in Creta), 4 speakers and two tweeters, steering mounted audio and handsfree telephony buttons, USB port, front map lamp, sunglass holder and luggage lamp. Apart from this, the common features of Titanium and E are carried over.

What Ford EcoSport Titanium+ gets over Creta 1.6 E Plus: Emergency assistance, brake assist (BA), electronic stability control (ESC), hill launch assist (HLA), ISOFIX child seat mounts, side and curtain airbags, rain-sensing wipers, auto headlamps, 8-inch touchscreen unit with voice commands, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, dual USB ports, flat-bed seats and cruise control. These features are over and above the ones seen in the Titanium version.

What Hyundai Creta 1.6 E Plus gets over EcoSport Titanium+: Rear AC vents and lane change indicator.

Takeway

The price premium of the Titanium+ is around Rs 52,000 over the Creta, which is completely justified as the Hyundai falls way too short of the Ford in the features stake. Besides, the Titanium+ also gets 6 airbags, cruise control and a larger infotainment system with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Wondering whether you should pick the EcoSport Titanium or Titanium+? Head to our EcoSport variants explained story here to know which one is more value for money.

Diesel

Ford EcoSport Titanium Vs Hyundai Creta 1.4 E Plus

FORD ECOSPORT DIESEL	HYUNDAI CRETA DIESEL
Titanium – Rs 9.99 lakh	1.4 E Plus – Rs 10 lakh

Common features: Dual airbags, ABS with EBD, front seat belts with pretensioner, day/night inner rear view mirror, speed/impact sensing auto door lock/unlock, follow-me-home headlamps, electric tailgate release, front power outlet, tilt-adjustable steering, both side vanity mirrors, all four power windows, speed/impact sensing auto door lock/unlock, luggage lamp, turn indicators on side mirrors, height adjustable driver seat and adjustable front headrest.

What Ford EcoSport Titanium gets over the Creta 1.4 E Plus: Projector headlamps, LED DRLs, steering mounted audio controls, audio system with 4 speakers, telescopic adjustable steering, rear parking sensors, rear wash wiper and defogger, 9-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with navigation, 60:40 split rear seats, puddle lamps on side mirrors, power windows with one-touch driver-side, adjustable rear headrest, auto AC, electrically adjustable and foldable outside mirrors, rear 12V power socket, rear view camera, push start/stop, rear centre armrest with cupholders and signals for door ajar and seat-belts.

What Hyundai Creta 1.4 E Plus gets over the EcoSport Titanium: Rear AC vents and lane change indicator.

Takeaway

The EcoSport Titanium in its diesel avatar is even more value for money than its petrol version as the prices of the Titanium and the 1.4 E Plus are almost the same. And for the same price, you get a loaded EcoSport with all the must-have and desirable features, not to mention a powerful diesel engine.

Ford EcoSport S Vs Hyundai Creta 1.4 S

FORD ECOSPORT DIESEL	HYUNDAI CRETA DIESEL
S – Rs 11.89 lakh	1.4 S – Rs 11.74 lakh

Common features: Roof rails, rear armrest with cupholders, rear power outlet, luggage net & hook, front map lamp, sunglass holder, adjustable rear headrest, touchscreen infotainment with audio (5-inch in the Creta) and Bluetooth, steering mounted audio and Bluetooth controls, two tweeters, rear parcel tray, LED DRLs, front fog lamps, rear defogger, rear camera with guidelines and rear parking sensors. These features are over and above the ones shared between them in the Titanium and E variants.

What Ford EcoSport S gets over Creta 1.4 S: HID headlamps, electric sunroof, black painted roof, tyre pressure monitoring system and 17-inch alloys.

What Hyundai Creta 1.4 S gets over EcoSport S: Rear AC vents and lane change indicator.

Takeaway

The Ford EcoSport continues to dominate with its feature-rich variants in our clash of segment series, and it beats the Creta in this variants comparison as well.

Verdict

Why buy Ford EcoSport?

- Features: The EcoSport beats the Creta in each of the compared variants. Though it commands a premium in most of its variants, the added features justify the increment.

- Safety: The EcoSport Titanium+ and S variants get 6 airbags in total compared to the standard dual front airbags of the Creta E, E Plus and S. Moreover, the availability of ESC, HLA, BA and ISOFIX child seat anchors further enhances its safety quotient than the Creta variants in comparison.

- Fuel efficiency and compact dimensions: With its diesel as well as petrol, the EcoSport consumes less fuel than the Creta. The smaller proportions of the Ford SUV make it easy to manoeuver in city traffic and park in tight spots as well.

Why buy Hyundai Creta?

- Interior space: Thanks to its longer wheelbase, the Creta offers slightly more cabin space with better shoulder room (+25mm)

- Bigger boot: Its 402-litre boot allows for more luggage carrying capacity than the EcoSport

- After sales service: Despite Ford making inroads to most of the key locations in the country, it’s no match to Hyundai’s well spread-out service network.

Source: cardekho.com