Matte suit helps Hyundai Creta put its best foot forward

December is a time when families head off all over the country to seek out sea and sun. But last year I decided to stay at home and channel my inner braai master and avoid E. coli.

But my daughter and boyfriend decided at the last minute that they couldn’t bear the thought of staying at home for New Year and announced that they were going to venture out to a place called Rosemary Hill Farm for an urban meets country getaway for a few nights. Their decision gave me the perfect opportunity to put our Hyundai Creta Matte Edition through its paces as an impromptu holiday car and give it a break from running up and down to the shops every day.

So, what is the new Hyundai Creta Matte Edition all about? Stating the obvious, for a R5 000 premium over the standard top-of-the-range Executive model, you get one eye-catching Creta for R524 900 painted at the factory with a special exterior matte paint and not wrapped.

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Hyundai Creta Matte Edition looks the part

Along with this different body paint finish, you get special glossy black 17-inch black rims, door handles and outside rearview mirrors to go with the A and C pillars that are finished in high gloss black. This colour combo is finished off with the front and rear skid plates. These sport a matte black colour versus the silver of the run-of-the-mill Hyundai Creta derivatives.

While the buyer demographic of the Hyundai Creta copact SUV might be somewhat older than my kids, they loved the colour. And that in their world is almost as important as anything else when choosing a car.

The interior also impressed with its simplicity of an 8-inch touch screen and infotainment system that offered Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, plus wireless charging. Which is of course a must for almost anybody under the age of 100 these days.

Lots of space and comfort

The available space and rest of the convenience of the interior was an afterthought for the young ‘uns. Boot space is not the largest, but it will allow for most young families or couples to load up and escape, just like they did. They have no kids to lug around yet, so they are happy for only one suitcase and a cooler box to find a comfortable home within the Hyundai Creta.

The driver seat’s height can be adjusted, while the steering wheel has telescopic and height adjustment. You also get an artificial leather covering for the seats, gear lever knob and steering wheel, automatic up or down one touch power control of the driver’s window and start button control with smart key entry specific to the Matte Edition.

If they had looked behind them, there is a decent amount of space for the rear passengers, who also benefit from added comfort in the form of a centre arm rest with cup holders that fold out of the backrest for the middle seat in the rear bench. There is a 12V power socket, as well as a USB charging socket and storage place in a console and air vents for those they are in the back.

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Fuel economy stands out

Getting out on the road, the 84kW/144Nm, 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine is happier around town than it is at highway speeds. The automatic Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT), which is the only choice you have if you opt for the top-of-the-range Exec Spec Matte Edition, is also happier around town. In a world where the Chinese are running 1.5-litre turbocharged SUVs married to double clutch gearboxes, this combo can feel like it is working harder than it should to keep up.

But where the Hyundai Creta has them comprehensively beat is with fuel consumption. I have seldom, if ever averaged much under 10-litres per 100km in normal use with a Chinese SUV. Getting down into the 6s with this car was not too difficult and even with all the town driving before and after the trip away, the consumption settled at 7.3-litres per 100km. The price difference in fuel per 100km just might seal the deal for some, especially if you are doing a couple of thousand km per month.

The Hyundai Creta Matte Edition comes in at R524 900. It includes a seven-year/200 000km manufacturer’s warranty and four-year/60 000km service plan.