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Indians love SUVs,
and we haven't had many options in the affordable SUV space, other than the Tata Safari and the Mahindra Scorpio.
The Scorpio was launched in India in 2002
and Mahindra launched the XUV500 in 2011 which became an instant sales sensation.
In 2012, Renault launched the Duster which was received very well by the market and now in 2015,
Hyundai has launched the Creta, its rivals to both these cars here. Now the Creta has a lot going
for it but can it dethrone its established rivals, well, let's find out today.
The Mahindra XUV500 is the biggest car here which gives it immense presence.
It also has a lot of styling elements which are appreciated by many.
Meanwhile the Duster has some striking design features which make it look very much SUV,
the flared wheel arches being the big standout on the Renault.
However, the Hyundai Creta comes across as the most appealing car of this trio,
it's the freshest here and also has a very striking design.
On the inside, the Mahindra XUV500 outshines its rivals by offering more seats, more space and more equipment.
Meanwhile, the Hyundai Creta isn't far behind as it too has a spacious cabin with a ton of features.
This is where the Renault Duster lacks big time, while it does have good space,
it misses out by lacking in features, quality, ergonomics and aesthetic appeal.
The cabin of the Creta feels the best put together, it also has the best quality and best seats.
The Duster feels spartan with the lack of equipment.
It does have a bigger boot than the Creta while the XUV will either give you a boot or the additional two seats.
The last row in the Mahindra is best used by children.
The XUV has the most storage spaces on the inside while the Creta is a close second.
Mahindra doesn't offer a petrol engine with the XUV500 and between the Duster and Creta's petrol engines,
it's the Hyundai which offers better performance.
With this segment being more oriented towards diesel engines, let's talk oil burners.
Taking the more powerful engines from both Renault and Hyundai in contention,
it's the Creta which beats both its rivals when it comes to performance.
The Duster does have better low-end punch but just isn't as quick as the Creta 1.6.
The XUV500 might have a bigger engine with more power but its bigger size
and higher weight makes it slower than both the Creta and Duster.
The thing which really impresses about the Creta is the light clutch and the smooth shifting
gearbox which is much better than both the XUV and the Duster.
The Creta also beats its rivals hands down when it comes to NVH levels.
The Creta is more frugal than its rivals for both engines.
It also comes with a diesel automatic which adds to the convenience.
All these cars are front-wheel drive but the XUV and Duster also come with the option of AWD.
All of them also use a monocoque chassis.
The Duster has the best handling here,
it also has the better steering with feedback being immense and also in excess sometimes.
It is also the most stable car of the trio.
The Creta manages to better the XUV when it comes to handling, stability and also braking.
Where the Hyundai beats both its rivals is the ride quality, it simply is more comfortable to be in.
The XUV isn't a bad handler, it even has a good ride quality but it simply can't match the Duster
or the Creta in this regard and that's because of its huge dimensions.
The XUV has the most body roll here meanwhile the Duster has the least.
Now all these three cars are very capable indeed but the Duster feels a bit pricey for what it offers.
It simply doesn't have the same level of fit, finish and quality like the Creta and compared to the Mahindra and Creta,
it misses out on a ton of features.
Meanwhile between the Creta and the XUV500, it is the Hyundai which offers more *** for the buck.
While the XUV is bigger, it also has more equipment but it's much pricier too.
The W8 variant of the XUV is much more expensive than the top-end Creta SX(O).
The Creta offers better ride, better handling, more performance and better quality which makes it the winner of today's shootout.
But there is a but, if you want a real SUV, an SUV which is primarily a rear wheel drive,
an SUV which comes with 4-wheel drive and an SUV which is underpinned
by a body on frame platform, then you should be getting one of these.
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