Guys just did a back to back test drive of Ecosport Petrol Titanium+ AT and Creta SX+ Petrol AT
1.
Looks - both look good in their own respects. No wonder they are quite popular. Side length is what distinguishes between the two. Thank god for the spare wheel! Ecosport still manages to look funnier than Creta takes a more understated approach comparatively.
2.
Steering - hands down Ecosport. The feel at the centre was ay better than Creta’s center. Overall feedback is very different though Creta’s steering wasn’t lifeless like my i20 2011 Petrol. I guess the diesel will have a better steering feedback. The leather wrap gave it a premium feel in the Ecosport while Creta didn’t seem to have one (need to check brochure if SX+ has leather wrapped steering wheel)
3.
Power delivery - Ecosport has very good power delivery at bottom end and mid range. It was corroborated by another customer who joined me for the test drive. It felt quite fast and kept up with the traffic. S mode definitely makes a lot of difference and so do the paddle shifters. But in the city, you’ll not need the S mode at all. S mode keeps it plenty powerful. Creta was comparatively slower to start off but has decent power on tap. Didn’t really feel lacking but is teeny bit slower to respond. Both automatic gearboxes are super smooth and gear changes are hardly felt that too only on lower gears. Both have very good seating position though Creta’s longer and flatter bonnet enhances the feel of a larger SUV though in reality both are almost same. I used the max seat height adjust on both cars.
4.
Rear seat - Rear seat base is definitely longer and more comfortable in the Ecosport. Creta’s under thigh support was lacking. Three abreast is slightly better in Creta. Leg room was adequate in both cars with Creta having it slightly better. Though I felt that the longer base of Ecosport definitely has an advantage. Leather seats of Ecosport are awesome.
5.
Driver‘s seat - Ecosport has better bolstering and comfort. It is my pick over Creta’s drivers seat.
6.
Suspension and rear seat comfort - While I was driving, the other customer sat at the back and when he was driving I chose the back seat. This gave us a fair idea. Plus we went over non-tarmac road to get a feel. Suspension works very quietly so that’s a plus. However, the overall comfort is a little stiff. Add to that those 17 inch wheels and you better be careful not to toss back seat passengers around !
7.
Features - both cars look equally premium with one opting for lighter shades and the other a full black interior. Titanium+ has more features than SX+ but need to compare the essentials from the brochures. Safety is a big plus for Ecosport as Creta only has two airbags. The sales advisor of Creta wasn’t able to tell me whether it has HLA. Need to check brochure for that too. However, comfort wise, I think both cars have essentials covered. I saw the TPMS and the rear camera in action. The guiding lines of the camera are not very bright and the other customer did get confused with them. The ambient lighting is quite dim and not bright in your face kind. It’s sufficient enough to set the mood though. I like this elegant approach.
8.
Boot space - Hands down Creta. I think most of the length difference between the two has gone to Creta’s hood and boot space.
9.
Mileage - after the test drive of Ecosport, I toggled the mode to avg. FE and it showed 11.5! This car covered 128 km until then and assuming how people push test drive cars, this is a good figure. Forgot to check this on Creta.
10.
Prices - in Hyderabad, Trend+ AT is 11.09 Lakhs onroad, Titanium+ AT is 13.34 Lakhs onroad. Creta SX+ Petrol AT is 15.70 Lakhs onroad and diesel S+ AT is 16.50 Lakhs onroad. The confusion someone might have is whether to put 2.4 Lakhs on Creta SX+ AT over Ecosport Titanium+ AT. Trend+ AT is the most value for money and someone considering this see a huge difference to upgrade to the Creta. Trend+ AT has cars like Baleno CVT alpha, Jazz V CVT and dzire ZXI+ AMT in its sight. And it’s really a no brainer putting 1.5 Lakhs (on avg) over any of these cars. However, haven’t seen the Trend+ AT in flesh so cannot comment.
Older model was still available at the dealer and he said some people are still buying it due to good discounts. Didn’t ask him quantum of discounts as I am not interested in the older model. They looked like diesel versions anyway.
Couple of other points -
1. Three cylinder Dragon was hardly audible inside. No vibrations felt during driving. Many won’t realize how many cylinders the car has.
2. The dealer already has 40 bookings with 25 for automatics, almost all for Titanium+.
3. Intended to test drive Verna but after sitting in the Ecosport and it’s high seating, lesser inclined now. However, will still take a test drive. By the way, Verna EX AT Petrol was cheaper at 12.7 Lakhs than Titanium+ AT and EX diesel AT slightly costlier at 14 Lakhs. So unless someone wants an SUVish car, Verna is a definite contender. It looks awesome. Love the rear of the car. Here again, there is no taking away the length difference between the two cars.
Was the issue with AMT actuator system or The GB itself? as both are coupled to make it a whole package
They replaced the entire clutch assembly.
I believe there is an actuator switch on the right side of gear lever that acts as a toggle switch to switch between lower ratios of 6F15 gearbox, its not as intuitive as the paddle shifters but it is there if there is a need for manual control
I also know a person with a 15k kms run Renault Kwid facing issue with the AMT, the car wont start unless the driver pushes the Brake pedals so hard like one wants to kill someone, its frustrating specially when ladies have to take the car,
I am not at all convinced with AMT, maybe its more reliable than DSG but the drive feel etc at least from my experience felt sub par compared to even some CVTs
The thing is a lot of AMT buyers specially are Maruti buyers who dont appear in forums threads etc because they never care for other brands in their books CAR=MARUTI, so they buy them and keep on repairing and running them,
I have already seen more than 5 cases of AMT clutch replacements and shuddering and roll back and starting issues within 50,000 kms, so at least for me AMT is not reliable on top of its terrible driving nature specially in 1,2,3 gears.
If the toggle switch works atleast on inclines then it serves the purpose. D mode seems quite capable to handle rest for a calm driver.
While I agree on the Maruti comment, I myself have used Hyundai and even Ecosport for six months. Had to sell ES as it was manual and I developed a slip disc problem. However, my point is that in the price point Celerio operates, it is still the best option. Grand i10 is costlier. Mileage of Celerio is good. I get 15 in city and 20 with city and highway combination. So it served my purpose. At 6 Lakhs, I am ok to compromise on build quality, not at 11 Lakhs and above. Hence, not inclined to wait for Brezza AMT. my uncle who has a car decor shop clearly states that quality of Ecosport (referring to previous version) in everything right from doors, seat cushioning etc are way better than Brezza.
On AMT, the only saving grace is that full replacement of the set costs less than 1000 INR if not covered under warranty.
There is a button with a '+' sign on it on the lever.
Thanks!
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