Honda BR-V vs Hyundai Creta: Comparison

A voice cackled over the radio the other day, as I was driving to work. “Come drive our new ‘SUV,’ which is the smallest on the market,” it said. As usual, at this point my head spun in annoyance. It’s come to a point now where anything with a tall roof and half-decent ground clearance is being called an SUV. What’s with this obsession with SUVs anyway? Well, it’s a relatively new segment for passenger cars – relative to sedans and hatchbacks, which have been around for decades. And, for India, it makes practical sense from the point of view of providing the ground clearance required to traverse most of our challenging terrain. And, let’s be honest, a lot of an SUV’s appeal has to do with the ego massage it gives its driver and passengers.

Later that morning, when I reached the office, the swift emergence of this vehicle type was reflected in our test fleet. Four of them happened to be ‘positioned’ as SUVs on the market. And, frankly, it was quite refreshing to see Honda’s new BR-V crossover in the mix. But, standing next to the current segment leader, the Creta, it was immediately clear that it has its work cut out.