Hyundai has added yet another SUV to its range in South Africa – the Grand Creta – with two extra seats, a longer body and wheelbase, a long list of standard features and a superior ride that all come at a very competitive price.

The addition of the 7-seater Hyundai Grand Creta, with different looks and design features than its 5-seater namesake, means that Hyundai now offers an even more comprehensive and one of the biggest ranges of sports utility and crossover vehicles in South Africa.

With two specifications levels – Executive and Elite – for features and equipment and a combination of two different engines and gearboxes, the Grand Creta line-up of five derivatives offer a wide choice to customers.

“When you look at vehicle size, convenience and feature levels and pricing, the Grand Creta definitely had slot to fill in our vehicle offering,” says Stanley Anderson, sales and operations director at Hyundai Automotive South Africa.

“The original Creta has done excellent groundwork since its South African launch five years ago and prepared the way for its bigger sibling. The new Grand Creta has a spacious interior, and with its longer wheelbase offers an excellent ride quality with extremely low noise levels. Together with the impressive list of convenience and luxury features, the Grand Creta presents a motoring package for the bigger family that will be attractive to many customers that are buying in this segment,” says Anderson.

Tough, yet graceful. Dominating, yet elegant. Hyundai’s Grand Creta pairs a bold and tall stance with elegant design. The bold front grille with its dark chrome accents fits in with the rest of the Hyundai range, while giving the Grand Creta an identity of its own. The more-than-ample 20 cm ground clearance is evident from its recognisable SUV profile and emphasises the versatility that the Grand Creta offers its driver and occupants.

LED daytime running lights are standard on all derivatives and forms part of the neat headlight cluster. LEDs are also used for the headlights and the rear light cluster on all derivatives.

Viewed from the side, one recognises the longer body, which is all still in proportion due to a 15 cm increase in the Grand Creta’s wheelbase compared to the smaller Creta. The Grand Creta Executive derivatives’ 17-inch wheels and the Elite’s 18-inchers are both attractive and adds to the impressive profile with its bold wheel arches. The wheels also offer enough rubber between the road surface and the rims to perform its SUV duties.

At the rear, a dark chrome strip between the rear light clusters, a bold Hyundai logo above it and twin-tip, rounded square exhaust outlets round of the back design.

The interior of the Hyundai Grand Creta immerses you in uncluttered design. Complete with a premium dual tone interiors and artificial leather seats in all derivatives, the carefully selected materials accentuate the aesthetic. An airy and cool ambience is created by the light-coloured seats.

The Elite versions displays information for the driver on a 10.2-inch Supervision cluster and starts the engine with a push button. Other Elite features and conveniences in the interior include a sun-roof, automatic climate control, blue ambient lighting strips and curtains for the rear windows that slide out of the door panels.

An infotainment system with an 8-inch touch screen and connectivity for Apple’s CarPlay or Android Auto forms part of standard luxury features across the range, as well as a steering wheel with multi-function buttons for the sound system and cruise control. Wireless charging in the centre console for smart phones is a standard feature across the range.

Pricing: R449 900 – R559 900. All prices include a 7-year/200 000 km manufacturer’s warranty; a 4-year/60 000 km service plan; and roadside assistance for 7 years or 150 000 km.