Hyundai is a South Korean vehicle manufacturer that entered India in 1996 and has a current market share of 15%. Volkswagen, on the other hand, is a German vehicle manufacturer that started its operations in India in 2001 and currently has a market share of 2.2%.

Both car manufacturers offer several popular cars here in India, but the most ‘in-demand’ cars from each manufacturer are the Taigun and the Creta.

Let’s check out the following sections to learn more about the two cars to understand which car you should buy.

The VW Taigun

The Volkswagen Taigun is available in 30 trims. The price range for the crossover front-wheel driven car starts from INR. 13.67 Lakh and goes up to INR. 23.37 Lakh. Additionally, the car has exceptional demand in the used cars market. Hence, buying this car is a great decision especially if you are planning to sell it off after a few years.

Engine specifications

The Taigun is offered with two engine options. One is the 1.5-liter 4-cylinder TSI petrol engine that is tuned to produce 147.5bhp of power and 250Nm of torque. This engine is paired with a seven-speed DSG automatic which is revered for smooth as well as precise gearshifts.

The other engine is the 1.0-liter TSI petrol unit that is tuned to produce 114bhp of power and 178Nm of torque. This engine is mated with either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed torque converter transmission.

Both engines are tuned to a degree that delivers exceptional low-end torque that makes it easy to drive this car in bumper-to-bumper traffic. On the other hand, the engine has impressive top-end performance which makes it easy to cruise on the highways at triple-digit speeds!

In the second-hand car market, dealers almost always focus on the used car details of the Taigun especially if the car has the revered DSG gearbox.

Why?

Well, this transmission ensures the car can be driven spiritedly without worrying about fuel efficiency!

The suspensions of the Taigun are set a bit on the harder side which provides impressive high-speed stability. But at low speeds, over undulations, the car offers a bit stiff ride.

The overall tuning of the steering wheel is set a bit on the lighter side making it easy for the car to be driven through city traffic. However, at high speeds, the steering should have had a setting that would have made it a bit heavy so that corners could be tackled with confidence.

Convenience and onboard technology offered

The car is decked out with a single-pane electric sunroof which is instrumental in making the car feel airy from the inside.

The car has a five-star GNCAP safety rating and comes outfitted with six airbags as standard fitment.

Other safety features of the Taigun are –

• ABS
• ESC
• Hill-hold control, and
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Convenience features include –

• Rear parking sensors
• A rear-view camera, and
• Park assist.

Overall styling

The car is garnished with chrome in all the right places such as –

• Chrome grille
• Chrome roof rails, and
• Chrome door handles.

The overall styling of the car is elegance merged with premium.

The aggressive stance and that ‘German’ made factor VW cars are known for also add to the appeal of the car.

The Hyundai Creta

Hyundai introduced the second generation of the Creta back in 2020. The present iteration available is a facelift of the second-generation Creta.

The price range of the car currently starts from INR. 12.92 Lakh and goes up to INR. 23.56 Lakh. Additionally, Hyundai offers a whopping 52 variants of the car.

Engine specifications

Hyundai Creta comes with 4 engine options.

They are as follows -

• A turbocharged 1.5-liter diesel engine that is tuned to produce 114 BHP of power and 250Nm of torque. This engine is mated either with a six-speed manual transmission or a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission (with paddle shifters).
• A 1.5 liter naturally aspirated diesel engine that is tuned to produce 113 BHP of power and 250 Nm of torque. Transmission options are the same as above.
• A 1.5-liter turbo petrol GDi (gasoline direct injection) engine that is tuned to produce 158 BHP of power and 253 Nm of torque. This engine is paired only with a seven-speed Dual Clutch Transmission with paddle shifters
• The fourth and final engine option is a naturally aspirated petrol engine that is tuned to produce 113bhp of power and 143.8Nm of torque. The engine is paired either with a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed IVT (Intelligent Variable Transmission) which also comes with paddle shifters as standard fitment.

The car gets three drive modes and three traction control.

The diesel engine is sluggish below 2000 RPM (almost all diesel engines are) but can easily surpass rival cars once the RPM passes 2,000 RPM.

However, as per auto experts associated with AutoHealth, the diesel trims of the Creta are smooth as well as refined. In the automatic trims, the gearshifts are seamless.

If you want to buy a long-distance car that needs minimum maintenance then the Creta is a great car. The highway behavior of the car is stable, the cabin is quiet and body roll on the corners is minimal.

Convenience and onboard tech

The dashboard design is pretty elegant which when combined with the slim A-pillar and large windows allows the driver to have excellent visibility.

The rear seat can split 60:40 and comes with a two-step recline function. Furthermore, the rear seat occupants are also offered two Type-C charging ports.

All seats are well-cushioned, large, and properly bolstered. Rear seat occupants have ample shoulder, head, and leg room.

The on-board tech on offer consists of the following -

• Voice-enabled panoramic sunroof
• Home to Car (H2C) with Alexa
• 8-speaker Bose sound system
• 1-year JioSaavn free subscription
• Android Auto/Apple CarPlay
• Rear window sunshade
• Large boot
• Electric driver’s seat
• Ventilated front-row seats
• Dual-zone climate control
• One Type-C port
• Rear-view monitor

Safety

The safety package offered in the Creta by Hyundai is quite extensive and consists of the following –

• Six airbags
• ESC
• Vehicle Stability Management (VSM)
• Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC)
• Disc brakes on all 4 wheels
• Three-point seat belts all around
• ADAS with forward collision warning and avoidance assist
• Blind-spot collision warning and avoidance assist.
• Surround View Monitor (SVM)
• Electric parking brake with auto-hold
• Blind-spot View Monitor (BVM) and
• TPMS.

Overall looks

The black chrome radiator grille of the Creta neatly separates the DRLs, the LED positioning lamps, and the quad-beam LED headlamps. The overall external appearance of the Creta is quite mature. The sequential LED indicators and the connecting LED tail lamp as well as the 17-inch diamond-cut alloys – oof! They make the car a head-turner for sure! Other attractive attributes of the Hyundai Creta are –

• Chrome door handles
• Puddle lamps
• Front and rear skid plates
• Integrated rear spoiler with a neatly tucked away high-mounted stop lamp.

A well-designed dashboard, center console, and door pads also ooze a premium feel all around!

Furthermore, the digital gauge cluster paired with the large infotainment touchscreen system also makes the Creta an unmistakably modern car.

So, which is the better car the Creta and the Taigun?

To sum it all up – the Taigun is a good car. It closely follows the Creta in terms of product packaging but falls short when you consider the steep maintenance costs associated with the car and expensive spare parts that will surely burn a hole in your pockets! On the other hand, the Creta is a car made for India. Additionally, with a price north of a mere INR 20 lakhs, you would get a fully decked-out car. The Creta is known for its low-maintenance nature, fuel efficiency, impressive onboard features, reliability, and grin-inducing performance. It is that simple!